Everyone loves a good contradiction- an occasional oxymoron, or a periodic paradox to confuse, bewilder, and generally excite the senses. If not just for the comedic value of a clever turn of phrase with two separate implications, then perhaps for a deeper psychological examination that ensues from a true incongruity of taste. In fact, you probably enjoy contradictions so much, that my next move will leave your brain tickled to no end: not everyone loves a good contradiction. I hate them.

I've been told that not everything is black and white. I agree with that statement. Most things are in color. However, when people start prattling at me about this so-called "gray area," I simply roll my brown eyes and let my mind wander to more productive places. There are no compromises in the natural world. In fact, the word compromise comes from the Latin term compromissum, which was most likely created only to humor those prone to being querulous.

When making self-policy about beauty, or science, or even belief, decisiveness is king. For example, the other day, I was driving on my way home from work and my route took me across a bridge. The sun was setting, the waves were apparent enough to give it a realistic flare, and yet the water's surface was smooth enough to reflect every ray of the magnificent sunset. On one side of the bridge, there was a view of the virgin landscape, full of glowing trees and vibrant leaves of orange and crimson. The sky, the water and the wilderness worked in brilliant harmony to create a picturesque scene, and yet it was tangible, waiting to be joined. The other side of the bridge created the challenge. This side featured a view of human progress at its finest hour. The lights of a thousand cities seemed to be present on this indescribable stretch of land, and the variety of color could not have been better chosen by the keenest of artists. The view gave hope and a sense of promise, even to the most cynical mind. Both scenes had beauty, but which beauty can be deemed superior? There is my puzzle, and I never leave one unresolved. At first glance, to compare views is to contrast separate species as if they were one. However, at second glance, this argument is fundamental, between nature and progress.

My soul would tend to air on the side of nature; however, there is one unfortunate truth that gives the edge to nature's opponent in this duel. The sunset I saw was not a product of the heavens, but rather one of pollution. So, I must give credit to the side of progression, for making the entire scene possible, and, if for nothing else, for getting lucky.

Now, my analytical mind does not rob me of my right to a romantic world, I just see things for what they are, and I do this by separating right and wrong, weeding out the truth from a field of overgrown fiction. Take for example, your favorite childhood cartoon. Whichever animated adventure you found most to your liking, chances are, they showed true love in one of two ways: either the character's heart popped out of his or her chest, or his or her eyeballs popped out of the skull, displaying a gigantic heart figurine in each. Now, my first quandary is with the shape of the heart. I've sat in front of a picture of an actual heart for hours on end, and I cannot manage to see the odd shape depicted in these cartoons and twelve-year-old girls' notebooks. There is no similarity whatsoever in my eyes, however, I have a mathematic mind, and mathematics is rooted in the use of symbols, and I must allow even this crude one to be used. Now, I think we can all agree that the idea of a heart popping out of one's chest is insane to say the least. First of all, if a person's heart did get that big, he or she would already be dead due to what would have to be a massive myocardial infarction, I won't even address the magical permeability of this person's epidermis. The same goes for the eyeballs, which, believe it or not, do not have the power to expand and shrink on command. However, there is one aspect of this depiction that I do agree with, because I've witnessed it. When you fall in love, and you look into that person's eyes at exactly the right time, a heart will appear. Only for a moment, and then it will be gone. It's a humbling flash, but it won't be forgotten.

It is moments like these that make all the careful analysis worthwhile. Most people will discuss this topic with me and turn away, mentally labeling me insane, but I'm not. I choose to have the strongest sense of reality possible, because there are true phenomena, there are actual occurrences that will shock you, magnificent natural blunders that make no sense. I ground myself with facts and statistics, so that when the world decides to knock me off my feet, I can lie on the ground in genuine bliss.