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You missed it! In our October 2024 session on “Joy and Pain “by Frankie Beverly & Maze, we discovered that “joy and pain” aren’t opposing forces but deeply intertwined, inseparable aspects of life. Through “Non-Dual Logic, we explored how separating these emotions creates a “mental illusion,” which leads to discomfort as we try to hold onto joy and avoid pain. Instead, “joy and pain” are part of a unified human experience and their presence gives rise to something greater—resilience, compassion, and a deeper, richer meaningful life.
In our October 20, 2024, Spiritual Jazz and Meditation Jam Session, we explored the profound message behind “Joy and Pain” by Frankie Beverly and Maze, diving into the emotional complexity that makes the song timeless.
We discussed how Frankie Beverly’s lyrics touch on universal experiences, showing how joy and pain are deeply intertwined. Throughout our conversation, we applied various logics and examined the tensions they create to understand the emotional dynamics at play better.
Logics are different ways of interpreting the relationship between joy and pain, such as viewing them as opposites (Dualistic Logic) or coexisting forces (Paradoxical Logic). Each logic represents a distinct perspective on how these emotions interact and shape our experiences. See the Tables below.


We experience tensions because we perceive challenges or conflicts arising from how joy and pain interact within each logic. For example, in Dualistic Logic, the tension comes from trying to separate joy and pain, while in Möbius Logic, it’s about how our minds struggle to keep up with the continuous shift between the two emotions.


During our session, we discussed these different approaches, but what many realized and expressed was the deeper significance of Non-Dual Logic.
Non-Dual Logic presents the separation between joy and pain as a mental illusion. In this view, joy and pain are not opposing forces but aspects of the human experience. They are parts of a unified whole. We have forgotten this because we don’t realize the source of all emotions. Like the interplay of sun and rain giving rise to flowers, “joy and pain” together produce endurance, compassion, and an experience of feeling fully human.
Through Non-Dual Logic, we understand why “Joy and Pain” is so lasting—the song is not just about these emotions in isolation but about how they are intertwined and inseparable and what their interaction produces.


The hum, the sway, the group dance, the hug, the embrace, and the act of singing – repeating the words repeatedly–express this truth’s wordlessness. How? Each time we sway or sing the songs, we do so with a new or more profound meaning, showing that the experience of “joy and pain” goes beyond concepts.
This endless flow between the “joy and pain” resonates profoundly within the song.


One participant shared that they will now wear their yin-yang symbol to honor Frankie Beverly and Maze’s song “Joy and Pain” since their pin now represents the deep connection between these two emotions expressed in the music.
In conclusion, the enduring power of “Joy and Pain” lies not in its intellectual meaning but in the non-conceptual experience it evokes. By embracing “joy and pain” together, we create a whole greater than the sum of its parts—just as the sun and rain help produce flowers, “joy and pain” give rise to deeper qualities like endurance, compassion, and gratitude. Wordlessness makes the song resonate across time. The embodiment – the hug, the embrace, and the collective expression of these emotions – shows how we truly experience “joy and pain” and life.
Table 1 Logics & Tension Descriptions
# | Logic | Nickname | Tension | Nature of Joy and Pain | Comparison to Dualistic Logic |
1 | Dualistic Logic | Either/Or | Tension of Opposition | Joy and pain are distinct, separate, and mutually exclusive. | Establishes a clear separation; one experiences either joy or pain as they are separate and independent. |
2 | Reciprocal Logic | Seesaw | Tension of Balance | Joy and pain balance each other, one rising as the other falls. | Shows them as opposing forces that maintain a balance, rather than entirely independent. |
3 | Paradoxical Logic | Both/And | Tension of Coexistence | Joy and pain can coexist simultaneously despite appearing contradictory. | Accepts the simultaneous experience of joy and pain, highlighting the tension of holding opposites. |
4 | Dyadic Logic | Yin-Yang | Tension of Interconnection | Joy and pain are interdependent; one cannot exist without the other. | Emphasizes their deep interconnection; the emotions “co-rise.” One doesn’t appear without the other. |
5 | Möbius Logic | Infinite Flow | Tension of Mental Latency | Joy and pain blend seamlessly into each other in a continuous flow, but mental latency creates tension. | Views joy and pain as part of the same continuous experience. Mental latency occurs as our minds struggle to keep up with the emotional shifts. |
6 | Dialectical Logic | Synthesis | Tension of Resolution | Joy and pain are opposites that synthesize to create growth or transformation. | Sees their opposition as a creative tension that produces a higher resolution. |
7 | Non-Dual Logic | Oneness | Tension of Illusion | The separation between joy and pain is an illusion; they are fundamentally one. | Dissolves this separation entirely, asserting that joy and pain are the same at a deeper level. |
8 | Non-Conceptual Logic/Wordless | Embodiment | Tension of Labeling | Joy and pain are beyond intellectual categorization. They are felt experiences, not analytical constructs. | Rejects clear distinctions and encourages feeling joy and pain without labeling or separating them. |