Philosophers have long framed reality through paired tensions. Plato’s Republic VII stages truth as ascent to light, with cave shadows marking illusion, implying that clarity is born from contrast. Heraclitus (fr. B53 DK) bluntly adds that struggle is the “father of all,” suggesting creation itself arises from contention. Meanwhile, the Yijing (c. 1000–500 BCE) portrays yin and yang as complementary forces, not enemies—darkness and light co-producing change. These traditions help us hear Madara’s claim less as fatalism and more as a reminder that opposites co-constitute the world. [...]
