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Navigating the Grey Scales

Melissa Absarah Torres

In the past months, I’ve reduced my screen time to less than two hours a day—and yes, it changes everything. The most eye-opening moment came when I had to seek out real people for information. The conversations I had about justice, economics, and politics didn’t offer me any final answers. But I was moving, developing relationships, and new neural pathways.

The digital world is a brilliantly designed, addictive labor prison. The internet always gives you what you want, making you forget that you aren’t actually in reality. Its substructure, the binary code, only offer two options: 0 or 1, yes or no, question or answer, left or right, black or white, man or woman. A simplistic thought process that leaves no room for nuance. A world of extremes, offering an illusion of absolute certainty to whichever side you identify with.

Being fully yourself can feel lonely, because each of us is unique - no one will ever understand us better than we do. But here’s the thing: more of us exist in the grey scales than in the manichean black-and-white dichotomies. You’re not the only one thinking in a nuanced way, every thing is thinking in a different way and infinity is terrifying. Everything changes, and we are constantly in (e)motion.

It’s okay to fall into binary thoughts at first, but don’t stay there. For example, when you catch yourself saying "everything is dark," counter it with, "but right now, I feel safe," or "I’m not hurting." Then go deeper: "I am free to think and speak," but also, "I don’t know how to create peace." Then - take action.

We are another version of ourselves every second. There is knowledge hidden in the folds of time. Sometimes, we recognise our subconscious in an automatic response we assumed was a habit. Changing your inner status quo moves masses of cells. Then multiply that by 8.2 billion other human beings plus the countless other living things, the possibilities are endless. Meeting just one person can challenge our past, present, and future. Collaborating with a group can create entirely new timelines.

The greatest obstacle? Stagnation. Numbing, absolute judgment that blinds our discernment.

Learn to enjoy navigating the grey scales. Confusion and ignorance can be fertile - if you don’t stop there. Failure is part of the process, embrace it. In doing so, you help others foster compassion - for themselves and for us all. Don’t divide us further. If the grey scales hold their ground, they can put an end to hate and fear.

Good things take time. And actually, far more people than you realize have been working on this for at least 50 years.

You are not alone. Don’t be afraid.