Coloring Happiness

This week I am reading ‘The Social Conquest of Earth’ by Pulitzer Prize winning author Edward O. Wilson. I am about two-thirds of the way through this fascinating look at “gene-culture coevolution” and I am reading this partially in preparation for his most recent work ‘The Meaning of Existence’. He also wrote the fictional work ‘Anthill’ which is one of the more enjoyable novels I have read in recent years. This post is not reflective of the author or any theory / perspective held by him, but I am (below) going to quote from a segment of his book (‘The Social Conquest of Earth’) where he discusses color perception and color vocabulary. This in turn will set up an intriguing framework utilizing color vocabulary for (instead of color perception) how one perceives and connects with others; (i.e. Human Interaction). This color construct (in a unique and visually accommodating way) will support the flow of my written thought as expressed throughout this site, as well as run parallel to the original interpretive studies as reported in ‘The Social Conquest of Earth’.

“Color does not exist in nature … Visible light consists of continuously varying wavelengths, with no intrinsic color in it. Color vision is imposed on this variation by photosensitive cone cells of the retina and the connecting nerve cells of the brain … Here the wavelength information is recombined to yield signals distributed along two axes. The brain later interprets one axis as green to red and the other as blue to yellow, with yellow defined as a mixture of green and red.” (from pages 205 – 206 in ‘The Social Conquest of Earth’).

Dr. Wilson goes on to describe how color vocabularies can differ between cultures. In one “experiment performed in the 1960’s, Brent Berlin and Paul Kay tested the color concepts in native speakers of twenty languages” (page 208). “In later investigations, Berlin and Kay observed that each society uses from two to eleven basic color terms” (page 209). He goes on to explain that

“the combinations of basic color terms as a rule grow in the following hierarchical fashion:

  • Languages with only two basic color terms use them to distinguish black and white.
  • Languages with only three terms have words for black, white, and red.
  • Languages with only four terms have words for black, white, red, and either green or yellow.
  • Languages with only five terms have words for black, white, red, green, and yellow.
  • Languages with only six terms have words for black, white, red, green, yellow, and blue.
  • Languages with only seven terms have words for black, white, red, green, yellow, blue, and brown.
  • No such precedence occurs among the remaining four basic colors, purple, orange, pink, and gray, when these have been added on top of the first seven” (pages 209 – 210).

Dr. Wilson goes on to say that “subsequent new work has confirmed the reality of the eleven basic words for color, such that those of one language can be matched with those of other languages” (page 210).

In recent weeks and days, due to current Life circumstance requiring interaction in varying social situations, I have been pondering how different individuals go about determining and then acting upon their personal preferences for direct human interaction. When I read about how color vocabularies differ by culture (as quoted above) a framework clicked into place. The remainder of this post will describe (also in hierarchical fashion) how I believe individuals evolve or flow both in a general sense of dealing with others and applicable as well to newly formed (or forming) relationships. I will start by assigning a general characteristic to each of the eleven colors:

  • Individuals with only black and white interaction skills or behaviors divide the world between ‘us and them’ and interact accordingly.
  • Individuals who recognize black, white, and red interaction skills or behaviors still define an ‘us and them’ but add to that an emotional component that may (depending on demeanor and circumstance) translate as passion, anger, or simple friendliness, caring, or respect.
  • Individuals who recognize black, white, and red interaction skills or behaviors, and one other (green or yellow) interaction skill or behavior will add reason (green) or compassion (yellow) to their repertoire.
  • Individuals who recognize black, white, red, green, and yellow interaction skills or behaviors have gained an understanding of both reason and compassion.
  • Individuals who recognize black, white, red, green, yellow, and blue interaction skills or behaviors have extended their reasoned compassion to include a sense of communal responsibility.
  • Individuals who recognize black, white, red, green, yellow, blue, and brown interaction skills and behavior now recognize the importance of hard work to support and enhance all interaction skills and behaviors learned to this point and moving forward.
  • Individuals who extend themselves beyond this point may think in terms of purple, orange, pink, and/or gray skills or behaviors, adding (respectively but added in no particular order) exoteric goodness, learning and growth, complexity, and depth, thus strengthening all past and future interactions.

