The other night, I was leaving a building on campus when a sweet boy held the door open for me. This is not uncommon in Auburn; for every drunk frat star, there's probably at least three or four incredible guys here. It got me thinking about how we (girls, collectively) love when this happens. But then in the same instant, another strange thought struck me. How do we reconcile the idea of strong, independent women (something we strive for) with our love for chivalry?
I am a fiercely independent person. I don't really like to depend on anyone for anything. That's not something I'm proud of, but I'm not necessarily ashamed of it, either. It's just how I've always been. So then why do I love it when a guy opens a door? I certainly can open it myself.
The answer to this question isn't the point of this post. The point is that I didn't know the answer right away. It falls in a grey area. We love independence, but we also love chivalry. All this got me thinking: shades of grey are what color our world.
(please refrain from making a joke about that terrible porn book here. I know you're thinking it.)
Things are rarely black and white. Apart from God's Word and the laws He says in the Bible, things in this life are hardly ever definite and clear. And sometimes (a lot of times) that makes things difficult, but it also makes things beautiful. Because shades of grey means there's room for interpretation. Room for opinion, expression, discussion. There are infinite shades of grey, which is so beautifully representative of the diversity of life. If everything was black and white– I mean this both literally and in terms of right/wrong– our lives would be SO boring.
I am a fiercely independent person. I don't really like to depend on anyone for anything. That's not something I'm proud of, but I'm not necessarily ashamed of it, either. It's just how I've always been. So then why do I love it when a guy opens a door? I certainly can open it myself.
The answer to this question isn't the point of this post. The point is that I didn't know the answer right away. It falls in a grey area. We love independence, but we also love chivalry. All this got me thinking: shades of grey are what color our world.
(please refrain from making a joke about that terrible porn book here. I know you're thinking it.)
Things are rarely black and white. Apart from God's Word and the laws He says in the Bible, things in this life are hardly ever definite and clear. And sometimes (a lot of times) that makes things difficult, but it also makes things beautiful. Because shades of grey means there's room for interpretation. Room for opinion, expression, discussion. There are infinite shades of grey, which is so beautifully representative of the diversity of life. If everything was black and white– I mean this both literally and in terms of right/wrong– our lives would be SO boring.
Check out the difference in these two pictures. One is strictly black and white, while one is grayscale. In the black and white image, we can hardly tell what's going on. The shades of grey reveal not only the full story, but they also reveal so many beautiful details that we miss when we see it in only black and white. When the greys are thrown in, we can better understand the emotions, the actions, and the story.
I'll admit that it's quite a stretch to connect all this to just having a door held open for me. But I rarely get deep, coherent, complete thoughts like this, so when I do, you better believe I'm going to document it.