The THIRD Side of the Coin..

The more I read (and post) around this site, talk with family, friends, strangers, and generally experience the society I live in (that of Western Washington, US) I've begun to notice something..

people genuinely think there are only two sides of a coin.

I've heard this cliché on the radio, television, and in person, and only recently have I started to see it as a symptom of our habitually dualistic model of portraying the world.

indeed, there ARE two sides of a coin, but these are only the sides which immediately grab our attention..

we feel like "heads" is completely different than "tails" and spend most of our time examining each side, looking for differences, cataloging their defects, and calculating the odds..

but wait!

we have entirely overlooked a 3rd side..

this is the edge of the coin..

few people take notice of it, and those who do are usually quick to ignore it as insignificant..

and really we can't blame them! It truly is nothing special to notice.. there's no image of a "great leader"(heads) or a symbol of "our great nation"(tails), there's almost no odds to bet on, and (sometimes) there is only a binary pattern of ridges along the side..

..nearly unnoticeable..

..certainly negligible..

or IS It..??

in fact, i have come to argue that the edge is in fact the ONLY side which can be said to make up "the whole coin", because both heads and tails are simply the top and bottom of a thin cylinder..

this metaphor seems to directly apply to a lot of the arguments that seem to happen out here in cyberspace, not to mention throughout human history..

"materialism" or "spirituality"?

"skepticism" or "pseudoscience"??

"Conspiracy theorists" or "shills to TPTB"???

these are all "two sides of the same coin" from where I'm sitting..

perhaps it would be useful to remember that "the fringe" of society which really connects all of the radials of society..

like the faces of a coin, the radicals who yell the loudest for our attention, get it, but they are by no means the majority..

in fact it seems like most "ordinary people" could be considered a part of "the fringe" on most issues of debate, but they don't speak very loud and prefer to live their lives, rather than spend their time spouting strong convictions and living in constant conflict..

people wonder why i don't vote..?

how's this: the act of voting is an implicit acknowledgement of their presumed authority to essentially "own" the population.. We are given essentially two "clubs" to choose from, and then told that the actions of "the winner" is supposed to reflect "the will of the people".. *ahem* never has that sounded fair, or even logical to me.
Never did I register to be a citizen of this country, nor have i ever been asked my opinion on things like "should we go to war?" "should we conduct really shady deals outside of the knowledge of the public?" etc etc..

We are supposedly in "the land of the free"..

but we better not act like it!

..better not intake certain plants into our bodies.. (unless you got the money)
..better not use a copyrighted phrase, image, or soundbite for our own creative purposes.. (unless you got the money)
..better not ride a bike without a helmet.. (unless you got the money)
..better not have the wrong skin color in the wrong part of town.. (unless you got the money)
..better not drive too fast.. (unless you got the money)
..better not wear certain colors in certain areas.. (unless you got the money)
..better not cross certain borders.. (unless you got the money)
..starting to see what I'm saying..!?

I'm not saying "people SHOULDN'T wear their seatbelts," etc..
but i AM saying that we should have the free-will and peace of mind, and know that a cop doesn't have the right to stop and fine us for such a thing..

i AM saying that i do NOT acknowledge the authority of law enforcement or "The State" to tell me, or any other human, who we must be, what we must do with our lives, when we must/must not do anything of our choosing, where we can and/or can't go or live, why we must fight the people of other countries based upon political, religious, and/or moral "obligations", or HOW we must live our lives..

AS LONG AS PEOPLE ARE NOT EXPLOITING AND/OR HURTING ANOTHER PERSON (without their consent..), then i do not see any reason why "the law" seems to have its hand in almost every facet of daily life..

