A Blanket Cover-up

Our brains love short cuts. Making things simpler, they organize similar things together. Pliers, wrenches, and hammers are found in the same toolbox. Tulips, Orchids, and Roses are categorized together as flowers. 

But, especially in the spring, we have a decision to make. 

Some people (especially children) see blooming Dandelions as flowers but most of us categorize them as weeds. The rule is simple: Flowers are good, weeds are bad. We have learned that although the bright yellow explosion in our yards can be beautiful, nature’s artwork MUST be destroyed because well, weeds are bad.

Today’s concept grew from my internal paraphrasing based on watching a recent video. It became a jumping off point resulting in two images.

One image presents a business-suited speaker in front of a far reaching audience. Some people are happily clapping. The rest are hidden under blankets: Present but unseen.

The second sketch looks at a person about to walk past a line of various titled ‘groups’ represented by blanket-covered individuals. 

People disappear under blankets in both images. But this second sketch forces the walker to see them. One at a time, he is adjacent to those he might wish to ignore. He is unable to avoid glancing at their faces. He might even be forced to lock eyes. He will find it easier to ignore the many, but it will challenge him to brush aside the person. It’s no longer a faceless group, but a face-included individual. 

The face reveals dreams, desires, love, as well as the wrinkles and scars of pain and suffering. The feet will sometimes shuffle with the weight of life and yet will also dance with excitement. In short, this individual, this face kept under our own psychological blanket is - just like us. Yes, dreams, work ethics, and suffering are common to all. 

But, somewhere along our pathways, we might have been told that these blanket-covered groups are Dandelions. Someone has convinced us that they are not flowers to be enjoyed. They are not to be watered and nourished. They are to be left to wither and die, or better yet, yanked out of the ground and tossed into a fire. Someone has convinced us that these 'weeds' cannot be allowed to grow and multiply. 

And now, it’s time. That Springtime Decision mentioned previously is knocking on our door. Do we subscribe to the traditional Dandelion theory that dictates ‘wither and die’? Or maybe, might we begin to see each person for the explosion of color they offer to life? Yes, to our life!

What do you see, the flower or the weed?

Note: When asking Google AI about the difference between flowers and weeds, I was told, "A weed is simply a plant growing where it is not desired, often spreading quickly and competing with cultivated plants, while a flower is generally a desired plant grown for aesthetic or ornamental reasons."