“The mind wears the colors of the soul, as a
valet those of his master” – Sophie Swetchine.
If
life was simple, then there would be less colours. All the reds, blues, greens,
yellows, purples, pinks; shiny colours that make some people quiver with
instant desire at the brilliance of something grand like a gold pendant, and so
on would just be lighter or darker shades of black or white (but still be black
and white and not grey). Everything more or less would be easier to consciously
interpret as what is ‘good’ and what is ‘bad’.
But let’s halt the progression of this topic with the sound of
a record abruptly stopping and get some things clear before people reading this
post go berserk because their feelings get hurt, or they take offense to
something that is written/typed in this post, etc.
(Record
abruptly stopping sound)
Let’s take racism out of the equation and throw that omen of
human behaviour out of an open window, where it lands in a blazing inferno
caused by oxygen generators igniting around flammable objects such as paper and
an airplane tyre filled with nitrogen; all of which is in a controlled testing
environment (a laboratory for instance) (a reference to the tests undertaken to
understand the cause of the disaster of ValuJet Flight 592). ...Or in plain
English; put racist aspects out of the equation and get to an explanation.
Using the colours black and white as definitions for what is ‘good’ or ‘bright’
and what is ‘bad’ or ‘dark’ DOESN’T IMPLY RACISM! The purpose of this is to
simplify situations and real-life instances in life that most people (with
comprehension) can understand. In this post; white is defined as ‘good’ and
‘right’, and black is defined as ‘bad’, and ‘wrong’. This in no way implies
that white and black people are polar opposites in this regard. The colour of
people’s skin is merely a visible attribute of a person’s DNA like the colour
of a person’s eyes. All of humanity is capable of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ regardless
of physical attributes or education, beliefs, or degree of development in life.
(For the purpose of this part of the
post; the author of the SJBMCPRS Report is simplifying matters based on the
ying and yang portrayal at face value to define the tone of this matter.)
..............Okay, with this moral dilemma hopefully defused,
let’s get back to the point of this post. With only the two (2) colours in
existence (back and white), one person could interpret life in an easier manner
and make decisions based on the values of the two (2) contrasting colours and
the person’s own perspective. Since ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ can be interpreted by the
properties of the colours black and white; the person in this hypothetical
scenario can decipher what is the best (COA) course of action to take in a given
situation. A mental association of either colour with the situation at hand can
interpret who the person feels and how he or she may respond.
For example; a person you know is calling you on your mobile
phone, depending on how you interpret the person (i.e. favourably or not) can
be associated with one (1) of those colours. If you like this person calling
you, or are okay with this person, then the colour mentally associated would be
white. On the other hand, if this person calling you is not regarded favourably
and brings about a notion of discomfort or dislike and thus you are not
interested in answering, the colour mentally associated would be black.
As beings who grow up understanding that we need to take care
of ourselves primarily in life, the distinction of having two (2) colours like
black and white defining everything makes sustainability easier. As with
instructions given to follow; a simpler palette with only these two (2) colours
would make obliging to the instructions easier, you either do as instruct or
you don’t. A set of electrified train tracks is defined as a hazard that could
be fatal, thus the trained subconscious (that everyone has) will instruct you
that this is ‘bad’ for you, whether this be indicated by a flash of colour or
by other means. A favourable memory of a birthday party that happened where you
played on a bouncy castle can be interpreted by a glimpse of white in the
present.
The drawback is however to this is that in reality (and NOT a
hypothetical existence as implied above); life is illuminated with countless
colours besides black and white. Whether colours are interpreted subconsciously
as indicators for the majority of people or not, the effect colours have is
irrefutable. I won’t lie, I have a habit of perceiving pretty much everything
with colours, though I wish more often than not of a simpler way of creating
distinctions and context. The ‘grey area’ is effectively a difficult course in
Super Mario Maker that I find myself traversing through in the real world; I
can get to the goal of a given situation, and pick up a few aspects of said
situation, but I know I struggle comprehending people and I will fail in
several regards in a given situation. What’s more the sheer range of colours
mean different things to other people which means it’s not always easy to
express oneself to another. Granted, in some instances colours are identifiable
like for example someone saying “I’m seeing red” generally means the person is
agitated (stressed or tense in other words), while a dark shade of blue can be
interpreted as someone feeling really low i.e. depressed. Colours have their
uses, and psychologically we as people associate colours with certain things,
feelings, instances and situations.
