Imagine

Imagine that you were taught from birth that red was the best colour. You never questioned it because that’s all you ever knew. It never occurred to you that of all the colours in the world, any other colour could possibly be better. Imagine that all through childhood you were reminded frequently that red was best and that anyone who said otherwise was a liar. You were told that people who believed that red was best were truly more enlightened and superior as they understood how wonderful red was.

Your life revolved around the colour red. Your house was red. Your car was red. Your school books were red. You were aware of other colours but you proudly wore red as you believed red was the best. You planned your vacations around the colour red….. the red things you would see…. the new red things you would find. You would only eat red foods and drink red beverages. In your home and in the homes of friends and family you knew that you would only see red walls, red furniture, and red decorations.

Family events such as weddings and the birth of babies were wrapped up in the colour red. All the ceremonial clothes were red, decorations were red, and songs were sung about the colour red. You were allowed to socialize with people who wore other colours but you were taught that it was your duty to always promote the colour red with them and show them how wonderful red was.

As a teenager, you enrolled in classes at school that extolled the virtues of red. Red was seen as the only worthwhile colour. All other colours were imitations and were to be shunned. You were taught the history of red (from red books of course), immersed yourself in red studies, and were taught the importance of red in everyday life as well as significant life events.

But one day, you really started thinking about all you had been taught about the colour red. You researched the history of red and found out that what you were reading was not what you had been taught in “red classes”. You kept searching and found out that there were serious problems with the claim about the red supremacy and that the “red is best” society is widely seen as an extremist group. You also learned that there is scientific evidence that red is not the best colour… that there is no “best” colour and that while preferences are understandable, calling any colour “the best” is fanatical and intolerant. Stories that you were told about how wonderful the colour red is, stories that you were taught were factual and that you based your beliefs on, were found to be fictitious.

You were extremely disturbed by this information. For years you based many life decisions on the fact that red was best and now your foundation has been shaken. You saw the red all around you and in the lives of your family and you wondered how to handle the conflict between what you have immersed yourself in for your entire life and what disturbing information you recently learned about the colour red. You wanted to run to your family and share with them what you have learned but, having been in their shoes, you knew it would not be well received. So you broached the subject with your red-immersed family with extreme caution and hope for understanding. But instead of being supportive and understanding of your inner conflict they said one of two things must have happened to cause you to question the superiority of red…. either you were offended by someone wearing red or you don’t have the inner strength to live up to the standards expected of those who are immersed in red.

This lack of support made you feel alone in the quest for the truth of whether red was actually the best colour. But you decided understanding the truth about red was worth the current difficulties you faced and hoped your family would eventually understand.

So you kept digging and found that the inner workings of the “red is best” society were shady. You also discovered that the founders of the society used violence against people (both followers and observers) who disagreed with them. You were horrified as you talked to people who have left the “red is best” world and heard their personal accounts of manipulation and intimidation that were still widely used to keep followers in line. You saw the ugly side of what used to be the foundation for your life.

When it came right down to it, you concluded that red really wasn’t the best. This was very disturbing and shook the foundation of your life. You questioned all your experiences with the colour red….. your childhood experiences, goals you had made for your future, and decisions you had made in your past. This caused you to rethink your stand on social issues, standards, ethics, values…. EVERYTHING.

Although you were disturbed by this, you opened your eyes and saw the other colours in the world in a new light. You realized there was value in blues, yellows, and purples. You saw the beauty of greens, browns, and pinks. You were delighted by the blacks, whites, and shades of gray.

You grieved for the time you had wasted surrounding yourself with red when all the colours of the rainbow have beauty to be enjoyed. You were so completely unsettled and disturbed by what you had found out that you decide to formally distance yourself from the “red is best” society. This was a difficult step but one you felt the need to take.

During this difficult transition, you again turned to your family hoping for some support. But instead of understanding you are made to feel guilty for even questioning that red is best… let alone leaving the “red is best” society. You were also called selfish and that you lacked integrity for publicly voicing your findings that red may not be best. You were told to keep quiet around the children as they were learning about the superiority of red and showing them other colours may confuse them.

You were hurt by your family’s lack of support. But as your search for the truth had led you away from red and opened your eyes to other colours in the world, you couldn’t go back and pretend that red was best anymore. You couldn’t imagine going back to a life of being surrounded by red everywhere you look.

You can’t un-ring a bell. And truthfully, you don’t want to un-ring it. A life without family support is not easy, but having your eyes opened to a life with many colours, not just red, is better than faking it that red is the best and that all other colours don’t exist.