Introduction

These concentric circles capture the philosophy of Colors of Humanity. The thin white ring represents the individual. The circles outside it represent the world and the universe outside the individual. The circles inside represent the world inside the individual. There is a mirror relationship between the individual and the universe. The whole universe is reflected in each person.

The inner circles—green, yellow, red, and blue—mirror the outer circles of the same colors. We could label the circles 1, 2, 3, 4 or A, B, C, D instead of using colors, but we use the colors on purpose. This becomes evident when we discuss the details. We also call these circles layers, depending on the context.

In studying human nature, psychology, and sociology, we meet concepts like this—clear enough to use, but without crisp edges. So, as you read, do not look for strict definitions. Let the idea grow on you. Aim to grasp the bigger picture that words alone cannot capture, much like you do when you listen to poetry, where words are more evocative than definitive.

Outer circles

The outer green circle represents the world or nature as it is—the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, trees, and so on—that exists with or without humans. It is our habitat.

However, we do not live in nature “as is.” We reshape it to suit our needs. Instead of living on the soil under a tree, we live in a dwelling made of mud transformed into walls, and branches and leaves transformed into a roof. The outer yellow circle represents this modified world.

A tree “as is” belongs to the green layer, while the timber cut from it belongs to the yellow layer. The fruits belong to the green layer, and their juice, extracted and packaged, belongs to the yellow layer. Instead of thinking of the yellow circle as “inside” the green circle, you can picture it as a yellow layer over the green one.

Humans are not the only ones who live in a modified world. Other species live in modified, transformed, or customized worlds too—birds build nests, ants and insects build colonies, and bees build hives. Many other species live in the natural world ‘as is’, from elephants and wolves to crocodiles and fish. So, even though we call the framework “Colors of Humanity,” it goes beyond humans.

Humans are social species. We live in groups—communities, neighborhoods, villages, cities, states, countries, associations, corporations, and more. We come together through shared space, lineage, or purpose. The outer red circle represents this social organization, where we relate and connect to each other through roles, responsibilities, relationships, codes of conduct, customs, and cultures—formal and informal.

The outer blue circle, on the other hand, represents people as unorganized entities. People connect one-on-one, without belonging to a formal or informal group—like friends meeting up and hanging out. Babies and toddlers play one-on-one, a “blue” activity. As they grow and join team sports like cricket, they belong to a structured group, with a captain leading it and each person performing a specific role.

The roles need not have hard boundaries. Bowlers can bat, and batsmen can bowl. Yet we intuitively know who the batsmen are and who the bowlers are. As mentioned already, learning about Colors of Humanity requires rising above “crisp” definitions and boundaries of the vocabulary. Just as cultures grow on you, beyond what words can explain, the Colors of Humanity grows on you once you begin to learn it.

Organized and unorganized living is not specific to humanity, just as a modified world is not. Wolves live in packs with a hard-wired order. Sheep and dogs do not. Spiders live alone. Humans are more “evolved” and “powerful” because we can organize ourselves in more ways than other species can.

So the four outer circles, from green to blue, represent the natural world, the modified world, groups, and individuals. Remember it this way: PEOPLE live in GROUPS in a MODIFIED WORLD.

Inner circles

The inner blue circle represents the physical body—limbs, organs, and cells. The inner red circle inside it represents Prana, or life energy—the difference between a living person and a dead body. A dead body still has the physical layer, but no red layer. Inside the red circle is the yellow circle. We will get to it momentarily.

The green circle represents our awareness of the world and universe. Every species knows its food, its prey, its predator, and its environment. No one has to tell monkeys how to climb, ants how to dig, turtles where to lay eggs, or newborn turtles where the water is. The green circle represents this built-in awareness. Women see more colors than men because their awareness differs. The green circle shapes what we see and do.

Inside the green circle is the white circle, which represents pure energy. It is conceptually close to “consciousness” in Vedanta. This energy radiates out, making us influence and interact with the world. Imagine the white circle in the center as a light bulb, with four porous domes around it, patterned in green, yellow, red, and blue, casting patterned light on the walls of the room. You make an impact in the world by “shedding” not just light, but patterned and colored light.

Now, back to the inner yellow circle: it represents the mind, a processing unit. Eyes belong to the blue layer. The ability to see belongs to the red layer. The ability to relate belongs to the green circle. What you choose to do with what you see belongs to the yellow circle. Similarly, it processes what comes outward from the green layer and projects it in a way the world can accept. People whose yellow layer is not strong put out what they feel. They feel more authentic but less tactful. They shine where authenticity is valued more than tact.

Those who know a bit about how computers work can use it as an analogy to understand these layers. The white layer represents the battery that gives power. Green represents the operating system. Yellow represents the applications. Red represents the “drivers” that paint an image on the screen or produce sound through the speakers. Blue represents the body itself, that we can touch and feel.

Open Framework & Applications

I created this framework in 2009, and I am still learning new nuances every day. Some questions still remain to be answered. It is like studying the atom—progressing from the simple Rutherford model, to Bohr’s model, and to today’s standard particle model.

