LIVING IN A COLORFUL WORLD WITH A BLACK AND WHITE MINDSET...

“Shades of grey” people can find more fulfillment in relative comparisons than in absolute positioning.  While there are several absolutes in this world, more often than not life is a series of subtleties that fall far short of the extremes demanded by a “black and white” perspective.   Far too often people view each situation they might come upon as being either fully and completely “right” or absolutely “wrong” as they apply a rigid set of standards to situations that have not yet fully been fully developed or implemented.  More often than not there is both right and wrong in every situation – parts of everything being both good potentially bad – the differences and applications being established by our experience, our perspective and our values.  When one shuts out the stark reality of black and white – the forced “go/no go” that we often face when operating within an absolute world - he or she can focus more on the possibilities of a situation rather than the reality of a closed door, an impractical possibility or an unconsidered potential.  Far too often we are distracted by the shades and hues of color within a setting or the starkness of either black or white when examining an image so much that we fail to find the soft relationships within the mist or the possibilities hidden on the other side of the fog.  Linking reality to the abstract pictures painted by grey-scaled photographs might be a better way to look at life – seeing things as being muted and shaded rather than sharp and undeniable.

A picture taken by Lake Michigan in winter – seen as a portal to the possible – is one example of focusing upon what might lay beyond what we see rather than seeing but a tunnel through the sand.  When we see but light and darkness rather than color and depth the wonders of the world can be revealed.  We can view an otherwise mundane tunnel through the sand as being our entrance into the vast horizons of opportunity.  Once through the gateway, rather than seeing but the harsh reality of a winter storm – with white covering the welcoming tan sands and blue waters – the removal of color from our lens provides a majestic beauty rather than a disappointing loss.  While striking as a colored photo, the lake seems frozen in time (figuratively as well as literally) when viewed through a black and white lens.  We often judge people, situations and opportunities by the “color they wear” or the expectations we have rather than the depth of their essence.  Perhaps we should all take the time to filter our initial impressions so we can identify and apply the value exposed through that sense of clarity.

Animals within the San Diego Zoo become a canvas upon which colors can logically be removed.  A panda within a tree provides a black and white perspective often lost within the green and brown foliage of its reality.  A resting tiger, majestic within its normal orange and black, becomes a powerful image of stark contrasts when stripped of its color.  (I avoided using the zebra that stood perfectly still – the reality of his world being black and white enough without being viewed through an altered filter.)  If only we could view others within our world through a muted filter – to see them for what they offer rather than losing ourselves within what we predetermine them to be – perhaps then the world would be less confrontational as the pride of plumage becomes but a muted blanket of comfort when we see each other as being the same rather than trying to “one up” each other. 

A neglected path in Kentucky becomes so much more focused when the colors of the autumn leaves highlighting the grass fading to brown as the sun sets upon the day are removed so as to reveal a winding trail which could lead to most anywhere IF one chose to take it.  While this path led to a mountain view, a similar path taken during a trip to Oregon led to a hidden waterfall near a wooden bridge.  We all must choose which road we will travel during this life.  Though many will follow highways that make their trip easier and their choices more defined, those seeking opportunities within shades of grey will often find beauty, peace and fulfillment when taking the road less travelled as they realize the subtle realities hidden within the paths that they take.

Giving a new definition to “peer pressure” were pictures taken in Maine and Virginia Beach.  While one may have to be a bit convoluted to link “pier” pressure with “peer” pressure, seeing a sturdy platform reach into the ocean always provides testament as to what can be done if we persevere – of what power and might we can harness when we seek to transform “what is” into “what could be.”  A pier stands as testament to the storms it has weathered – of the sunrises (or sunsets) it has experienced – of how it greets each new day (on the East coast) or welcomes the night into lives “out West.”  Too often we see only the surface of each situation we face – only the “practical purpose” of things rather than the possibilities not yet defined or determined.  When we take the time to look beyond what we see in life (a structure extending into the sea) to uncover the opportunities it hides (what travels beneath its surface or could be observed at different times of day or night) we can discover secrets revealed to us ONLY when we choose to close the book on what is and open it to see what could be possible beyond its covers.  A pier can be a dock or a window to a new world – its reality limited by our minds rather than its functionality.

Traditional pictures of a colorful world – waterfalls, rivers, seascapes, sand sculptures, bridges and birds (I seem to have some kind of addiction to birds – perhaps it is the freedom their world provides them or the limitless opportunities their flight reveals) – reveal beauty and reality in many ways.  Beyond pictures, however, are subtle differences that a grey-scale world provides – the shades that exist between “what is” and “what could be” made brighter or less defined by the lens we use to filter what we capture.  Vacation pictures can provide a different perspective when the “color of reality” is stripped from them – a perspective we do not often use when living our lives.  Perhaps we could all gain from looking at the obstacles we face, the people we live or work with and the challenges we wish to overcome through a different lens.  If we were to take a less conventional path to reach an unconsidered destination from which we could build a brighter future (rather than seeing a tunnel and wishing to determine where it began and where it ends...if we could intentionally alter our perspective to see where we might go after emerging from it rather than focusing on but what we see as we enter the light) – perhaps THEN life might truly become what we make it to be rather than forcing us to be content with what it offers us. 

We all share a common world but look at life through vastly different lenses.  The same object or person can reveal a variety of beauty, complexity, values and worth depending on how one filters what is observed.  Perhaps we could make more of a difference if each one of us could change our perspective by altering or modifying the filters we consciously and intentionally use so that rather than seeing only the surface of things – the reality within life – we might find the vast possibilities life offers beyond the obvious.  In a world of grey we can seek the possibilities of what could be rather than settling for the reality of what is as we identify the similarities and complimentary interactions we might share by being color blind to the differences that tend to keep us apart.