Thursday, June 17, 2010

Living in the grays ....

People have opinions and people have clarity on almost all issues.... I wonder why so very often I am unable to make up my mind... !! Why are my scales never functioning so well so that i can decide...

Well...i guess, to decide about anything it is important that the decision makes a difference to you. On a lot of occasions the consequence of the decision hardly matters to me and so i guess i fail to decide... But that's only a partial explanation ...

Because, for the rest of the occasions, even when the nature of the decision does matter, I am still unable to decide most of the times ! I wonder how others manage to have such strong opinions about everything.... bracket people as good or bad, say things as right or wrong ? I wonder how they completely fail to see reason in another view point... Why cant I have such clarity ?

Why is it that i see sense in every possible view point presented to me... ? Why is it that i am no longer able to see the world in black and white ? From the world of blacks and whites, i found the world of the grays - not the simple single shaded gray but a world of grays with hues and shades differing by degrees that one couldn't possibly imagine.Why are there so many grays ? Grays that numb your senses and dull you into inert acceptance ? Why am i able to see the grays all the time and not be able to judge them for their merits ? Why am i so confused every time ? Why is it that when taking a stand I see both view points with so much clarity that i am unable to pick up the one i see as more right ? Why am i left to just presenting the contrary view to a person on hearing his opinion... ? How do others navigate through this never ending world of options and opinions ? How do they find so much clarity ? Is their clarity irrational and whimsical or are they making the "right" or the "easy" choices along the way irrespective of what they believe in ?




3 comments:

SecondSight said...

Interesting post.. The balance between being aware of all the perspectives and choices, and choosing one of the several is always a tough one. I would disagree with this though- "Grays that numb your senses and dull you into inert acceptance" - I think being able to see the grays leads you to aware acceptance, not a numb disinterest.. :)

There is a passage in Cry the beloved country that I think of often..part of it is- "I shall no longer ask myself if this or that is expedient, but only if it is right. I shall do this, not because I am noble or unselfish, but because life slips away, and because I need for the rest of my journey a star that will not play false to me, a compass that will not lie."
A star that will not play false to 'me'- While several paths and options may seem right and acceptable to several different people, at a time when the choice is one's own, I find it more coherent to consider-is it right for me, regardless of what other circumstances and personalities may choose, which may also be equally correct.

Suvasini said...

Well... I never have it so clear given so many options... :)
So many times, when i do not have the clarity to make a decision, i just don't make a decision and let things take their own course... I drift...And then eventually i do find the clarity !!! This is why i chose to write "inert acceptance"... I guess, in situations where i can make a choice, selfish or not so selfish, i do stick with it and i do go through with it regardless of what may be right for anyone else. The problem is only when i am lost myself... because both view points make sense in their own right...

I do like the passage there though... "I shall do this, not because I am noble or unselfish, but because life slips away, and because I need for the rest of my journey a star that will not play false to me, a compass that will not lie." Very true !! We all need a sense of direction and purpose that only we can find and no one can give to us...

Archana K said...

Grt post.. From the world of universal truths and morals,when you drill down to individual perspectives, it becomes quite complex. I have been in similar situations where I could see every point of view so clearly that making a decision is so convoluted. I have seen myself grow this way , from saying "this is bad" to saying "i don't like it" :) The path from absolute truths to perspectives is always a rough one and I think if we do not maintain the balance between certain solid ideas and individual perspectives , the world will become too complex to handle.