Nothing is ever black and white...

[Tuumble]

A piece of string held horizontally can never be pulled completely straight. It doesn't matter how fine or short the thread is, gravity is still doing its work. A speck of dust landing on the ocean displaces its own mass in water - the waterline is raised that little bit higher. When you look at snow do you see only white? No, there are ridges and shadows that turn that white to grey. Even in the dead of night you can make out shapes and forms so conversely, nothing is ever black.

Something may seem clear cut to you but remember that there are always two sides to every story. Life would be intolerable if we all thought the same so please respect the other person if your views differ from theirs. Everyone has a right to an opinion but please, take a moment however brief, and be sensitive about how you express it.

Thank you.

[sandy]

thank you for clarifying the point so visually

It was a nice inspiration *Tuumble*

[Chris G]

Nice post

Its fascinating, also wonderful the varying beliefs, opinions of others. Very true there wouldnt be much point if we all thought the same..very robotic etc.

At times i find myself slipping into hostility for governments and tax collectors etc, and then as you say its not black or white, as governments do worthwhile things and keep society moving, the taxes as part of the whole financial system can appear to be very unfair and favour the few.

the other way to look at is, it should inspire most to reach for better and more.

there are many ways to look at things, at the end of the day to find peace within, then it all should be considered perfect.

[Perspective]

Thank you for this well-put reminder.
I think we feel safer or more in control, when we think we're right, period.
But "a conclusion is when you get tired of thinking."
There are so many different perspectives - as many people there are.
Sometimes, I get frustrated, when others misunderstand me, or I don't understand them. Maybe just patience & an open-mind is needed.

[wstein]

Nothing is ALWAYS black or white, it's all that other stuff that's not.

Does this mean a string CAN be held straight in a place with no gravity?

There are always many sides to any story, often only 2 are represented.

Been in a cave with the lights out? Its pretty black in there ...

[Tuumble]

Originally Posted by wstein

Been in a cave with the lights out? Its pretty black in there ...

I have actually and I did wrestle withat particular description - the group had to get itself into name order alphabetically which was a challenge in communication.

I guess the I was just trying to say that nothing is quite as it seems or first appears - take the time to consider your position as well as another's before judging.

Basically it's all opinion and are decisions are made based on the weight of evidence.

[forexpreneur]

I like this post and not a bad way for me to say hello to the board . I had a life altering incident in my life that was so traumatic that the only way I could handle it was to break it down, break me down and figure out what happened and why, and how to possibly avoid something like that in the future, yet still care for others, still love, and really truly be me. I have actually had far more than one life altering event, but this was the most recent one. No details are necessary here but I will say this, we were very close, they didn't die, we weren't dating, no one person "screwed up" and neither of us said "goodbye" yet we aren't speaking to each other and haven't for over 7 years. You don't know the details, but the truth is I don't exactly either.

So how does one deal with that? There wasn't A event that caused the end of this friendship. It certainly isn't black and white. I learned very quickly that black and white can exist, but it is ALWAYS about perceptions and beliefs. But aren't perceptions and beliefs actually made up anyway? There can not be a hot without cold to reference one from the other. There can't be love without knowing what hate is in order to reference one from the other. Etc., etc. You get the idea.

What is "hot" to one person may not be the case to another. I lived in Southern California for almost half my life and what was "cold" to me was quite warm to someone else from another part of the country. So it's perceptions and beliefs.

If a person starts to really truly question their beliefs of the world some very interesting things happen. First off in the beginning it is natural to "freak out" and explain and protect your beliefs (they are actually protecting themselves but that's another conversation ) but then you get to a point where you realize that many of the beliefs you have are actually the beliefs of other people that you just took on. This is the case for everyone.

By no means am I saying that nothing is "wrong" or "bad" because some things can not be accepted such as child abuse, rape, etc. However what I am saying is that there are many things that we put too strong of labels on that don't necessarily need to be there. I have realized that there is far more grey in the world than I used to believe (I am a survivor or severe child abuse). It has made me more sympathetic to others, but also gave me much more peace in my life.

I still have plenty of beliefs, but many are now ones I have consciously made. So to avoid writing a book here I'll end it by saying that indeed, there is quite a bit of grey out there if you truly look behind the curtain.