I agree with those who say that the police and the military are absolutely necessary for the reasons of defense against those who would like to impinge upon the Freedom of others.. but outside of that, count me out.

end the witch hunts. accept the nature of humanity. begin to enjoy true freedom.

these wars and political shenanigans are done in the name of "Americans" without our consent. Those who protest in the streets are seen as "the minority who says 'nay'", but i think we all know that this is not the case..
they are simply the faces of the edge begging to be noticed, if only the rest had the ears to listen.

there is nothing involving or acknowledging an individual's free-will, and there's certainly nothing contractual about "being an American".. and yet there has been so much talk and fighting in the name of "spreading democracy".. it makes Evangelism looks harmless in comparison.

To those who have been indoctrinated into believing that life is a "game of survival" in which those who survive the longest, somehow "win".. perhaps it would be useful to remember that we do not remember our births, we won't "remember" our deaths.. so maybe some attention should be paid to the moment..

..Those who feel that they are entirely isolated and alone..
remember that You couldn't and wouldn't be what/who you are right now, if it weren't for the steps you have taken to get here. the space which differentiates and separates us from our environment, is also what connects us...

just try not to be too distracted by the extremes, and remember that the edge is truly what makes up everything..

just some foodz for thought

Wow. Very good Read. So true. But i have sometimes seen the Coin land on the side. But Like you Said the odds are very low.

The part with Society. Is so true too. Spot on

Very good work here .

S & F

The third side of the coin is the third position.

Very good and interesting analysis. Of course, there is always more than two sides. Once solid in a belief system, is to be confined by it, as well. As someone else said, filtering everything else out that is then negative to it. It's closing yourself to any other option. For them, there's only two sides: theirs, and the rest.

The edge is part of it, standing in for the middle, between the heads and tails. But it's also just a coin, a construct, anyway. Coins are not that important, and a symbol of governmental sovereignty, really. "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar," were Jesus' words on the matter. Not that his words on this are the only ones that count. There's much else to consdier and provoke what you are speaking of.

In this:

Those who have been indoctrinated into believing that life is a "game of survival", in which those who survive the longest, somehow "win".. perhaps it would be useful to remember that we do not remember our births, we won't "remember" our deaths.. so maybe some attention should be paid to the moment..

I would say, we wish to survive in order to meet our quantum selves…the mirror of who we are some place else, where things are different, not as they are in this controlled simulation of what reality truly is….

It is useful to not sell your fellow man short, either.
But interesting observations, regarrdless, OP.

What is this thing, though, with everyone and their "food for thought?"
Isn't there another way of saying this?
tetra50

Moments are infinite.

If both sides of the coin are controlled, the edge isn't free either. This is one coin I'll walk right by if I see it on the sidewalk.

Two sides of the coin is like the two party system, no matter what side you choose you're stuck. S + F

originally posted by: Kashai
Moments are infinite.

Indeed, they are.

a reply to: HyphenSt1

Well you kinda flew off on a tangent/rant in the last half of the OP, but..s&f for the 3rd side.

interesting read, hmm

Hebrews 4
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Jeremiah34
when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof

Matthew 18
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Ephesians2
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby

Well, I think I understand what you are getting at, but I would put it differently.

I would tend to use this metaphor pointing at the coin itself, instead of just another or third side to it.
Recognizing the many angles together as all one global object, is getting as close as you can to reality and truth.
Using your eyes, you can see the topside, underside, and edge side... but hold it in your hand and close your eyes ( close your I) and you can feel the entire coin in your hand.

as a coin collector, I have always held the coin from the edge this third side you speak of. I like it. Some countries put words and stuff there. Like Colombian pesos. And I think that's cool. The kennedy Gold half dollar now available at the US mint has awesome sides to its coin. Great detail.

Coins are fun to collect.

Here Here !
Incredibly well put Hyphen.
The edge is the only division free area .

A very thought-provoking thread, thanks for sharing it with us.

a reply to: HyphenSt1
S & F



Nicely put post

Whatever reality is.

Perhaps we are Entangled with all of it because of the moment.

In other words the moment is how we are entangled with all of reality.

Any thoughts?

PS: Implied is another point of view.