Distinctly black…

dictionary definitions:
(blak)
adj. black·er, black·est

Black-ball: to vote against, to slander for malicious purposes, to ostracize, a negative vote, to not allow opportunity.

Black-death: a bubonic plague in Europe in the 14th century.

Black-listed: a list of persons or organizations under suspicion, disfavor. To be put on a negative and bad list.

Black-magic sorcery or demonic magic.

Black-mail: any payment extorted by intimidation as by treats, bodily harm or revelation.

Black-mark: a detrimental or negative fact in ones record that could hinder further opportunity.

Black-market: a market of illicit buying and selling in violation of controls or law.

Black-sheep: a person considered embarrassingly disreputable by his or her family or group.

Poor black…. it must have quite low self esteem.

Like grey, it’s not really a colour at all. A mass of nothingness, a void, a hole, endless but simultaneously never starting.

As a child I was taught that black was bad – “only people in mourning wear black”, “you’ll attract negativity”, “no-one will pay attention to you”. That kind of stuff stuck with me growing up but I continued to harbour a secret passion for the forbidden colour.

Even though the most obvious and consistent definitions of black are undoubtedly negative, there are some postive connotations if you look hard enough; strong, encompassing and mysterious – how many come to your mind?

So what came first – black or colour? Any ‘serious’ scientist will tell you that everything in the world as we know it is a result of a very big black hole and an almighty explosion. Christianity starts with a suprisingly similar story.

“At the first God made the heaven and the earth. And the earth was waste and without form; and it was dark on the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light”.

Everything goes back to black (mix all the colours of the spectrum together and what do you get?) so I tend to think black must have come first (there’s a logic in there you just have to find it).

Do you have a relationship with black – do you love it, find it sophisticated, slick, forever stylish and oozing class? Do you dislike it, is it macabre, sombre or haunting?

I personally love black and probably always will. In my younger years my wardrobe was 95% black, not because I was a goth or an emo, but because black is always flattering and we like flattery – come to think of it, there was probably a bit of rebellion in there too, remember my parents hate(d) black.

With age comes change, and my affection (ok slight obsession) with black has definitely changed. I see it as neutral, not a positive or a negative – it’s just there.

Sometimes in life you need middle ground, your very own no man’s land, some black space to meditate in – the problems only creep in when you sit for too long in the shade……. don’t you think?