By Dawn Norton

“Opposites attract”
“For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:2)
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”
Polar opposites.

The world is full of opposing forces. In fact, opposition isn’t just a part of life—it’s divine law. The Law of Polarity governs everything on a continuum, giving us the chance to truly know, discover, and experience life in its fullness.

We can’t really understand or appreciate anything until we’ve experienced its opposite. How do we know something is light? We see it, yes—but what gives it meaning? Our knowledge of darkness. Without darkness, light would have no contrast. No definition.

The same is true of emotions. If we’ve never felt sadness, how could we ever recognize happiness? Babies are perfect examples of this. One moment, they’re laughing with delight. The next, they’re sobbing. That contrast is how they come to understand the world—and we’re no different.

There are endless examples: silence and sound. Evil and good. Hunger and fullness. Up and down, fast and slow, hot and cold. The contrasts define the experience.

In my own life, I had felt many happy and sad moments—some perhaps deeper than most—by the time I was nineteen. But a defining moment came when my mother took her own life. We hadn’t been close during my childhood, but we were beginning to reconnect. I had just started opening my heart to her, to the possibility of a new kind of relationship.

And then she was gone.

When I received the news, I felt a shock so profound it silenced every other awareness. Grief drained me of strength. I was overcome with sorrow so sharp I didn’t even register the sound of my own wailing. Regret surged so powerfully it drowned out reason. I had never known emotions that deep, that consuming.

And yet—because of the intensity of that grief, I now experience joy more deeply too.

Years later, that pain broadened my perspective. It softened and deepened my capacity for gratitude. It gave me eyes to see the treasure in what others might overlook. It allowed me to simply be—in the moment, without stress, without worry—soaking in the beauty around me.

When my children were born, I embraced the overwhelming joy of life entering the world. Each one—seven times—brought a fresh reminder of innocence, preciousness, and wonder. I’ve found joy in motherhood and now grandmotherhood, and in celebrating even the tiniest miracles.

I’ve discovered a deep satisfaction in seeing how one wise decision can ripple through generations for good.

That is another gift of the Law of Polarity: the equal but opposite effect.
“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” (Alma 37:2)
Because I experienced grief, sorrow, and regret so completely, I was prepared to experience peace, happiness, joy, and satisfaction just as fully.

Of course, it didn’t happen overnight. It came through prayer, reflection, being cared for by others, and intentionally noticing what beauty still remained in my life. It came from giving myself time—and choosing to heal.

Polarity gives us that choice. When we embrace the lows, knowing the potential highs they can lead to, we gain the ability to be present—even in hardship. By shifting our focus toward faith and gratitude, we can see failure as an opportunity. We can trust that financial stress, emotional pain, or personal struggles have an equal and opposite possibility waiting in the wings.

In our darkest moments, if we choose to see them through the lens of faith and gratitude, we unlock the true power of the Law of Polarity: the chance to experience the most glorious moments life has to offer.

Without the choice to lean in, to trust, and to move forward, we risk staying stuck—never becoming all we were meant to be.

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