To truly explore Colors of Humanity, we need a Socratic or Upanishadic dialogue—in-person conversation. That is why workshops matter. Learning Colors of Humanity is like learning group dance or martial arts. Teachers and students need to be in the same room. You learn from the teacher and from each other

Our Uniqueness

What makes each of us different is that our inner layers differ. If your inner green layer is strong, you feel a strong affinity toward the natural world, represented by the outer green layer. Philosophers, nature poets, environmentalists, and minimalists have a strong inner green layer.

If your inner yellow layer is strong, you have a strong affinity toward the modified world, represented by the outer yellow layer. Engineers, entrepreneurs, investors, and traders often have a strong inner yellow layer.

If your inner red layer is strong, you have a strong affinity toward organized groups, represented by the outer red layer. Politicians, managers, soldiers, and lawyers often have a strong inner red layer.

If your blue layer is strong, you have a strong affinity for friendships and hanging out with people, represented by the outer blue layer. We say “strong,” but “activated” works too. In Colors of Humanity, words are crutches to hold the idea, not fixed labels.

Connections to Ancient Indian Psychology

The four inner layers plus the innermost white layer match what the ancients called Pancha Kosha in Hinduism and Pancha Skandha in Buddhism. Many philosophers used the concept of Pancha Kosha in different ways. We do not rely on or reject those ideas. We just note the parallel and leave it there.

You may also find similarities between these four colors and the four Varnas described by ancient Hindu psychologists. But we go deeper than they did in our framework. In fact, the framework of Colors of Humanity links Pancha Koshas to the Varna concept, which seem to have evolved in different time periods and contexts, and no one has made a connection between them in all these centuries of their existence.

Porous Layers

What makes us diverse is not just which layers are “strong” or “active”, but also how they are formed. Picture the inner layers as porous and sponge-like, with holes. What we can and cannot relate to in the outside world depends on the holes in our formation. But the holes are not a deficiency. They are the ones that make us unique.

We said someone with a strong inner yellow layer could be an entrepreneur, engineer, or investor. The porous pattern decides which one they become. We say the whole world is reflected in you. But what you can sense, relate to, feel comfortable with, feel drawn to, or have an affinity for depends on this porous material. The holes mark what you cannot “see.”

Some people cannot relate to money. That means there are big gaps in their yellow layer. You sense the holes not by their presence alone, but by their absence. But we shall not treat these holes as flaws. As they say, a statue is made by removing what is not part of the statue from the rock. We become unique by removing what we are not. Biology shows the same pattern. Stem cells become brain cells, blood cells, and so on by turning off some functions.

It is useful to think that nature “sculpted” each of us independently by cutting away parts of a rock, rather than making us out of clay. But the good thing is that we are inherently made to love who we are. We defend and protect ourselves as we are. If we do not like money, we may deride people who do. If we like money, we may deride people who do not. We can explain many more such attitudes using Colors of Humanity.

Applications

Colors of Humanity is not just a theoretical framework of interest to psychologists. It is useful to everyone because everyone has to deal with complexity inside themselves and in the world outside. Even learning a third or fourth of Colors of Humanity can help you greatly in understanding life, yourself, and others.

For example, you can understand your date in two weeks instead of two years using insights from Colors of Humanity. You can spot your child’s unique personality so that you can provide the right support. You can build high-performing teams by creating the psychological composition needed to accomplish a mission or deliver a service. Highly successful organizations do this balancing even without knowing the theory. Knowing the theory helps more organizations achieve the same level of success. You can use colors to help students understand their own learning styles. You can even explain people’s tendencies in approaching the mystery of the universe: why some people are more spiritual than ritualistic, why some are atheist or agnostic, why some love meditation, and why others are drawn to personalities that project or claim a divine connection.

Beyond Humans

Also, as noted, the colors are generic. They apply to all species, not just humans. As we go deeper, we will see the same layers even in corporations—socioeconomic entities rather than psychological ones. In a sense, even they are “psychological beings.” Each company has a culture of its own, which makes up its psychology. Colors of Humanity is useful even in exploring corporate cultures.

The good part about organizations, non-biological entities, is that we can change their makeup by filling holes where needed and removing rock where needed. Good CEOs do this by instinct. Building organizations is an art. Colors of Humanity gives it a scientific base. So, with very little effort, organizations can learn Colors of Humanity and use it. It would transform the way organizations work, much like Six Sigma does.

That is why we call it Colors of Humanity, not Colors of Humans. It applies not only to individuals but also to the organizations we build, which make us collectively more than what we are individually. We go further and say that Colors of Humanity applies to all four-dimensional entities that emerge, evolve, contract, and quiet down over time. We call these entities “Organisms.” That is what you learn as we go deeper into Colors of Humanity.

Learning Colors of Humanity

A Socratic or Upanishadic style dialogue is the best way to learn Colors of Humanity. That is the purpose of our interactive workshops. We have two levels of workshops. In the Level 1 workshop, you will learn the framework. In the Level 2 workshops, of which there are many, you will learn how to see and use the framework in contexts such as dating, parenting, building an organization, and so on.

Level 2 workshops can also be created for specific contexts. For example, we created, on demand, one for children’s homes, where we reduced the stress of staff in dealing with children who are destitute and may have no sense of self, relationships, or even hygiene. No matter what your context is, we either already have a Level 2 workshop that meets your needs or can design one.

Hope we will have a Socratic or Upanishadic dialogue sooner than later.