Many years ago, i created software code in assembly language. This is the language of the Computer, and has a dictionary of two words. Yes, two words exactly. Its either a zero or a one, you are either a High or a Low, you are ON or you are OFF - you, in short, ARE or you ARE NOT.
Very Black and White, you could say.
You could never be in-between or in the grey zone. The Computing machine resembles another institution of our time in that regard, the great George Dubya of the promised land. Oneday he ordained from the house of elected representatives, that the world was either with him or against him. I have often wondered if he was ever an assembly language programmer, and whether his code had subroutines and detailed comments, and was easily outsourceable. Turns out that he got quite a few run time errors. But i digress.
The question that i am seeking the answer for is this : What would the world be like if all answers to questions were a Yes or a NO? What if there were no grey? Would it be a better place after all?
After many years of deep thought employing the services of grey matter - i have come to conclude that grey is not a good thing. Greenspan-speak is confusing, period. The housing market is doomed, the bubble will burst and Feds will fudge with the financials - these are undeniable facts of modern life. The world is hurtling along the wrong freeway because we are finding too many shades of grey in the signposts. Men and women in power (i included the fairer sex not because i am a sexist, but a feminist in full measure) are providing too many ambiguous answers instead of zeros or ones. Their leadership is grey and not strong and reflective of their convictions, which as my psychonanalysts friends tell me - are almost unfailingly binary. They have concluded already, but the pronouncements are not conclusive. Life is truly a zero sum game, where the resources are limited and the wants aren't, and conflict resolves to a win for one side - no matter if you put a glossy shrink wrap on the consolation prize. Captilalism was not founded on symbiotic relationships, for Marx's sake.
You live(One or you don't live(Zero), philistines can claim you may simply exist(Grey). You are right or you are wrong, philistines can claim that you weren't entirely correct. True, the context can colour the size of the one or the zero, but after you have made adjustments for all things and considered all perspectives - you have to come to terms to what it really was. One or a Zero. If you can't read, or are not an assembly language programmer, it is still a One or a Zero.
Life would be monchromatic in black and white, your colourful side might argue. But you would have brightness and black holes - instead of a dull grey signposts. Its a different matter altogether that you, as I - in full control of our respective faculties would gravitate towards them black holes. That would be keeping in line with our exploratory instincts, and of choosing the road less travelled. As we perish in that black hole, we would atleast be happy in the knowledge of having made an informed choice.
The President was right. I am with Him. Are you NOT?
Related link:
http://www.arl.wustl.edu/~lockwood/class/cs306/books/artofasm/toc.html
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/11/06/gen.attack.on.terror/
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