The Royal Institute of History, Culture, Religion & Philosophy
Barzakh University
On the Cosmology of Oppression
It is said that, when the world was first created, it was conceived as a realm without colour. There were no verdant fields upon which our cattle grazed, nor could we find the resplendent azures that we oft marvel at, neither in the waters nor the skies. A monochrome existence was fated for all, and such was the status quo for several millenia. To imagine such a life would be utterly preposterous in the modern day, but we must remember these are our ancestors - their lives and experiences influence ours, and of the many lessons we may derive from their lives in antiquity, this one in particular may be the most poignant.
Immediately, the mind, ever the inquisitor, turns to the question: from whence did the colours that paint our realm emerge? Unfortunately, he who asks this question knows as much as she who is asked. Scholars have deliberated this question for eons. To some, the colours of our world find their first antecedents in the scriptures of the mystics of Akh, who tell us that the goddess Akhla’s tears that were shed when she was executed at the hands of Hamask the Daeva brought with them the fulcrum of the colours that we perceive today. To others, the colours that fill our world are nothing more than the spontaneous inevitability of progression from antiquity to modernity; a fortuitous inexorability that was fated to breathe life - and bring purpose - into our world.
Irrespective of how our fates have coalesced, we cannot deny the importance of the colours that grace the very fabric of our world. Without them, we would lose our sense of marvel and wonder. Picturesque views of fields, hills, mountains and skies would be rendered akin to desolate landscapes. The blossoms of spring, clad in vibrant pinks and lilacs, would wither into obscurity, indistinguishable from the weeds that surround them. Even the faces of our loved ones, those that are dearer to us than life itself, would lose their warmth. With nary a visible trace of joy or sorrow, the very nature of expression itself would fade into homogeny. How, then, will you watch your loved one’s eyes fill with light? Creation would be stripped of its beauty — and, perhaps most importantly, its meaning. Without meaning, how can one possibly hope to find joy?
This then begs us to ask, and one day answer, one salient question:
Can there be joy without colour?