The Shades Of Morality

There is no sanctuary for me from the shape-shifting specters that lurk in the ethereal realm of my dreams, just waiting for my eyelids to close and my breath to steady.

These spectral beings are odd in form - some fat, others gaunt; some hideously deformed, others possessing an eerie beauty, a paradoxical blend of those with strands of golden locs and others are bald and bare.

Though they evoke both revulsion and fascination within me, I cannot help but notice a reflection of myself in their sinister gaze. The subtle twitches and contorted grins they wear mirror my own peculiarity- a shared quirky imperfections.

Recently, I paid the transport fare for a water-fetcher in my dormitory. Her excessive gratitude tugged at my stoic facade as I feigned indifference. But beneath this veneer of altruism lies a calculated motive - to manipulate her obliging nature to secure preferential treatment for my water-fetching needs, revealing my inherent self-serving nature masquerading as benevolence.

What demarcates the moral boundaries of good and evil, of right and wrong? The duality of human morality never ceases to intrigue me. Society clings steadfastly to a binary worldview, painting morality in stark black and white. Some will say I am bad for manipulating, and others will say I am neither good nor bad like the specters in my dream. 

The complexity of existence forges a delicate balance between the altruistic and the opportunistic, the selfless and the self-serving. And amidst this intricate dance, I am left to ponder the eternal question - Am I but a fickle actor on the stage of morality, draped in shades of gray, or am I guided by a moral compass pointing towards a definitive truth? The truth is that I am black and evil, white and good, or neither black nor white, but gray and odd.  

Bello Victoria Taiwo