Incompatible Notions

       “Oh, 'twould be marvelous if the world and its moral questions were like some game board, with plain black players and white, and fixed rules, and nary a shade of grey.”― Glen Cook

       Simplicity. Structure. Sagacity…

       You might be rather confused – and somewhat amused – by this apparently random array of words.  Three unrelated, incompatible notions.  

       Let me give you a hint: they are just that – notions. They are simple illusions, conveniences we have conjured up in our attempt to define and subdue, and control the chaos and chance, and shades of grey that are usually our lives.

       You have all heard, I have no doubt, an almost endless procession of delightful, motivational stories and speeches. And I know how urgently we need such words of comfort and hope. We are all human – or try to be, at the very least. When we feel lost and confused, which – if I you really think about it – is most of the time, we need them. When it seems that our lives are to be spent stumbling through darkness in search of that single shred of clarity, we need them.

       It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that those apparently random words – the unrelated, incompatible notions – are in fact central to our lives. Illusions are the path to humanity; they are the wings in our ascent and the rope in our fall. They help us – and they help us come to the aid of others.

       Our illusions, ultimately, define who we are. For no dream was ever born of seeing the world only for what it is.