I've noticed that many origin myths center around a dark/light duality. Is this intuition or are we hard-wired to think in dualities?
Since moving to Oahu I've been reading a lot of Hawaiiana, books about Hawaiian culture, and there are a lot of them! I found out that Hawaiian and Polynesian mythology focuses on cosmology and astronomy - not surprising for a culture that successfully navigated vast areas of the pacific ocean using the stars.
What was also notable is that the Polynesian origin myth describes the world originating from darkness. This is a very common theme across many cultures. So, does this derive from a common myth at the very root of humanity as we were migrating out of Africa, is it intuition that eerily describes the Big Bang (something from nothing), or does it merely reflect an innate preference for dualities - opposites?
Personally, I am inclined to the latter idea. Being able to make comparisons effectively is a trademark of intelligence. Perhaps seeing opposites in all things would be natural. What do you think?
