Why is no one paying ME billions of dollars for my ideas?
I wonder if it’s because I’m caught in the twilight of The Grey Zone.
I’m a prisoner in this quagmire and I need to make myself break free.
Well before 50 Shades of Grey came along, I invented the whole genre of the “grey zone”.
I can’t see anything as black or white.
50 Shades of Grey?
Hell, I can see the universe in 1,000 shades of grey.
The other day while I was pouring drinks at my bartending job, someone said to me,
“Who are you voting for in the upcoming federal election?”
“Depends…”
… the choices?
Conservative, Liberal, New Democratic Party (NDP) or Green.
“Hmmmm… depends on where my sense of priority lies on voting day, I suppose… I think, I’m pretty sure!”
- Conservative if I feel angry at the world and want to fight wars and abortion laws and gun control and market controls.
- Liberal if I like Justin Trudeau’s hair style that day and I want a bouncy mix of free markets and social justice.
- NDP if I feel in sync with the friendly folks patiently waiting for me to open the doors to the Penticton Soupateria kitchen who need free daycare and subsidized dental care for their cavity-laden mouths.
- Green if I’m sick of picking another empty Tim Hortons cup off the street under the ozone-thin rays of sunshine, AND perhaps I feel a subtle loyalty to them because my last name happens to be Green.
- Is Obama a choice? Doesn’t Barack need a job after November 2016?
OK … you might have insinuated by my choice of words above that it won’t be a CONSERVATIVE check mark!
But other than that, I just don’t know!
And I don’t want to spend a lot of time working my way through the issues. I’m one politically lazy cat.
And this political muskeg? This is just one small example of my grey zone or “sitting on the fence” outlook on life.
My “grey zone” often has me seized up by the glut of alternatives in our world… you know… the Walmart selection of choices in everything we do or purchase.
In the halcyon days of The Waltons (nope, not Sam Walton of Walmart, I’m talking John Boy Walton of Walton’s Mountain, Virginia), you would just walk into Godsey’s General Store and say,
“Ike, I need an iron, two spools of blue thread, a package of laundry soap, and a suit for Yancey Tucker’s wedding this weekend.”
Two minutes later, with no further questions, Ike would smile his boyishly toothy grin and have everything tied up in a neat bundle and off you went, a happy camper.
No VISA, no MasterCard, no Air Miles or Loyalty Club cards… just cold, hard-earned cash slapped down on the old oak counter.
Can you imagine?
Now… NOW! … you need 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months… whatever … to make all of the important decisions involved in these same purchases. Questions and more questions:
- Self cleaning iron or auto shut-off? GE or Samsung or Toshiba? Corded or cordless? Removable steam tank? Retractable cord? Anti-burn control?
- Sky Blue, royal blue, indigo thread? Cotton, nylon, polyester, heavy-duty, silk, wool, or metallic thread?
- Powdered or liquid laundry soap? Detergent with bleach added? Dye and perfume free? Cold water active? Top or front-loading washer?
- And, it would take an entire blog post to go through the choices when selecting a man’s suit for a wedding.
I just don’t know! And I don’t want to spend a lot of time working my way through the consumer consumables. I’m consumerly lazy.
I like the idea of options, but the harsh reality of endless choice is endless decision-making and the need to do extensive research on the purchase of my next Bic pen or Gillette razor blade.
I sometimes rue having to use what little brain power I do have, to investigate and research and think and weigh options.
Really, I want to use my “grey’ matter to think about the things that are important to me. Things I’ve prioritized, or have wanted to prioritize.
Really, I want my head filled with story ideas for blog posts that infinitely stretch my thoughts and imagination.
Really, let me work on the concept of Idea Sex where I can take two or more unrelated ideas and tap my J.K. Rowling magic wand to marry them into something new and beautiful.
Really, the same for my music writing and playing. I don’t want to create everyday songs that anyone lacking imagination can pen for a commercial audience. I want unique songs with meaning and substance, stories filled with relevance, and emotion… and heart…
Experts such as psychologist/author Roy Baumeister (Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength) tell us that we have a finite amount of willpower.
The willpower needed in making decisions becomes depleted as we use it, and we use the same stock of willpower for all manner of tasks.
If I spend 10 minutes making a decision over something as seemingly simple as which toilet paper to buy (3 ply or 2 ply, 12 rolls or 8, super soft or Russian sandpaper, and on and on), those 10 minutes have depleted my eagerness for making sweet music.
Regrettably, almost unlimited choices in today’s world saps my energy.
In order to change, it’s a circular conundrum of making decisions about decision-making. Yup, my very own personal 1,000 Shades of Grey.
Meanwhile, I feel like I’ve crossed over into… Nu-nu nu-nu …. THE GREY ZONE.
Man On The Fringe 