This brings me to the fourth pattern of oscillating tension: Shadow values.The pattern goes something like this: We have two values that (without proper planning) tend to be in tension with each other. One of them, we acknowledge, as right and good and ok. One of them we repress, because we think it's bad or weak or evil.Safety vs. AdventureIndependence vs. Love Revenge vs. Acceptance All common examples of value tensions, where one of the values is often in shadow (which one depends on the person).So we end up optimizing for the value we acknowledge. We see adventure as "good", so we optimize for it, hiding from ourselves the fact we care about safety. And man, do we get a lot of adventure. Our adventure meter goes up to 11.But all the while, there's that little safety voice, the one we try ignore. Telling us that there's something we value that we're ignoring. And the more we ignore it, the louder it gets.And meanwhile, because we've gotten so much of it, our adventure voice is getting quieter. It's already up to 11, not a worry right now. Until suddenly, things shift. And where we were going on many adventures, now we just want to stay home, safe. Oscillating tension.