Black-ed Out!

BLACK is just a poor, harmless color. Yet, almost all the things associated with it have completely negative implications. This maybe partially attributed to the fact that the general human perception of the color black is associated with feelings like misery, depression, grief etc. I can make sense of this to an extent, because we’re talking about a color that’s quite character-less and dark by itself. But does that mean that we have to subject it to so many negativities?

Black hearted person: A person who is mean and unloving.
I was under the impression that being mean and unloving had something to do with the person’s character. But apparently it looks like it has more to do with ‘black’ than it has to do with the person’s mentality.
Black list: List of undesirable persons or entities.
Well, can’t it just be something like the “undesirable-list” or “lame-list” or maybe just “name-list”? where did the ‘black’ come from?
Blackmail: The act of threatening to reveal information about a person unless the threatened party fulfills certain demands.
Why should a threat that is generally sent through E-mail be called blackmail?
Black day: Refers to a sad or tragic day.
Like 7 whole agonizing days from Sunday to Saturday are not enough.
Black magic: Destructive or evil form of magic.
Yea Right! Like other forms of magic are useful to the society!
Black mark: An indication of failure or censure.
With all the colors available to us, why should it always be black?
Black sheep: A person who causes shame or embarrassment because of deviation from the accepted standards of his or her group.
Now how does that have anything to do with a sheep, or the color of the sheep?

The US president Barrack Obama is always referred to as the first “black president”. Why not refer to him as the first “African-american president”? Why should “Black” always be rubbed in? Well, former president Gerorge.W.Bush was never referred to as the forty third “white president” was he? So why such discrimination when it comes to Black alone? Doesn’t black look as wonderful as all the colors the universe has to offer? Why should ‘black’ always be viewed at such pessimistic perspective?

The answers to these questions might take us centuries back in time, maybe even to the very beginning of mankind, or maybe we’ll never find the answers. But that doesn’t matter. The fact is, black is a beautiful color; It is the only color that adds life to all the other colors; Black is unique, sophisticated and is the mother of all colors. ‘Black’ has its influence in almost everything around us. Even the lovely stars and the majestic moon need a ‘black’ background to elucidate them. The universe would be meaningless without the color Black.

Alas, when the heart stops beating and the eye stops blinking, Black is all we would have left in us. Black isn’t just around us, it is a part of us. Black isn’t just the essence of life, it is the essence of the soul. Black is eternal, Black is forever.