Grey is Gone

It was my first day of kindergarten and as I peered into my brand new box of 64, there were all shades of grey…light grey, dark grey and even blue grey. From the beginning there was always grey. My Mom would say, ”the world is not black and white; it is grey”. The meaning of her words were lost on me at the time, but as I grew older, I understood.

Time went by and it became evident the color grey had many different meanings. Whether it be the color of a wall, a crayon or an individual thought in a debate, there it was, grey. That old familiar and diverse word. Sometimes used as a cliche or even used in the title of a book or movie, it has been a mainstay in the thread of our culture. It was the very definition of how we interacted with others and acceptance was as easily given as it was received. The varying shades of grey in my life developed through the years and there was nothing especially worth writing about; or the meaning of it in a given situation. It just was.

Groupthink has replaced individual thought. Gone are the days of voicing one’s opinions or thoughts if it does not fit the declared narrative. Our imagination is a gift that should be shared with the world. If something can be imagined, there is typically someone who has the ability to bring it to fruition. Without the freedom to voice our ideas stemmed from our imagination, then it will die the same as critical thinking skills have almost become extinct. We must use our imagination to make the world a better place. There should be no set of rules that require groupthink that has been determined by a small sector of the world population. We should all have the same option to be heard. We should all have the freedom of sharing our ideas not only amongst one another, but also the world. There is no longer any interest in the ideas of others that do not align with one another’s beliefs.

I don’t know when exactly grey went missing. I first noticed during the pandemic of 2020. The world was no longer filled with opinions of grey. It had morphed into only black and white. It was evident in not only Politics, but in every nook and cranny in the minds of the public. People have fallen into two categories of thought. There was no longer an in between, and with that, there came a sense of entitlement on both sides. Each category, in their own right, believed their opinion was the only truth and the other category was simple minded and had no clue. Unfortunately, this has brought about the inability for an enlightened, respectful debate to see the other side of the spectrum. I wish I could say I know well how we arrived at this place and it all began with being politically correct or possibly underlying fear. I really don’t know for sure, but I would expect it is due to the conditioning of many, over multiple generations, by the few. What I do know is that this dystopian world we live in today is no longer recognizable and if we continue on this same path, the looming future world will be one that none of us will want to envision. The art of survival will become our new normal and silence will be our only choice. So much has been lost.

I miss grey. It made the world so colorful. Now it is only black and white.