The World Isn’t Black or White – It’s a Whole Spectrum of Grey
I’ve been thinking a lot about how people see the world today and honestly, I sense a powerful feeling of duality everywhere. It’s always this or that, right or wrong, black or white.
But life and people aren’t that simple. You can’t classify everything into neat little boxes of “good” or “bad.” Most of the time, things exist somewhere in between.
What’s even more concerning is how this duality has evolved into something louder – cancel culture. If a group of people doesn’t agree with someone’s opinion, they don’t just disagree anymore, they cancel. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon to criticize, ridicule, and shame. And in the process, empathy and compassion quietly leave the room.
When did we forget that people are allowed to have different perspectives? That experiences shape opinions, and no two people have lived the same life.
The ‘Versus’ Mindset
I see this everywhere.
If people want to appreciate something, they often feel the need to put something else down. It’s like every situation has to be a battle between a hero and a villain, maybe that’s what happens when a movie-obsessed society starts seeing life like a script. But why can’t both sides be good in their own way? Why must admiration come at the cost of demeaning something else?
Take entrepreneurship, for example.
There’s a huge hype around building something of your own and I genuinely think that’s amazing. In a country like India, we need more entrepreneurs and fresh ideas. But somewhere along the way, the conversation turned into:
Entrepreneurs = brave visionaries
Corporate employees = “slaves without a life.”
Why can’t both paths be respected? One builds, the other sustains. Both are essential.
Modern vs Traditional — Why Not Both?
With westernization and modernization, people have become more open about things like casual relationships, flings, live-ins, or open relationships and that’s fine. Everyone has the right to live life on their own terms.
But what’s puzzling is how, in celebrating modern ideas, people sometimes mock traditional ones. Suddenly, believing in chivalry or choosing to have a traditional relationship becomes “old-fashioned.” Why?
Why can’t someone believe in modern love and still hold traditional values? Why can’t both coexist?
The Power of Listening
I genuinely believe people will continue to be narrow-minded as long as they’re convinced only they are right.
We learn nothing when we only talk, we learn when we listen.
Everyone’s perspective is shaped by their life experiences, and when we take a moment to truly listen to someone different from us, we gain a glimpse into a world we might never have seen otherwise. That’s not just tolerance, that’s growth.
Maybe the real progress lies not in choosing sides. But in learning to stand somewhere in between, with empathy.
In a world obsessed with extremes, balance is the real rebellion.
Because at the end of the day, the world isn’t divided into black and white.
It’s made up of countless shades of grey and maybe, just maybe, that’s what makes it beautiful.
Cheers!
Echoes Of Akash 