The recent conflict between businesswoman Nguyễn Phương Hằng and entertainers reflect the conflict between two sources of energy in Vietnam: the source of energy distortion of the material and the source of energy distortion of the spiritual. There are many views on this issue, and here we will explore a very deep level to explain the phenomena occurring in society: the level of consciousness.
There seems to be conflict between matter and spirit in every era. Entrepreneurs represent the material side, while artists represent the spiritual. This “clash” happens frequently and quietly. Although there are delicate areas of overlap, many entrepreneurs do not particularly “like” artists, considering them “noisy, scandalous, and showy” and equating “showbiz” with “cheap.” Many artists likewise feel entirely alienated from entrepreneurs' thinking and actions, fearing that their “cold-blooded materialism and money-mindedness” could “stain” or “debase” their artistic souls.
Except that when it comes to “many talents, many faults,” neither side really yields to the other.
So here, it is not simply a conflict between material and spiritual things, but actually a conflict between the ‘distortions’ in the qualities of both sides.
On one side, entrepreneurs have many positive qualities. They produce and do business, create value and jobs, and drive economic development. They are bold, intelligent, calculating, and sharply skilled; some have financial ability and radiate the charisma of a talented leader. Yet when these qualities become distorted, they can become too fierce, too aggressive, too forceful, too focused on achieving their goals and ambitions at any cost. Some may even grow rich through unethical or unlawful means. Some souls are still young and struggling to learn their material lessons. Once they begin to possess material wealth, they can become very arrogant and view everything through the language of money. They use material possessions as a measure of human worth. They are very proud of that lifestyle and constantly increase and reinforce their “power.”
On the other side, artists are actually very beautiful souls. Some are highly evolved souls. They can listen to intuition and use the heart’s energy instead of only the sharpness of the intellect. They can enter the flow of creativity in this universe. Through this ability, we can understand that art itself is a path to enlightenment: to becoming one with the universe’s beautiful song of love and realizing life’s invisible elements. However, when living with distorted qualities, they may become very weak, fragile souls filled with their own illusions and delusions. Emotions become a double-edged sword that can lead a person to emotional disorder instead of balance. External glory only creates more inner emptiness. They may view everything very subjectively, such as charity, making them both blameworthy and pitiable. Some may also lose balance between the two polarities: masculine and feminine. Others confuse reverent faith with superstition, using spiritual elements incorrectly.
Actually, both entrepreneurs and artists are slaves to the ego; their Self can be enormous, with a capital S. Both carry much inner repression, particularly emotional repression. They also suffer greatly because they hold many memories and wounds that have never healed. One side must appear too strong, too forceful, too rigid. The other is rather sentimental, soft, and weak. Of course, they also have many joys in life, and each is learning their own lessons.
When this underlying conflict builds up sufficiently, it erupts publicly in the media, exposing a series of distortions and “bad habits” on both sides. One side radiates excessively judgmental, materialistic and comparative energy. The other reveals too many hidden and dark corners behind the glory, mainly because of “foolishness” in the soul—a soul that has gone off course and needs to return to balance.
Above all, this collision is inevitable in order to transcend duality. We will see that entrepreneurs can also be deeply spiritual and artistic. The flow will show us entrepreneurs singing, and singing artistically. Artists must also learn material lessons, unless they have already learned them, becoming more professional, stronger, and uniting heart and brain. Customers sustain entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs offer customers quality products. The public sustains artists, and artists offer the public deeply moving works. Who sustains whom no longer matters. At some point, we all realize: We Are All One. Then one person can put themselves in the other's position. No more need to separate. No more need to compare. One person can truly understand the other, with a lowercase ‘u.’ With enough understanding, transformation and unification begin. Despite many challenges and incidents, from the macro level across the world to the micro level of our everyday relationships. Everything happens with only one purpose: helping us remember who we truly are, then move toward union.
And we are entering that era.
TMT.
