In reading Michael O'Callaghan's (2002) article, "The Pattern that Connects the World Situation to Our Way of Seeing it," I have come to realize that the philosophy of "Cartesian dualism" (Bateson, qtd. in O'Callaghan, 2002, par. 5) has a destructive dimension that I had never perceived before. Without really thinking about its destructive quality, I had always accepted the philosophy of "Cartesian dualism" as an integral and entrenched part of humanity's daily existence.
Apart from the examples of Cartesian dualism listed by Bateson (qtd. in O'Callaghan, 2002, par. 5), I can also cite other types of dualistic relationships such as parent-child and therapist-client. Throughout most of my life, I had not been unduly disturbed by the aspects of power and control that govern these two relationships or viewed them as being destructive.
In my opinion, the philosophy of "Cartesian dualism" is simply a way that human beings with their limited perspective of the world have tried to create order out of the muddle of existence. By organizing people, relationships and things into tidy categories, human beings prevent themselves from being overwhelmed by their exposure to their complex environment. As I am writing this statement, I realize that human beings almost need to exercise a degree of control in order to feel secure and function in life. To me, this dualistic perspective that enables us to exercise some control is a self-defense mechanism that enables us to cope with the vastness of the universe and the world. Certainly, our need for this control has also restricted our vision and understanding of the complexity of the interrelationships that exist within the universe. Therefore, I believe that if I were to abandon this dualistic philosophy, I would be embracing a more expansive and potentially overwhelming view of the world--an act of courage. In other words, I did not think that adhering to the philosophy of Cartesian d...