"Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you keep it all afloat"

Audre Lorde’s observation addresses the complex nature of being human, emphasizing self-acceptance and the coexistence of seemingly opposing aspects within each individual. Human beings are made up of countless thoughts, desires, fears, and ambitions, many of which might clash. Society, however, often insists on clarity and consistency, telling people to choose sides, stick to one narrative, and suppress parts that don’t align with external expectations. Lorde reorients us, suggesting that the vitality and stability of our inner lives hinge on recognizing and embracing all of our parts, especially those which appear contradictory.

Contradictions find their way into our hopes, opinions, even our experiences of love and anger. Rather than denying uncertainty or desperately attempting to resolve opposites, Lorde encourages a posture of harmony, accepting paradox not as a flaw but as an essential reality to navigate. Life’s unpredictability and the multiplicity within each person are not obstacles to be tidied away, but essential contributors to authentic living. Trying to eliminate internal clashes might seem like pursuing order, but it can leave one emotionally fragmented, always striving for an unattainable uniformity. Inner wholeness, instead, comes from integrating, not erasing, these divisions.

Living “in harmony” with contradictions does not imply passivity or resignation, but a creative engagement with the full spectrum of oneself. It is learning to see the push and pull, not as a threat to one’s identity, but as fertile ground for growth, change, and resilience. This approach grants a person the flexibility to adapt, the courage to be self-reflective, and the patience to participate in life’s unfolding complexities. To “keep it all afloat” is thus to accept the richness of one’s ambiguities, allowing integrity and complexity to coexist without sinking under the pressure to simplify or resolve everything, finding peace in the ongoing dance of contradiction.