Shades of Grey

It was recently thinking about how black and white we as a society try and make things. We try and tie things into categories where they are either good or bad and right or wrong, when in actually almost all the issues and questions we face as a society (and certainly the more pressing ones) are anything, but simple black and white issues. The truth of the matter is almost all the issues we faces lie in shades of grey, where they may solve one problem, but create another, or solve one problem, but by using not generally acceptable means. Typically questions don't tie up nice and neat like things do in fairy tales and we need to stop treating them as such and instead of wanting quick solutions that totally solve the problem, a virtual impossibility, we need to deal with the actual facts and take steps to find the best possible solution analyze what is wrong with it and continue th process of working out the kinks in a continual process of development.

The problem may stem from the fact that we live in a society based on and entrenched in instant gratification, we want what we want and we want it now. So often times we get caught up in not necessarily wanting the best solution, but wanting the solution that produces results immediately, even if they aren't the best results. We need to learn to practice more patience and trust in the decisions and plans we make and put into motion. In all honesty if all great things occurred as fast as we wanted them to there would be far more legendary human beings and we would be far closer to utopia than we are now. The bottom line is greatness and change take time and until we realize this we will continue to support and back off of plans and ideas because we aren't seeing the results when we want, and continue scapegoating innocent idealist for having a vision that lies too far ahead of our attention span.

Basically we just need to do the simple things our parents taught us when we were children, listen, learn, and be patient. We need to learn the facts of the issues we claim to know so much about and not be so swayed by our biased media, listen to different sources and get different outlooks, opinions, and options for solutions, then make and educated decision on what is the best course of action  for society as whole and be patient when waiting to analyze and judge the results. Lets face it at the end of the day none of these issues are easy and they are certainly not going to be simple to solve. Nothing is black and white there is for the most part no pure good and no pure evil, for the most part our decisions and situation lie somewhere in the middle in these shades of grey for us to decide if the benefit is worth the action, and if the means justify the ends. It's not about doing what is perfect it's about being the best human being you can be and doing what is best for yourself and society as a whole in the context of your situation. It's about knowing when you lay down at night that the decisions you made were the right ones not because they were the perfect choices, but because given your options they were the only ones, the only ones that made sense that is, the only ones where the good done, clearly justified and minimized any harm caused. Because if you think you live in a black and white world, not to offend, but for the most part your wrong the world we live in lies in shades of grey and it's about doing your best to pick the shade that will allow you to sleep soundly with yourself at night.

The game of life

So while playing chess with a friend yesterday I had to analyze something I was not necessarily ready to consider. Do we as people play chess (or games in general) like we come at life? I believe so. For me in particular I play chess as well as most other games fairly defensively. I plan ahead and protect first rather than being the aggressor, while letting my offensive plan slowly come into play, and when the moment is just right I strike. If I have to sacrifice a piece for the betterment of the whole picture so be it, but it will be with much remorse. I come at life in very much the same manner. I do things methodically with lots of careful consideration making sure that every decision I make will bring me that least amount of harm and put me in the situation with the least amount of risk while I plan out my big moves and set myself up for big picture decisions. I think that to an extent everyone must be this way. It only makes sense that you would put lots of yourself into your gaming strategy if your aggressive, overly complex, or passive in life you'll be these things in games. This is certainly a thing to consider when facing your next opponent in anything and probably something to consider when your looking to learn more about yourself. It's easy to overlook your style and habits when doing a self-reflection or analyzation, but it's harder to hide who you are from someone else let alone yourself in something so basic and instinctual as a game, and isn't it when we are stripped down to our basic instincts that we learn the most about ourselves...

What do you want to hear

Now yesterday I was in target when I got into a very heated debate. It was an essential argument between two highly educated males that needed to be resolved before we could continue on with our shopping experience and make clear-minded level-headed decisions. What was the debate over you might ask... which movie had the better soundtrack, Mulan or The Lion King. Now my argument remains that Mulan is better because it was more musically diverse, had three noteworthy tracks, and contained arguably the greatest and most catchy Disney song of all time in I'll make a man out of you. On the other hand my good friend made the argument that The Lion King contained five noteworthy tracks, was predominantly put together by critically acclaimed producer/musician Elton John, contained an all time fan favorite in Hakuna Matata, and had a broadway musical created after it now. Seemingly based on credentials The Lion King might win, but I am unwilling to concede this point! Personally Mulan is just the best that it gets for my, but now I bring the question to you the viewing public, which soundtrack is better Mulan or The Lion King or did we just miss it all together and there is another Disney soundtrack that you believe completely takes the cake and blows these two out of the water leave a comment and let me know!