Yesterday, I asked you to identify the one Color of Life — and that single article made me think along many difference paths as I contemplated your answers.  At first, I thought the answer was Green; but I’ve come to believe the color of life is really: Red.


Gordon was the first to answer with “Green” as the color of life:

Green – the leaves in the trees. Green – the lovely grass that I
occasionally see in the city. Green also is the tea that I drink, full
of flavor and life. Green is an explosively positive colour in my
wardrobe. Even a mossy green means that there’s life there. 🙂

Gordon’s analysis was my original answer as I wrote the inquiry article.  Green takes an ecological view of the world as he so rightly describes.  Is green a human color or is green the color of the natural world around us?

Next to answer was liminallife — with the illegal double-hyphenated-answer “Yellow-white” — that still proved to be enticing:

Yellow-white. The color of the sun, and the light that is the ultimate source of all the energy on our world.

Is the sun yellow — or it is golden or orange?  Is yellow the color of fire? I want to know more about the reasoning behind the yellow answer because, to me, yellow is the color of death and cowardice.  Yellow is the color of infection and of rotting and of old age.

Kimberley rounded our out analysis by providing a stinging argument for Red:

Red.

It is the color of the life giving flow within our bodies once
oxygen permeates it. It is also the color that is associated with the
symbol of the essence of life and vitality. It is the color of my
favorite roses that are in bloom now. Most intriguingly, it is the
color of the planet Mars. Proof that color has no boundaries. I have
had the wonderful privilege of sitting back and viewing the sun as it
very gingerly crept behind the mountains, leaving a warm, brilliant,
red, cascading sunset for my viewing pleasure. It is the vibrant color
that invigorates the soul and lifts the spirit.

Red is the most human and biological answer.  Red is of our blood and vested in our dangers.  Red is a warning against all other colors.  Red cuts for both passion and anger.  Red is the first perceived human color and we are awash in Red at our births and diminished in Red in our deaths.

Red is the answer.

I am still left with two remnants from my internal wondering yesterday.

Blue was another choice.  Blue blends our heavens and our earth.  Blue is the sky above and the oceans beneath.  Blue is the organic color of life.  Blue is the everlasting promise that everything will be fine.

I was also tempted to use Black as my answer.  Black is, perhaps, the most religious answer because the absence of Black — of darkness, of the eternal pit — is the most vibrant indicator of the light of life.  We are released from Black and into our light at birth and we tremble into Black as our lives stumble from us at the end.  Black is both the start and finish of life.    

I thank you for you color perceptions — and if you have any other answers or insights on The Color of Life, I urge you to share them with us now.

8 Comments

  1. Red is a brilliant answer, David. Of course, it reminds me a little bit of Total Recall because of the Mars element.

  2. Hi Gordon!
    Yes, red is my favorite color. It used to be blue and then several years it was purple — the red was creeping in — and then a year or so ago I realized red was the right choice.
    I’m not sure about the Mars element of Red being the color — but I do think that Red is the most dynamic color we have surrounding our every thought and moment here on earth and in the swirling universe inside us.

  3. I almost went with red, but found myself turned off by the sometimes violent implications of blood-red, much like you seized on the cowardice and disease associated with yellow. Yellow, to me, is a cheerful, optimistic color; it’s long summer days and golden sunsets. I was going to just say yellow, but the stickler in me pointed out that sunlight is actually white light.

  5. Red is a vibrant color David, and so is blood…!I like your answer! Black is my second favourite…

  7. Truly, all colors are phenomenal in how they effect our mood and well being mentally and even emotionally. I tend to lean more towards the vibrant, bright colors because they stimulate happiness and an exciting youthfulness. They stir life inside us!
    However, my second choice would be the uncommon and plain white. White is not merely the absence of color. White can be integrated with any color to create another color. When Red is mixed with white it presents a beautiful Pink hue. Just think … Pink is a lighter shade of Red. Red can not invent pink by it’s self. Red and white have to merge and permeate to bring us the sweet appeal of pink. Kind of fascinating once you stop to think about it!
    White is also a symbol for purity and innocence as that of a beautiful new baby. It reminds us of angels singing a melody that sweeps us away from the everyday … if even for a moment. White is the echo of peace:-)

  8. That’s good analysis, Kimberley! White is either all colors or the absence of color — it depends if you’re talking about light or pigment.

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