What would this world look like without colours?
Colours are bliss. I believe colours have a destiny; a purpose. Our life is almost completely determined by them. We are so obsessed with colours and all things colourful that we are now unable to see certain things in any other colour than the perceived one. When red is always connected with blood and heart, it is also ironically associated with anger, danger and used as a colour code for stop sign. Blood in any other colour cannot be imagined but for an octopus, or perhaps a spider!
The sky, ocean and the earth are in blue. You could also beat someone ‘black and blue’. Green is being environmental and at the same time one could turn ‘green with envy’. The early morning yellow rays of the sun are a huge contrast to the yellowing of old newspaper clippings.
Brown is chocolate and brown is dirt. Pink should go with princess gowns and barbie dolls and all things girlie. Not to mention the colour of our insides that filled our biology textbooks. A tailor truly makes a gentleman. But the colours chosen bring out the mood of the personality.
Blacks are mostly considered inauspicious and worn for mournings while white connects for peace and is adorned for weddings. Orange is outspoken, but violet, subtle. Parties invite loud and vibrant colours and interviews or meetings ought to be dull with bland colors. Such etiquette are accepted and followed religiously around the globe. What we eat too is usually judged by its colour even before it reaches our mouth. As nutritionists advice, we should include vitamin-rich greens in our diet and avoid cholestrol-giving whites.
However, colours that are mixed and matched in the right proportions also give delight to the eyes. The sight of a rainbow, a peacock or a butterfly with its symmetrical patterns and flush of colours, or flowers that come in a myriad of hues are all wonders of God. The exceptional ability of a chameleon is a vision to behold when it magically changes its colour according to its surroundings. How we humans have conveniently learnt this art form to suit our various needs is definitely appreciative.
Colours are, indeed, an integral part of life. Let’s enjoy in its being!
The writer is based in Dubai