Contrary to the above statement of a dark shade of blue might
be perceived as despair; other shades of blue can be interpreted as polar
opposite. A common trend for example was that Windows operating systems used a
blue (GUI) graphical user interface as a default setting due to the notions of
‘reliability’, ‘calmness’ and ‘security’ felt by users when seen. Lighter
shades of colours such as blue and green in particular are regarded as ‘safe’
and ‘welcoming’ colours.
I would be a liar if I didn’t agree that colours have a
distinctive effect when used on objects. In the paragraph above; I use various
shades of colour like blue and green to portray certain things like the
presentation of the cars I race on Forza Motorsport 6. I use themes just as
much as the next person does, and I know what themes and colours appeal to me
and what don’t. As an example of preference, I prefer light-coloured woods such
as beech and pine, while I don’t like the presence of darker-coloured woods
like mahogany and walnut. In a nutshell, I perceive colours favourably and unfavourably
depending on what I see, and then use colours and themes to express myself to
others, whether they understand or not.
As a simpleton however; while I like to delve into the middle
ground or ‘grey area’ and create understandable context in my fictional writing
or real-life notions, and want to learn more about the stories of characters
presented to me either fictionally or not, I in a real life situation would not
want to portray myself as anything else or have other people perceive me as
something I am not. I have little to no problem being honest about my
difficulties and providing the context friends and family (the people
significant to me in other words) require to understand me. As with the
SJBMCPRS Report I share my perceptions for what they are and what they mean so
readers can understand. The way I look at it as the “World’s Nemesis”, I paint
myself as the blackest entity and ought to be regarded as such by everyone
else. Not to be confused with the physical attributes or the choice of clothes
I wear; the aspect of being the blackest entity comes from my perception of
being the “World’s Nemesis”. The thoughts, notions and beliefs I have should
not be welcomed by people. I make it as clear as I can in situations and on the
SJBMCPRS Report that I am a being who means well and wants to do as much damage
control as possible while being a plague to society. I don’t believe I can lead
people down the spiral of decline, I KNOW I can lead people down the spiral of
decline.
While calling myself the “World’s Nemesis” and defining why I
perceive it to be so is nothing new, if I can get this across to everyone
around me that this is the way I am and there’s no point of trying to portray
me as anything else other than the blackest entity and a plague to society that
I am, then life would be simpler for me and everyone else. Picture a final act
between a superhero and a villain in the most cliché of movie stories; I as the
“World’s Nemesis” have committed a great terror to society today, by capping
the internet entirely for the entire world, and I stand as the final obstacle
to the superhero’s desire, that gleams in a brilliant white glow for all the
world to see; to rid the world of this wrong and allow the people to share how
they feel about the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film and do other
activities with the internet such as streaming and BS about other things. To
many, they want the superhero to triumph and put an end to the “World’s
Nemesis” for good because that is a ‘right’’ and ‘good’ thing to do, and they
absolutely despise this monstrosity who is ‘bad’ and did ‘wrong’ by taking away
the internet access and has no redeeming features whatsoever. That’s how I
perceive myself, and that’s how I would like the rest of the world and history
to perceive me as, and if someone with a Superman hat, or other form of
merchandise were to put an untimely but necessary end to me for the sake of
humanity, then so be it.These events involved people; at the Bournemouth Comic-con in particular, there were hundreds, and many were in cosplay carrying scythes, swords, wands, Poké Balls and guns (non-lethal). This was a shade of Hell on Earth I wished myself never to go to. ...But I wasn’t carrying a lamp containing a genie who could grant my three (3) wishes to grant me this freedom when it was necessary (because it did get really busy), so I went through with it. The amount of colours and themes I saw at the venue was staggering. I had a good idea what to expect, but the dedication people had to their favourite media was something else, and clearly boldness or shyness wasn’t a roadblock for these people. Star Wars, Sailor Moon, Doctor Who, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, DragonBall Z, Harry Potter, Supernatural, Devil May Cry, Spiderman, Batman, and many more were present, and these were just the cosplayers! The merchandise on display and for sale was maddening, I wished I had my usual bag because while there was stuff that didn’t appeal to me, there was stuff I could’ve got as birthday presents for members of my family. All of this created dread to imagine how it would be for me at a bigger Comic-con, but part of me liked the idea of finding out because I enjoyed myself and I would be lying if I said I never wanted to go again. In fact, I already have a good idea of who I can cosplay if there is a next time with my friends.
