It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents:

Hear the haunting confession of Sylvia Plath, whose words are woven from both beauty and anguish: “It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative—whichever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it.” In this image, she speaks not only of her own heart but of the eternal battle within every soul—the clash of light and darkness, of hope and despair, of creation and destruction. Her voice is not the voice of one alone, but the voice of humanity, echoing through time.

To live between these two currents is to feel life not as a calm river, but as a storm of surging tides. When the joyous positive floods the spirit, the world is golden: every face shines, every task seems possible, and life itself sings. Yet when the despairing negative surges forth, the light is extinguished; the soul is submerged in shadows, and every breath feels heavy. Plath names this truth plainly, for she knew it intimately: we are creatures of duality, and the current that holds us in its grip at any moment seems absolute.

The ancients, too, knew this duality. They spoke of Eros and Thanatos, love and death, the twin forces that drive the human heart. In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna stands trembling between hope and despair, torn by the battle within as much as the battle without. In these tales, as in Plath’s confession, the human soul is revealed not as a fixed stone, but as a vessel, carried by invisible currents. The lesson of the ancients was not to deny this tension, but to seek balance, lest one be drowned in sorrow or swept away in reckless joy.

History bears witness to this struggle in countless lives. Consider Winston Churchill, who led Britain with fiery courage during its darkest hours. Yet he also spoke of his “black dog”—a name he gave to the despairing negative current that often overtook him. At times he was lifted by the joyous positive, rallying nations with unshakable resolve. At other times he was consumed by shadows. His life, like Plath’s words, testifies to the truth: that greatness and despair may flow through the same veins, and both currents can flood even the strongest of spirits.

But within Plath’s sorrow lies a hidden wisdom: the acknowledgment that these currents are part of the human condition. To deny despair is to live in illusion; to deny joy is to live in chains. It is the recognition of both—the joyous positive and the despairing negative—that allows one to begin the work of navigating between them. This is not weakness, but awareness. For only by naming the flood can one build the dam.

The lesson for us is profound. We must understand that no one lives in unbroken light, nor in endless shadow. To be human is to be touched by both. When the joyous positive fills us, let us embrace it with gratitude, knowing it may not last forever. When the despairing negative overtakes us, let us remember that it, too, is not eternal. Neither current defines the whole of life, but each shapes the journey. Wisdom lies not in denying either, but in remembering that both will come and go, like seasons of the soul.

Practical steps arise from this teaching. Train yourself in mindfulness, so that when the despairing negative floods your heart, you can anchor yourself in small acts of life—breathing, walking, speaking kindly to another. Cultivate practices of gratitude, so that when the joyous positive comes, you recognize its beauty and do not take it for granted. Build circles of support—friends, mentors, communities—that can remind you of the light when you cannot see it yourself. In this way, you learn to ride the currents without being destroyed by them.

So remember the wisdom of Sylvia Plath: life flows with two currents, joyous positive and despairing negative, each flooding the heart in its turn. Do not despair when the shadows rise, nor grow arrogant when the light shines. Instead, walk with humility and vigilance, steering your vessel with courage. For the one who accepts both currents yet refuses to be mastered by either will find the truest strength—the strength not only to endure life, but to live it fully.