Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)

Posted on January 8, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 3 comments

Colour my world

“The world is black, the world is white,

It turns by day and then by night,

A child is Black, a child is white,

The whole world looks upon the sight,

A beautiful sight.”

Black and White – Three Dog Night

What is your favourite colour?

Our first formal introduction to colour typically happens when we start school or daycare. We learn our primary colours and we begin to experiment in art class. As we grow older, we begin to notice all the colours around us. We marvel at sunrises and sunsets and if we’re lucky, we get the witness the sheer awesomeness of the Northern Lights with the many colours of the rainbow dipping and dancing in the sky.

Last week, school resumed and lo and behold, I was asked to fill in for the woodworking instructor. The teacher left a lesson plan and one section was highlighted: NO TOOL USE PERMITTED. I wasn’t sure if that comment was directed towards me or my students! Most woodworking shops have a room dedicated to painting. I poked my head in and saw this long table splattered with every colour of the rainbow.

Red, Red Wine.

How do you view the world? Do you see it in “black and white” with no room for other colours to seep in? There are people who fit this description to a T. There is no gray in their world. Their universe is comprised of absolutes. These are people to be avoided at all costs.

Yellow Submarine.

There is nothing more colourful than a rainbow unless you consider my language when something goes wonky with my computer. In recent times, the rainbow has taken on a different connotation – with apologies to those whose pets have crossed over the rainbow bridge. The LBGTQ community has adopted the rainbow as its symbol. Gilbert Baker, a gay artist is credited with this. He wanted to make a proud statement through a symbol showing diversity.

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

I am old and must admit that I don’t completely understand the subtleties of gender identity. But it’s never too late to learn. During a lunch break at school before Christmas, I joined a group of students, members of the school’s GSA. For many years, this moniker meant “Gay Straight Alliance” but has been changed in recent years to “Gender and Sexuality Alliance”, a term more inclusive to students on the gender spectrum. (Thanks EB for the distinction)

You couldn’t find a more pleasant group of young people. It’s not easy being perceived as “different”. When I was their age, there were students who would have been thrilled to have the comfort and safety of a GSA group. Like many before them and to this day, students who didn’t fit in were and are the subject of bullying. Sad but true.

If we are going to preach tolerance to students, then we must ourselves learn to be more tolerant.

Getting better educated is a start.

The Green Green Grass of Home.

Another class that I monitored was grade 7 Social Studies. As this was the first class of the new calendar year, I asked them to give me an overview of what they had been studying from September to December. They informed me that they had been researching the Gaels, Acadians, MicMacs and African Nova Scotians. Common themes were racism and discrimination.

Unfortunately, racism remains alive and well and seems to be thriving in an intolerant world. Why are people still subjected to racial taunts because of the colour of their skin?

Paint it Black/Purple Rain/A Whiter Shade of Pale/Brown Eyed Girl.

My late brother Tom taught me a valuable lesson about colours many years ago on a long walk. I asked him how he kept his mind occupied when he was walking for hours. His answer startled me. “Do you know how many different shades of green there are? When I walk, I pick out a colour and try and see how many variations of the colour I can find.”

What if we were all colour blind? In many ways this might solve some of our racial problems.

However, we wouldn’t have all these great songs with colour in their title!

Grab a paintbrush. Make a splash. Colour your world.

Make all the colours of the rainbow your favourite.

“There is a blue one,

Who can’t accept the green one,

For livin’ with a fat one,

Tryin’ to be a skinny one,

Different strokes for different folks.”

Everyday People – Sly and the Family Stone

Be audacious. Be outrageous.

But most of all, be tolerant.