About Metters Musings:
Shades of Gray
May 27, 2002
A wise
man hears one word and understands two.
There are two sides to every story.
~Author Unknown~
The
older I get the more I realize that life is not black and white. Aside from
things like gravity and death there are very few absolutes in this world –
most things are a matter of perspective. For instance, I think it’s
relatively safe to say we all agree that murder is a bad thing. But then
why do we have the death penalty? Or war? Or euthanasia for our pets?
Because in certain situations, even killing is acceptable. It just depends
on your perspective and from what angle you view the issue.
This
shades of gray philosophy is the premise behind this site. As you read
my musings, however, you may find yourself saying, “For someone who says the
world is gray she sure does have a lot of opinions!” Make no mistake;
just because I think the world is gray doesn’t mean that I don’t have
opinions. We all need to form beliefs based on what we value and what
we feel is the right way to live. My musings are not about “right” or
“wrong” or “telling it like it is”, however; they are simply about exploring
issues and sharing my perspective. Which is why on most issues my
perspective is rarely set in stone. This is not because I lack
conviction, but because I know there are many sides to any issue. I
always want to leave myself open to alternative points of view because I'm
likely to learn something. And who knows, I just might find there is a
perspective that I hadn't considered that makes more sense to me than the
one I had.
Having an open mind like this is a scary
thought for some people, though. They have been convinced
–
either by others or by their own
selves –
that their opinion is
“right”
and that all other points of view are “wrong”. They fear
opening themselves up to other perspectives just puts them in danger of
having their opinion swayed. God forbid they should be lured to the
dark side! There is nothing wrong with conviction, but
narrow-mindedness helps no one. Not only can it lead to intolerance of
others (racism is a prime example), but it is also limiting to the
individual who chooses to think that way. After all, the greatest
figures in history were people who challenged accepted ways of thinking.
Which is why I think it's important that I periodically question what I
believe. What if my point of view is idiotic or foolish? I will
never know that if I'm not willing to investigate other ways of thinking.
I never want to form opinions blindly; it is only by allowing myself to view
things from many angles that I can be sure about what I really believe.
Just as
I strive to learn from others, it is my hope that as you take a look at my
view of things that you might learn something too. If you are a black
and white thinker perhaps I can offer other perspectives for you to
consider. It just might do you some good.
At
least, that’s my
perspective.
In
addition to being a writer, Susan Metters holds the distinguished titles of
Cancer Survivor Extraordinaire and Adventurous Aspiring Mom.
In past lives she was a ski instructor, a middle-school teacher, an
administrative assistant for the games group at
Microsoft, and an adoption advisor
at The Humane Society for
Seattle/King County.
Susan is highly skilled at napping, running late, and making margaritas out
of life’s lemons. She is working on her first book which recounts the tale
of her cancer adventure. You can read about Susan’s life adventures by
visiting her two Seattle PI blogs:
Lemon
Margaritas and
Adoption
Adventures. Her adoption blog can also be found at
SeattleMomBlogs.com.
Susan shares a home on wooded acreage in Redmond with her husband Bill and
their two old, beloved, shelter dogs. Some of her secret ambitions include
meeting Dr. Phil, hosting
Saturday Night Live,
and rising to the top as a rock star. Oh yeah, and she also thinks it would
be pretty cool to someday get paid for her writing.