Black or White?

This could be the title of an article in Newsweek on racial segregation still surviving in some countries or the question asked when you start to play chess.

It is indeed the endless conversation I have with my mom concerning decoration at home. Black flooring with white walls or clear carpet and dark walls, this was the question.

When I arrived in the US, I have been surprised to see how people decorate their interior. They often paint the walls while we usually put decorative paper walls and they tend to put dark and drab colors while we will use various and bright colors for a nice creative effect. I am very sensitive to colors.

There are lots of theories on colors and how they reflect the mindset and spirit of the person. To me the perception of the colors is a unique human characteristic. Typically my cat does not see things as me as she does not perceive colors. Why and how can we see colors?

From a Physics standpoint, colors are nothing else than quanta of photons moving on a wave at different frequencies. It is a chemical reaction induced by the interaction of the photons from light that will spark off the reaction in the retina and the transduction mechanism to the brain who will translate the information into color. To me color perception is a miracle of the nature and I wonder how would be my life if everything was monochrome. Take a minute and think about a world without color nuance and solicitation. Our field of need would be reduced to the very and sheer satisfaction of the need only. No place for marketing strategy playing with our senses.

So thinking about sad our life would be without color, we decided to put bright colors at home.