Maybe this is a personal problem, but I've been frustrated with BuzzFeed personality quizzes because I simply can not identify with just one character. I have had trouble quickly classifying my style and personality and wished that I could have that one word that was created entirely for the purpose to describe myself. After enduring ongoing frustration on the topic, I had an epiphany: Why would I want to associate with just one trait? That would be like choosing only one topping at Yogurt Mountain, painfully boring. Too often we try to identify with only one personality rather than accepting that we are created to be a plethora of different characters. Humans are not an object to be labeled by a $20 label maker from Staples and thrown into a box, so we must stop trying to do so (theoretically speaking).
This leads to the metaphor of being the color gray in a society that is black and white.
As members of today's society, we are urged to differentiate ourselves as "one type of person” in order to fit in with the world and become part of a whole. For example, are you an introvert or an extrovert? Organized or dysfunctional? Deliberate or rash? Great at math/science or English/history? If you struggled to choose one description over the other, we can relate. I have always been gray when it comes to two opposing terms since I can identify with both. The beauty of this is that we do not have to choose just one, or any at all. Creating labels for ourselves only constricts us of reaching our full potential or being our true selves. Once a person decides that they are that one term, they begin to adhere to that imaginary code of law set for themselves and suddenly, that single definition unconsciously becomes the foundation of their lifestyle. This is a tragic pattern that many people may not realize they are actually abiding by if they do not take a moment and self-assess.
If we can remember to be gray in a society that is seemingly black and white, we can find freedom.
We must embrace ambiguity with open arms. We are each a vague complexity that can not be defined by one single word. This would be like calling the infinite, perplexing galaxies “pretty.” Labeling ourselves only creates unnecessary boundaries. In a world of endless possibilities, why should we be confined to ideals that are completely self-established? Uniqueness is key, so take notes from Martha and Zeke from High School Musical in “Stick To The Status Quo.”
“The world isn’t black and white. All the magic is in the gray” -Gary Vaynerchuck
