When the World Started Losing Colours

I remember a time when colours were alive, when walking down a street felt like moving through a painting where every wall, every sign and every window had a presence of its own. The reds did not scream, the blues did not soften instead they simply existed and made you notice them. Even the smallest things had a colourful touch, like a fabric draped over a chair that held memories or a painted door that held defiance. The world was not designed to be simple, it was allowed to be complete and in that completeness there was life.

Today life has grown subtle. Walls are white or beige, or a pastel shade that is considered aesthetic. Buildings rise in uniformity, like boxes stacked and their similarity gives no space for personality, character or the stories of people who inhabit them. The colors that once showed warmth, whim or celebration have been replaced by a dull neutrality that is hard to connect with. Architecture has lost its character, offering shelter without speaking to those inside.

The people moving through these spaces mirror the same dullness. Wardrobes blend with their surroundings, soft colors and muted tones hiding the spark of life beneath the dull choices. Once clothing could portray joy, mourning, desire and belonging all at once. Now it tends to blend in. Pastels and muted shades are praised for taste while colour is treated as "Cringe", as if being vibrant itself were a crime. We dress to fit the lines around us instead of filling the spaces we inhabit.

Art has followed the same path. Canvases are pale, installations are sparse and minimalism is treated as the standard rather than a choice. Art once asked for time and emotion, provoking and drawing people into its world. Now it asks for admiration but seldom for engagement. Colors that once dazzled the eye and stirred the heart now sit politely. Music too has been flattened to fit playlists and algorithms, losing the edges that once held depth.

Even the everyday life feels like it is missing something. Cafes, offices, public spaces all resemble each other across cities and countries. Screens show images that are curated to fit an aesthetic window, making eyes wary of vividness. Social media teaches that being subtle is the new normal, by adhering to these rules, we soften our emotions so they are easy to skim over and hard to feel completely.

Yet this losing of colour is not imposed instead it is a choice made in small moments. Colours were not stolen, it was set aside. We chose aesthetics over character, monotony over story and ease over vitality. Colour is not just decoration. It holds memory, identity and the courage to exist fully. It shows disagreement, joy, celebration, and sorrow. It makes life tangible. When colour fades, efficiency may rise but life itself feels subdued and soft. And the world loses the textures that make it alive.

Look carefully around you. The walls you walk past, the clothes you wear, the music you listen to, the spaces where you live and breathe. Are they truly alive, or have they been stripped of their soul under the guise of aesthetics and modernity? Have we chosen neutrality over life, or simply forgotten that colours were always part of how we felt alive?.