Though I use the descriptor ‘individuals’ this same hierarchy could apply to cultural traits, skills, and behaviors; specifically (at the more advanced levels) to a family unit or in a small organizational setting, and more readily (at the basic, beginning levels) to larger culturally definable groups/organizations and/or to determine the inclusion potentiality of new group members. In other words, the larger the culture, the more likely interaction behaviors will remain superficial and not advance beyond some reason, compassion, and necessary or required responsibility. Additionally, a potential new member applying (formally or otherwise) for membership to a group is tested utilizing this flow from the beginning; first by not being accepted as one of ‘us’ until expectations are met by staying a step ahead of the group – (from emotional attachment, to reason, to compassion, to responsibility, to hard work, and ideally to the additional strengths as is necessary and/or helpful). Once this evolution is accomplished, the individual may become a full-fledged member of the group; though in some cultures this may take years, and in others unless you are born into the group you may never be fully accepted.

As the additional strengths of exoteric goodness, learning and growth, complexity, and depth (represented by purple, orange, pink, and gray) are honed and sharpened these competencies will enable not only a connective calibration amongst the flow of the first seven interaction skills, but also a profundity that will create an opportunity for leadership by example or otherwise. The first seven skills (though they will never be mastered) must be understood and practiced as consistent behavior before the last four strengths can gain the potency necessary to ensure a cycle of hierarchical continuity. We can and should spend a Lifetime recognizing us and them, forming emotional attachments, practicing reason, compassion, and communal responsibility by working hard at strengthening our goodness, learning, growing, and adding productive layers of complexity and depth; and then we must begin again.

Some may argue that the first (black and white) skill should not qualify as a skill, but should be regarded as a jumping off point from which we learn the remaining skills. I would argue that there are some who may only (depending upon circumstance) recognize an ‘us’, and I would further argue that this is dangerous and any individual or group that does recognize and acknowledge a ‘them’ is indeed practicing a mental or visual interaction skill. If not extended to a (red) emotional investment, the black and white individual will likely exhibit apathy and lethargy, but it is still a start, with potential for progress.

Without (green) reason and/or (yellow) compassion, the (red) emotional component will be difficult to control, potentially characterized by excessive anger (we’re gonna fight), excessive emotional involvement, and perhaps some narcissistic tendencies reinforced by temper tantrums. Some of these tendencies may also be traits of one (or a group) who is compassionate but lacks the stability of rational thought. And then there will be those who understand the importance of logic and reason, but lack compassion thus becoming emotionally stunted as typified by the ‘Star Trek’ character Dr. Spock.

I believe once an individual (or a group) reaches the stage of reasoned compassion (green and yellow) they likely cannot help but to see ahead to the value of communal responsibility. I also believe that some may not like this view and will turn back to (green) reason alone thus creating a color blindness along the (yellow-blue) compassion-communal responsibility spectrum. I also believe that these individuals (or groups) may still advance beyond this spectrum without noticing (due to the learned color blindness), moving on to hard work and additional strengths as necessary or helpful to advance agendas. This blind spot would explain (in individuals and/or groups) politics (defined as seeking power and control), sociopathy, excessive narcissism, excessive bureaucracy, tyranny, and any number of other traits reflecting a lack of compassion and an ignorance of communal responsibility.

Once an individual (or group) begins a practice of communal responsibility, or even states an intention to do so, the necessity of hard work becomes obvious and (if the stated intentions are sincere) unavoidable. This (in theory) should encourage a work ethic throughout the flow of interaction skills and behaviors, and with each cycle hard work should spark and reinforce the energy output needed for a consistent and continuous strengthening of Human Interaction, both as an individual and as an active member of any group.

And now we are back to the additional strengths of (purple, orange, pink, and gray) exoteric goodness, learning and growth, complexity, and depth, which should again lead us back to the beginning of the hierarchical flow of Human Interaction skills and behaviors. This cycle should be perpetuated by the individual or group, but will also kick-start itself whenever one (individual or group) is introduced to a new social situation, which is a common occurrence for many. If uncommon, one should seek out new Human Interaction (if for no other reason) to practice and strengthen these personal skills and behaviors as they will also benefit one’s personal search for Truth, Wisdom, and Happiness.

Happy Coloring!

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