Amongst the principle concepts of the Shadow, there is one that particularly stands out against the rest: Wholeness. It is the single most distinguishing precept for the Shadow in that it does the most to define the Shadow from the Light or the Dark. While both the Light and the Dark present wholeness to some degree, Shadows make it a primary point in our perception of reality - which directly affects our perspective on all other things.
What is necessary to note in discussing wholeness, though, is the misunderstanding that is often perpetrated through a simple error in semantics. When a person thinks of a "whole," s/he thinks of a "one," a "oneness," or a unity - some form of singularity. The problem with this is that to create a singularity is to immediately create an "other." It is a issue of linguistics: for every "this" there is necessarily a "that" opposed to it which aids in defining the "this." Just as there is up for down, left for right, tall for short... the list goes on and on. It is a major portion of our western logic and communicative/thought process that we may not be aware of: for every 'A', there is a "NOT 'A'."
Yet, when wholeness is referred to in the Shadow, it is utilized to convey ABSOLUTE inclusion. The whole is EVERYTHING. It is a TOTALITY - so it refers to the All, the None, the One, and the Some. Nothing is excluded and yet even "no-thing" is included. It is a difficult concept to wrap one's mind around, but very worth meditating upon.
So, why is this important? How does this affect us outside of this online academy in the day-to-day world? The importance of truly grasping wholeness is in the way it broadens the way one sees the world, and how one interacts with it. We see more than black and white. We see more than shades of gray. We see pinks, oranges and every shade of blue with the understanding that there are even more colors present that we are not able to directly perceive. It aids us in becoming more accepting of others and their beliefs - knowing that even a lie has a thread of truth, instead of discarding the lie WE LOOK FOR THE TRUTH. We realize how we relate and inter-relate with other people, objects, and our environment on the whole. We find beauty and we find bliss.
Just remember this: Whole is ALL.