What happened to the Grey?

With my first morning coffee in hand, I opened Facebook. A morning ritual enjoyed by many. This morning, however, I was especially eager. Barack Obama was in my city last night and speaking to an audience of 8000. The tickets sold out in 20 minutes, and needless to say, I was not lucky enough to secure a ticket. Fortunately for me though, many of my friends were, and I will happily live this moment vicariously through them. I was eager to see what they had to share. I knew they would.

The reasons for wanting to see Obama and hear him speak would be as varied as the ticket holder. But I imagine for most, they wanted to be inspired.  We can all use a healthy dose of inspiration in our lives right now.  Obama, for many of us, exemplifies intelligence, compassion and kindness. He embodies the best of humanity. We lost a bit (or perhaps a lot) of that when he left Office.  In my humble opinion.

‘My Opinion’.  Two little words, but powerful enough to unleash a tirade. 

The truth is, never in my lifetime have I felt so divided.  I am torn between sharing my opinion and staying quiet.  Between Empathy and Apathy.  It’s an emotionally exhausting place to exist.

If I share my opinion, I must prepare myself for the wave of emotionally charged and unfiltered words that will wash upon me. It’s inevitable.  The wave is coming. Sometimes, the wave is so heavy and swift it crushes me.  I am dazed. I am battered. Some bruises appear instantly, others take days to show their impact. But they are there, just under the surface of my skin. Waiting.   

I honestly don’t recall feeling this way a year ago. A year is not that long, really. What has changed – so much, so fast? 

In my humble opinion – and Yes, I’m ready for the wave – we’ve lost the Grey. For some unknown reason, it’s become either Black or White.  We must pick a side. Choose wisely, because once you do, it’s etched in your skin. A permanent badge of honour or dishonour, depending on which side you choose.

What happened to the Grey?  A gentle mixture of Black and White. There are, after all, 50 shades of it. So we are told.  

With so many shades of Grey, why do we always feel compelled to choose Black or White – with all that exists in the middle? Yet, we’ve become so polarized to either Black or White – Right or Wrong – Left or Right. 

For a brief moment, I considered mentioning some recent examples to illustrate how polarizing we’ve become. I decided to not give one little ounce of credence to them, knowing full well the wave that would inevitably follow.  My body still needs to heal from the last wave.  And I should note, I was watching safely from the viewing platform, nowhere near the water’s edge. But yet it hurt. When people hurl hurtful words at others, I too hurt.  That’s just how it is. No amount of wishing it didn’t, will make it so.

When you pick a side, it’s much harder to hear other perspectives.  Your defences automatically go up, and you fiercely protect your position. It’s difficult to penetrate. Someone may be gently knocking, but all you hear is a deafening gong pounding at your door. You can not (do not, and will not) invite them in. They are considered the intruder.  With a wall of defences so thick, it’s impossible to expand your mind, expand your heart.  Your defences are locked and loaded and set to defend your side, at all costs.  In the world of Social Media, all it requires is a few unfiltered taps on a keyboard, and words and memes are relentlessly and recklessly hurled about. 

The reality is though, most things in life are not simply black or white.  We don’t always have to pick a side and defend it with such ferocity, that the essence of you is hardly recognizable. 

Balanced perspectives exist in the Grey. It doesn’t mean you’re Neutral or Apathetic or Ignorant.  It means you can see beyond the solid colours of Black or White. Beyond Left or Right.  

Please, for the sake of humanity, hold on to the Grey.

Hold on tightly.

With gratitude,

Nicole Osmond

Customer Success Coach

As a Customer Success Coach and 3 X business owner, I am living my passion and helping companies succeed by cultivating a customer committed mindset.

A Writer with Heart – I weave words together to stimulate, elevate, and motivate. My blog is my canvas to share my ‘experience nuggets’ with you! Thanks for stopping by! With gratitude, always – Nicole