black & white

It’s easy to think in black and white terms, especially when you’re looking at someone else’s life and their life decisions.

But let’s be honest…life is messy. And complex. With many twists and turns. Human beings and their issues and motivation for doing things don’t come neatly prepackaged like a box of processed breakfast cereal. There is push and pull and sturm und drang. Human beings make decisions when they are ready to, with their behaviors reflecting both their level of readiness and their unease.

So what to do?

Keep your eyes on your own paper. Try to be understanding of others, recognizing that you don’t necessarily have all of the data inputs. And mostly, be kind and compassionate to others. We really never know the depth and complexity of another person’s struggle. It’s never really black and white. It’s usually more of a messy splattering of all colors of the the rainbow, not just neatly painted on life’s canvas, but with drips and spills showing up everywhere.

Because it’s never really black and white, is it?