Monday, 28 March 2016

Life is colourful – SJBMCPRS Diagnoses

Disclaimer: The following post on the SJBMCPRS Report is not to be taken overly seriously, and is purposely expressive with an intent to imply the author’s perspective (which people are free to view if they choose to). However, the contents of this post will contain some real-world properties and very dark tones, which along with the entirety of this post may be taken as offensive to people. Furthermore, the contents of this post is not intended to offend people who have impaired or no vision altogether.

“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.

 Alas, I know the world is not as black and white as I would like it. As much as I perceive things like the black and white noir cinematography of the 1993 film: Schindler's List, with only important things in my life standing out in colour, I am aware that there is a ton of grey in life. As much as I prefer to be perceived as the blackest entity in all of the world who must be stopped before ultimately doing harm in spite of doing as much ‘good’ as possible; I can’t overcome the ‘grey area’ that is so absolute in life. In the almost two (2) years of creating posts for the SJBMCPRS Report, I have expressed myself without filters to whomever had the time to read my posts. While it’s entirely possible that no one cares what I say because it’s so obscure to find while being the run-of-the-mill free will nonsense that anyone can do; I happen to think that despite my attempts to express myself honestly and inform readers that I’m not a ‘good’ person, I still have people significant to me like my friends and family. I think this is due to the fact that in spite of the ‘horrible’ stuff and creepiness factor, I am somewhat relatable and that what I say or white/type can be understood, thus these people significant to me see the ‘human’ side of the “World’s Nemesis” and see beyond the BS. It’s a theory, and as time as gone on; I have done things that I never thought were possible.
No month has that been more apparent thus far than March 2016. This month marked the second (2nd) Easter with my friends, and in this month there was a Comic-con in Bournemouth, and an awards ceremony called the Road to Wellness that was organised by Dorset HealthCare. While I attended both events; I was thinking again and again “what the Tyrannosaurus Rex riding a 1960s Batmobile in a demolition derby with Knight Rider, and Godzilla in the Mystery Machine, Hell, am I doing?!”

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!          

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