Here is the Human Predicament

A River Flows Through Northern Sierra Madre
 National Park - Philippines

Ken Wilber's thoughts from his book:
No Boundary:  Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth

The simple fact is that we live in a world of conflict and opposites because we live in a world of boundaries.  Since every boundary line is also a battle line, here is the human predicament:  the firmer one's boundaries, the more entrenched are one's battles.  "The more I hold onto pleasure, the more I necessarily fear pain. 
The more I pursue goodness, the more I am obsessed with evil.  The more I seek success, the more I dread failure.  The harder I cling to life, the more terrifying death becomes.  The more I value anything the more obsessed I become with its loss."

Stated another way:  Most of our problems are problems of boundaries and the opposites they create.