06 May, 2009

Black and White

There are days when I would love to live in a world that is black and white; where things are exactly how they seem.  No subtext, no nuances, no gray or shadow.  Everything would be clear.  There would be a right and a wrong…How easy life would be. 

Then I remember who I am and how I might wear lots and lots of black, but my life is all about the gray.  I have lived in the world of nuances and shadows as long as I can remember. 

I believe that there isn’t exactly a clear cut right or wrong and that everything is connected to some degree.  In other words, life is like a tapestry.  If there is a flaw, one can’t remove just the one thread but must untangle the tapestry in order to find the flaw. 

Life is far more complicated than black and white; people are far more blurred than they are clear lines neatly drawn. 

I believe that this makes me pragmatic.  I believe that it also makes me a realist. 

I know that it can make me a very frustrating person to be around as I listen but am always open about pointing out the different angles and sides to the situation.  I have no problem reminding one that life is not black and white but a wonderful, deep, and sometimes mysterious spectrum of gray.

Gray – accepting and forgiving, open and withstanding.  Gray is more murky than clear; more blurred than clean cut.    

People don’t often like gray. 

There are people who are very determined not to see the gray. 

There are people who refuse to acknowledge that right and wrong don’t always exist – that a situation is often the responsibility of several over the fault of one.  Bottom line, no one is perfect; no one person is better than another. 

Complicated – gray is complex and complicated while black and white… is easy and straight forward.

Black and white. 

Wouldn’t life be more simple if it was all black and white?  If the lines were straight and everyone colored within those lines?  If words (all words) held firm definitions and concepts didn’t exist?  Concepts are gray in nature as they mean different things to different people at different times.  No concepts would be allowed in this world of black and white.  There would always be promises, assurances, and someone would always be right…

Wouldn’t life be just peachy!

 

 

 

 

 

3 comments:

Mark said...

Even though a black and white world seems like it would be easier at first glace, be careful what you wish for. A black and white world could be a nightmare. We need the gray to be able to take into account all of the variables. Right and wrong are and always will be subjective.

dadshouse said...

I made a career in the black and white world of programming the zeros and ones of a computer. I prefer gray.

Have you ever read "Fuzzy Thinking" by Bart Kosko? Good book. You might enjoy it.

Mama Llama said...

Sometimes black and white is hard to digest; other times, so is gray. For me it highly depends on where I am in Life.
I have always liked having my next move defined. Not by others, by myself. But that mere definition helps motivate me--too much gray and I can flounder and insecurity can develop. I tend to let more gray in when feeling more secure.

Interesting thoughts, TE.

We SO need to have lunch.

(sigh)

Hope you enjoyed the storms last night. Be well, TE.