Black is everything. White is nothing. In between, however, lurks the infinite. The boundless shades of grey that span the length of substance and occupy the space from either end of the spectrum. We call this contrast. Defined per the dictionary, contrast is "the difference or degree of difference between things having similar or comparable nature". Defined in our own terms, it's simply the difference between two points. No doubt, it is an idea we are all familiar with. But one can be familiar with an idea and not truly grasp its importance, much the same as we consume food without realizing how profound it is to our existence.
As I observe the world I am reminded constantly the importance of contrast. Prior to last year I had lived exclusively in one of the lushest environments on Earth. For years upon years, I knew nothing save green coastal cities sandwiched between the sea and the mountains. Circumstance forced me to leave the place I called home, however, and I found myself situated in a flat, dry, and water starved terrain that basks in an unforgiving perpetual sunlight. Contrast. In my new location I soon came to acknowledge the lush forests I had left behind. I stepped outside, observed the desert staring back at me, and cursed myself for trading evergreens for cacti. The same idea surfaced with respect to listening to music. Initially I was content with cheap music devices and run-of-the-mill earbuds... I knew nothing else. But a few expensive solutions later (and several hundreds of dollars), and I find myself unable to enjoy music unless played from a quality recording on high end listening devices. Contrast. And these correlations run intricately through my life, and I assume the lives of most. Contrast is in everything. It separates the rich from the poor, the beautiful from the hideous, the intelligent from the simple, and the kind from the cruel. We are all victim to contrast.
But it does not stand idle. It is not a result, rather a cause to much more. Contrast is the force that separates us from another and leads to uniqueness. It gives us importance. Juxtapose the beautiful woman with her underwhelming peer and you not only give credence to her beauty, you create it. Imagine a world in which all were beautiful. What then would be the value of beauty? Or a world in which we were all ugly? Without contrast, physical appearance is unreferenced and inconsequential. But add contrast to the equation and you stratify its worth. The same goes for many if not all other outlets and applications. For an example, let us return to my stay in the desert. This time, imagine I had lived in the desert my entire life and was unaware of any other climate. Would I still be disgruntled with my situation? Of course not. I would be content for no better reason than the idea that I did not know better. But introduce a more agreeable paradise, and I will once again envy the green forests. This is what contrast gives us... importance. Remove contrast, and you will find yourself staring at one simple shade of no importance.
This brings me to closer to the idea which led me to debate contrast. It's an idea most may have even spent some time on before, but nonetheless I feel its important to put into words. It is the contrast between life and death. The ultimate contrast. With life, we see the amazing complexity of mother nature; a living breathing organism fighting the endless forces of entropy. With death, an eternal slumber of nothing; a regression back to the chaotic ways of the universe. But somehow our perceptions of these two dueling forces have been skewed. Most persons view death with fear, sadness, and disdain. They see death as the end of life, and rightfully so, but unfairly cast to it their cruelest glances as they meander ever closer. To them, death is the unfair burden of mortality, the punishment for nature's imperfections. This could not be further from the truth, and these perceptions could not be more unmerited. We must understand that our deaths do not signify the overbearing last page of an enthralling novel, but instead they symbolize the checkered finish line of the longest race.
With death, we receive the greatest gift man can receive... contrast. To live eternally would be to remove all value from life in the same way a beautiful woman is lost in a sea of fashion models. But to die... to die is to put our lives into context. To die is to give value to every decision we have made, every day we have lived, and every emotion we experienced. He who knows how many days he has to live will live each to the utmost and fullest. Each day for that man has a guaranteed value. But unchecked, life would blur to infinity and each day would melt into the last. Every moment would eventually recreate itself over and over until its effect was lost completely. Imagine eating your favorite dish every night of every month of every year. How long could you bear it? Eventually it would drive you maddeningly sick. This is the fate death saves us from. And this is why I am so confused when I see others driven to sadness at the thought of their impending "demise". If you genuinely assess death for what it truly is, you will understand the beauty and purpose it holds. To quote a writer whose name escapes me, "Without death, life would have no meaning". Without death, life would have no meaning... without contrast, the world is a very ugly shade of grey.
