This post has nothing to do with racism, as you may have thought by the title; its really about personal perception, and decisiveness, and the things that shape our personalities and attitudes toward others and society as a whole.
Many times I have been told that I view things as being too "black and white" and that not all things in life are so easily defined as I perceive them to be; but the way I see it, if you don't have black and white, you can't have the color grey either.
I am very analytical, and capable of over-analyzing even the simplest of things, and creating an entire philosophy out of something as simple as, should I put the toilet seat up or down ... WTH?! ... I live alone, and I am a man, so I use it with the seat up sometimes, and other times I put it down, and why does it even matter, the reason it has hinges on the seat is because it was intended to move both directions, it's not like if I put it down I will have to pee like a girl for the rest of my life, or even as long as I live in this apartment!
One time a girl I was dating told me that I see things too "black and white", she was also the person who told me that I would not make a good father for that very reason; so I told her, "Well in that case, there is really no reason we should be having sex", and I thanked her for cooking dinner, walked out, and have not seen her since.
I am not really sure what the "grey area" is ... maybe that's why it is the grey area, because nobody really knows what that means. I just have trouble believing that there is any one situation or topic, that its pros and cons can be so equally assessed and to become an equation that goes undefined. To me, if something is "grey", that just means that nobody has devoted enough time and thought to it, as to determine whether it is right or wrong, immoral or moral, acceptable or unacceptable; or, that they just don't have the guts to make a decision (for whatever reason) that weighs in favor of one conclusion over another.
You might think that this is a blessing, since everything could be viewed with ease, because it appears black and white, but that is not true, many times I come to a conclusion which I have devoted much time and energy to, such as, putting the toilet seat up or down.
Over-analyzing things is really more of a curse than a blessing, and you would know that if we ever went to a restaurant together and I was given a menu, and the larger the menu the more time it takes me, because I am analyzing everything about the menu, the service, the environment, the decor, the cleanliness of the restrooms, and the list goes on ... All to arrive at the conclusion of a medium-rare steak and baked potato, with a tossed salad.
I suppose you might say that over-analyzing everything is a form of indecisiveness, in which case "indecision" would become a "grey area" until a conclusion is formed, at which time it becomes black and white, and this could actually take years! The way I see it, I can always change my opinion, and any situation is subject to change relevant to input and re-analysis; which would actually make my "black and white" perception grey, since it is not written in stone and can be re-established at any time. You might say that I am open-minded to closed-mindedness, I see most things as a hypocrisy as opposed to the term "black and white"; hypocrisy would really be a more accurate description of the way I view the world around me.
I find hypocrisy in nearly everything I come in contact with; and it is probably evidenced in this post as well, by the way I don't appeal to any one particular theory, and if I do, there is always a strong opposing argument. This makes me capable of arguing nearly any issue, even if I do not believe that the position I am defending is righteous, moral, acceptable, or even tolerable. It really is more of a curse than a blessing, and I arrived at that conclusion after giving much thought to it ... LOL
I don't usually discuss my personal and intimate thought on this site, and I am not really sure why, I will have to think about it, and deliberate on the issue for a while and get back to you later.
Now, you know a little bit more about me than you ever wanted to know, and you are probably sorry that you have read this far into this post, and have failed to find true enlightenment, wisdom, laughter, sex, money, or a gift certificate to Wall-Mart.
By the way, in case you are wondering, I leave the toilet seat up (except when I have female company), because the fact is I am a man, I live alone, I use the seat both up and down, but in the event of an "emergency", it is faster to slap the seat down, than top pick it up; and it will remain that way until I no longer live alone, find more relevant reasoning as to why I should leave it down [which will require re-evaluation], or I die with this dilemma resonating in my head and driving me into the grave.
- Thom
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