"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Any person who has ever even heard of Pride and Prejudice knows that there are only five types of girls in this world: the Jane, the Elizabeth, the Lydia, and the Kitty. Oh, and the Mary...

For the less obsessed people out there, I'll expand.

[*Warning: everything stated below is entirely (and unjustly) overgeneralized...]

Jane: over-generous, trusting, thoughtful, smart, quiet, sees the good in people.

Elizabeth: critical, witty, outspoken, smart, opinionated, thoughtful, honest.

Lydia: constant flirt, cares about her looks, less-brain-than-beauty, gets all the guys.

Kitty: spends her whole life trying to be Lydia and fails.

Mary: smart but ignored, awkward, quiet, untalented, antisocial.

For now, let's just stick with Jane and Elizabeth.

Here's the first thing you should know about me: I am not Elizabeth.

I am not witty or outspoken. I don't state my opinions quickly. Like Jane, I'm quiet. I care too much about people's emotions and trust people too easily.

This year, it seems people want Elizabeths. Everywhere I hear the call for more opinions, more wit, more criticism, more outspoken comments. And, in many ways, the world does need these things. The world needs smart people who will say what they believe, people who will speak out and criticize the things that are wrong in this world and change it for the better. For every Darcy and Mr. Collins, there must be an Elizabeth.

But a world filled with Elizabeths would be a sorry world indeed.

Because the world also needs Jane. The world needs the people who can be quiet and listen, the people who are kind when others are angry, people who trust easily and are slow to speak.

Elizabeth and Jane are both thoughtful, both smart, both passionate. They both have opinions and they both love people deeply. Without Jane, Elizabeth would never learn to be kind or trust. Without Elizabeth, Jane would never say a word against anything. They need one another.

But sometimes it is forgotten that Jane's quietness is not her indifference. Jane's hesitation is not her affirmation. There are times for her to speak, but there are also a great many times when her listening spirit is needed.

There is "a time to be silent and a time to speak" (Eccl. 3:7-8). This has never been so important to remember as it is now. Let the Janes and the Elizabeths of the world learn from one another, learn when to speak and learn when to be silent. The world would be a sorry place with only one of them.