What was the most alarming to my psyche however was the fact that I am in photos that were taken at both events mentioned above. Why I was okay with this when I consider myself as hideous is above and beyond me. Is it possible that I was fine with having my photo taken at the Comic-con in Bournemouth because I was somewhat cosplaying a Chicago gangster minus the gun and a hat not big enough for my head? Was it fine at the Road to Wellness awards because I as a group of people were nominated for an award and had something to show for it? I do not know the answer to either conundrum, the only thing I do know is that with the inclusion of the tourists coming to Weymouth during the Easter holidays, I am at my limit to how much I sustain myself when there are lots of people around. The most consistent colours that my subconscious flashed before me in this month was darker shades of red, alluding to how apprehensive and stressed I was with so many people around me, and brown, which alludes to thinking “Oh s***, this is really happening”. And don’t get me started on the sheer presence of brown in stores because it is Easter, which means there are chocolate eggs galore, which supposedly represents the rebirth of Christ or something or rather, which I still do not understand and more importantly don’t care about.
After this month of colours, I want to wear an eye mask, and rest until Weymouth has settled down from the Easter holidays, and Storm Katie subsides. I know however that no one rests until death comes knocking at their door and presents a grave that can hold their body down (reference to Johnny Cash – Ain’t No Grave). Unfortunately for many this has come at an inopportune time on the 22nd of March 2016, as Brussels came under the attack terrorism. At a time where people are still reeling from the Paris attacks; it’s not so easy to think it won’t happen again no matter what the leaders of the world say they will do to ensure the safety of the public. Its horrible events like these and the London bombings, and 9/11 that would make people wish things were black and white so that they could get the answers they cry out for and not have any moral grey areas or laws and BS that ground armies from wiping out terrorist organisations. All I am certain of is that the sight of red from the blood of victims and the other colours that emerge from these atrocities are going to persist for a while yet.
But even the mentioning of attacks in Brussels and the state of moral grey areas that cause differences of opinions and evoke discussion won’t deter the fact that the interpretation of colours is a part people’s sight, which is one (1) of the five (5) senses the human being has. Regardless of how you think or behave in a given situation; the use of colours is as pivotal to us whether used in a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ manner, in terms of communicating. As with sound, the presentation of what we see and what we interpret the image as in our brains are fundamental to development. Recognising the details like the colour of font used in a banner presented at a Comic-con for instance triggers the information in the brain required to define what the banner is associated with, whether it is of a familiar brand to which there is existing memory of, or something not known but the use of colours evoke a reaction that compels or dissuades attention. This applies to everything people see whether it be an album cover for a vinyl record, or the packaging of sweets. Events unfolding in parts of the world that can be perceived from footage evoke a reaction even when there is no sound because what can be seen triggers the brain as well with the information needed to respond. And this process of seeing something and having the image stored in the mind to respond to is near instant whether one can acknowledge it or not. Colour regardless if it is a solo colour like white, or a cocktail of many intertwined together is information much like sound, smell, taste and touch that we process and interpret.
How the sight of something seen and what effects colours have on the subconscious can cause differing perceptions from person to person. Therefore, it’s natural (and nothing to be embarrassed over) for people not to agree with one another based on experiences, feelings and preferences that differ from another person’s. Something trivial like the character Joy from the 2015 film: Inside Out, being similar visibly to Marge Simpson from The Simpsons regarding the use of blue hair and a green dress will evoke reactions that differ from person to person. Anything fed through our minds via the five (5) senses creates a response whether it be an expression that is shared with others, or is an involuntary thought preferred to kept away from discussion.
It is life after all, and it’s up to the individual how they respond to a given situation. In the end, life is a gift that has more significance than anything else, and how to interpret it or use this precious opportunity is fundamentally up to the individual. We can be taught many things over our lifetimes through sight, smell, hearing, taste, and feeling (touch). Our minds will gather the information we require as people to fuel the soul which is uniquely ours to manage and portray.
As this sentence of the thirtieth (30th) post on the SJBMCPRS Report reaches 3369 words, it’s time to wrap this up and gather thoughts for post number thirty-one (31). Perhaps by then I will have changed the presentation of this blog to be more of my liking rather than compromising on the basic setup due to the limitations of Blogger. Who knows. In the meantime, feel free to comment or imply your own perceptions. Until next time, see ya!
