“The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain, until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” – Jane Addams
White, the color transfixed with its idealist viewpoint, one that aims to create a world where no one is left to suffer. Of all of the five colors of Magic the Gathering, I find White to be the one that mirrors humanities needs the most. Not so much in our carnal or animal side but more our need to group and find a common purpose, a purpose routed in our need for order, peace, and structure, a noble pursuit that sets in stone its world view. You see White is rigid in what it believes and will not accept anything but this end, it is an idealist through and through and because of this it leaves little room for interpretation of its utopia.
It is a philosophy that will benefit those that conform, allowing those who do, a life without strife, but because of this, White has no need for those that go against the grain. White is a marvel in that it truly is the color that can love and punish in equal measure. If you don’t quite yet know what I mean then don’t worry, after this article is finished you will have a firm understanding of White. I will explain what is at the core of its beliefs, what motivates it, what traits it respects or reviles in others and much more. My hope is that by the end of this video, no matter what your current understanding of the color pie is, you will come out of it with a more complete picture of the building blocks of Magic Gathering, and the philosophies that come from its colors. So where do we begin? Well, it’s simple really, we begin at birth…
1
When we are first brought into this world, we are helpless and weak, and we rely on the kindness of our caregivers in order to grow into functioning adults. Every step of the way we require a kind and helping hand, a strong sense of safety and a rigid set of guidelines. We must be told what is safe and what may harm us. We depend on others to feed and clothe us, and it is through this guidance and kindness that we may prosper, or without it, suffer. White understands the power of nurture, and the role it plays in our existence, not just in our childhood years but all throughout our lives.
Now I want you to stop for a moment and think about your own life? Do you find that you lack structure, or are you content with the life that you have built around yourself? For most people, no matter which way you answer this question, you are aware of the fact that stability, safety, and peace are things we all need in order to remove stress and anxiety from our lives. For if we were to remove these things, we would be left with a life that is chaotic and stressful, and so, it is from this perspective that White establishes the core of its ideology. No one need suffer in this world, and together we can build our utopia. I know I am talking in a manner that doesn’t quite reveal the truth about White, but bear with me as I am merely providing you with perspective. Let us now look at exactly what I mean.
2
White states that in order for us all to live a life of peace and stability it requires structure, and structure requires law and law breed’s order. Now of course it’s impossible for everyone to find exactly what they want out of this way of life, but we must be willing to sacrifice personal gain in order to find stability and in that stability we may all at least find peace. You see by working together, making sacrifices for one another, and shedding our ambitions we may set up not just ourselves, but everyone we care about, for a life without strife.
It is then quite important that we must value our neighbors as we value ourselves and allow their struggles to become ours and ours theirs, and through this collective selflessness, the load is never too great for anyone.
Of course, the first question you might ask is:
“If White states that we are all equal then who could possibly set the rules and write the laws, someone has to set a precedence right?”
Well in that you are correct, as even though all within White must do their part, we must still look up to those who are wiser, holier, or more disciplined than us. We must ask our kings to set the laws, we must listen to the hymns of the angels to find our path, and we must take to one knee and heed the words of our gods.
As you see, there are those that have a deeper understanding of the true meaning behind White than we do, and so their words must be counted as law, a law that precedes our own desires, even if we don’t understand their intent. Because of this it’s no surprise then that White is the color that most aligns with religion and authoritarian leadership. It allows the burden of many to be placed on one and in turn take the words passed down from the one to be the truth, and the one way we should live our lives. White very often looks to those who can set an example of how we should be and in turn guide us with their actions.
This way of doing things can come at a cost and there are those that would abuse such willingness to follow, but to White there is no other way. We must believe that there are those that would act with our best interests in mind and in most cases, those filled with White mana will act for our good. I know what I have discussed so far may be hard to accept at first for some, but if we are to live in a successful society, it will take discipline, restraint, and compliance. You and I will have to learn to put our ego’s down and look to each other for security and in this mindset, we will find that we have created a utopia from the ashes of chaos. One where we lift each other up instead of climbing over one another just to get ahead.
3
I said White was an idealist and I meant it. It has a perfect picture in its own mind of how it believes the world should be, and how everyone within it should behave. So, what is this perfect world, or utopia in the eyes of White? Well, an ideal world to White is one that is united under a single banner and one that is rallied by either by a single king or God. It would be a world where war was no more than a memory, something relegated to history books to show how far it had come. It would be a world where everyone had what they needed and unneeded suffering was replaced with tranquility. In this society laws would be written in stone and acted upon with total conviction, but of course in this utopia it would be unnecessary, as undesirable human traits would have been left behind long ago. Replaced by compassion, piety, and discipline. This new world would be one where no one takes more than they need, and no one acts against their neighbor, only for them.
4
Now of course there are always those who will go against the grain, those who see something beautiful and simply want to destroy it. Those think of structure as a prison and think that discipline is weakness. Colors like Black who only seek to satisfy their ambitions or Red who would follow their hearts into anarchy. Just the thought of this boils the blood of White, it cannot understand those that would act in a manner that is selfish or destructive. It cannot even begin to entertain the thought of what would bring a person to lash out against their fellow man.
To White, there is nothing more reviled than this, and so it is left with little choice but to return with equal measure against those that would strike against it. Laws are rigid, the words of gods are absolute, and so anyone who steps against these doctrines loses any privilege they had of being accepted. At best they will find their neck in the stockade, at worst the guillotine. Sure, you may think that White is harsh, that its methods lack finesse, but ask yourself, is the world these bad actors wish to bring about one that you would wish to be a part of?
On the other side of it there are those that see a similar path as White even if White doesn’t agree with everything they do. While White is always striving for its version of utopia, it can still find traits within these other colors that it appreciates and respects. Such as the efficient, devoted and calculating mind of Blue, one that sees the value in perfecting the world around it. As well there is the color Green, a color that is content, harmonious, and accepting. Ideals that parallel White in many ways, even if it can lack the convictions to act.
5
I know there are points when I speak about White that you might pull away. You may be turned off from such things as discipline, conformity, or law. I know for me personally that these things don’t sit well with me either, but we must also remember the intentions of White. It is a philosophy that asks for compassion, all while knowing that our human desires can sometimes push us into acts that are selfish and destructive. White merely asks that you devote yourself to something greater, a pursuit that is noble and selfless, one guided by morality and not desire. Sure, it might sound naïve and overtly idealist but if you don’t have an ideal to stand for then what future can hope to create?
I hope you enjoyed learning about White with me. If you want to learn more about the color pie then you came to the right place. Become a site member that way you will get notified when my next article goes live. I also have a Youtube channel if you're just looking to relax and watch something. With that friend I will catch you in the multiverse, bye!
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