Humans - Five Kinds Make up the World

I’ve lived long enough to believe that there are only five kinds of people on earth.  Those who are RED, those BLUE, a third group with varying shades of RED/BLUE, a small group of zebra patterns mostly BLUE but some RED, and a final group of zebras with some BLUE but mostly RED.

Now, I would use black and white, but I would eventually be accused of being racist.  In order to avoid such an obvious misinterpretation of my intended message, I forgo the obvious and resort to the more colorful of designations.

Red folks are sociopaths. When they look in the mirror they only see themselves, even when peering from a crowd. They ask questions that they answer themselves, even if they have no actual knowledge of what they are extolling. They are thoroughly enamored by their every word as if it were gospel.  They trivialize the opinions of others who they hold in no regard.  To them the world exists to serve their needs, and NO one else matters.  They sleep well even after they have killed or plundered.  

Now anyone reading this description will recognize at least one individual who fits this description.  Megalomaniac, self-obsessed, hedonistic…do not adequately describe the distinctiveness of this  person.  Nobody likes this person with the possible exception of their mother.  They come up in the world quickly, but not as swiftly as they fall - into the abyss - crowds cheering their demise in exalted frenzy.

Blue folks are pitiful.  When they look in the mirror, they turn their heads to see if anyone else is looking at them to confirm their existence. There is little to no self-esteem, no sense of self-worth. They are malleable, and so fragile that the words of the most insignificant person in the world can destroy them.  When they say something to another, their eyes beg for affirmation and acceptance.  They exist only insofar as others recognize their existence.  The most beautiful woman in the world could feel the ugliest.  The thinnest person may feel the fattest. There is NO relation between perception and reality.  

We all know this type of person as well.  They are the saddest of the lot.  And if you get involved, you will understand the term “high maintenance”.  No matter what you do to try to bring them back to earth from their living hell, its effect is short-lived. Whatever praise is extolled upon them lasts only for an instant! 

Shades of Red/Blue = Purple comprises nearly all of the rest of us.  AKA - shades of grey in varying proportions.  No need to hover over a description of this group….we are in the majority, and we are composed of a little of this and a little of boring that.  We feel compassion sometimes, we want to understand, but we also want to bluster and command.  We sometimes see ourselves in the mirror and at other times, we are not so sure that we really do. We are strong and sometimes we are weak.  We can really feel or feign love, and we can express hate or pretend to be enraged. We can also sink from confident to tentative in a day, a month, a year. We are forever changing; our shades of red/blue continue to shift in balance in unpredictable ways, by chance, by destiny, and by our DNA. It is fun to see us evolve or it may be maddening! Our best survivors are those capable of adjusting to the next new environment. 

Zebras mostly BLUE with some RED are folks who are truly BLUE; they only pretend to be RED.  They have no self confidence or presence of mind; their ploy is to act bold and confident. They do this to assert themselves, but more importantly they do this to avoid being discovered for what they truly are - a pitiful full-fledged BLUE!  Its easy to dismantle these mostly BLUE zebras; they melt like butter when exposed or confronted.

Zebras who are mostly RED with some BLUE are truly the most dangerous of humans.  They are HOT RED, full of themselves beyond imagination   But they are uniquely clever in their ability to mask their true identity. They seldom expose their true nature, or the maniac inside. Cloaked in a phenotype that is RED, they act with a soft gentleness and friendly pretense that draws in their prey like a widow spider, only to devour them and everything else within their reach. It is very difficult to identify these devious bastards. They often present as charismatic leaders and only revealed to the world as evil incarnate after they have amassed unimaginable devastation, or after they have forever changed the world we live in….

Look inside, are you red, are you blue, are you purple, are you a zebra with mostly blue with some red, or mostly red with some blue……?  And do you have it within you to truthfully reveal or admit to which category you belong?  Would others around you agree with your self assessment?

Therein lies the dilemma. If your phenotype is red or blue, at first glance, it maybe impossible to determine whether you are true blue or true red, or whether this is just a veneer. It may take time to penetrate the outer shell, the facade, to be able to appreciate the beast inside. By then it may be too late.