Is an important phrase to keep in mind, because without it we run the risk of succumbing to our extremist tendency to make every decision a “right or wrong,” “black and white,” “yes” or “no” framework.
Whereas, on the other hand, remembering that two things can be true allows us to:
Simultaneous be hungry — yet have no ideas where we’d like to eat.
Be worried about filling our taxes late — yet not want to file them.
Hate the presence of weeds in our gardens — yet feel concerned about using herbicides.
This simple phrase that we all seem to forget, allows for almost infinite levels of nuance and gives us the much needed permission to be messy, contradictory, unsure, confused, and doubtful. When we embrace the possibility of two things being true, we can take a deep breath and stop trying to fit our round-selves into a square hole. We can stop trying to make the decision ahead of us as simple as possible. We can stop making everything clean and tidy. We can both value simplicity — yet honor our need for murky waters.