Most people in this world, especially the vocal ones, see the world as black and white and, at times, I can be the same way. There are some topics/subjects, as you may have read, that I can be very opinionated about and can even seem very narrow in my view but every opinion I have offered on this blog has had at least a hint of gray in it. This is why I like putting my thoughts in these posts… it has been a great way not only to open up discussion with others but also think topics, subjects, or viewpoints through. If anything, this blog has added quite a bit of gray into my life.
Don’t
get me wrong, I will still openly debate people and stand firmly behind my
views which many people may not agree with but I have had to put in the time
and the energy to think things through and come to those decisions/conclusions.
Putting that energy into those opinions has also allowed me to enjoy what I
have and stand behind my decisions. It seems all too common these days that
people are willing to be part of a collective that leads them around based on
the beliefs of few. While I may be a part of many groups we are all individual
thinkers and have very divergent opinions on a variety of subjects. We all live
in the independent gray rather than a life dictated by black and white allowing
us to be blindly herded between the extremes.
Embracing
the gray hasn’t always been a part of my everyday life. There have been a
number of times, periods really, in my life when things were all or nothing.
The holidays are a perfect example of this change in my views. A couple of
years ago my wife and I tried to distance ourselves from the Christmas holiday
as much as possible. It really was a season when we did all we could to avoid
the festivities. However, as I have previously written, now I am much more open
to the experience simply as a time to enjoy the spirit of the holiday. I think
of it as going to a foreign country… you can enjoy were you are and the spirit
of the place but it doesn’t make you a citizen. Thanks, just visiting.
This
is just one example. While apt for the time of year the gray is not limited by
the calendar. It is a means to be open to experience and to see the best in
both people and places. I hope you all have a gray holiday.
