5.01.2012

Rose-colored glasses?

You know how certain things just stick in your mind? Well, one of those things is something that has been said about the INFP - my personality. It is that we see the world through rose-colored glasses.

Now my first reaction is to chafe at this. To see things as not the way they are means I'm blind! And after all, I'm a realist - just ask my sister. For instance, I view romance in a very logical (if not cynical) way, which irks her. (But maybe that's just because she's in love...)

But after that initial reaction, I begin to wonder if it isn't true after all... Consider this quote from yesterday's journal entry.

"On the way to band, I stared at the sky while driving, it was blue with puffy clouds - SO beautiful - and wondered if I really did see the world through rose-colored glasses. Why is everything so beautiful to me and not to many other people? Yeah, maybe other NFs, but that's about it. Like... are my eyes closed, or opened? Why is my backyard so wonderful over and over again? The sky has been blue with clouds many times, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful."

I tend to think that my eyes are opened to see beauty that others do not see. But maybe they're the ones who's eyes are opened. It is true that I forget about the world's suffering so often. I live in this column of Grace and blessing, and am repeatedly shocked by cruelty. Perhaps because I subconsciously thought the world was beautiful, and everyone as happy as I?

This thought sobers me and takes away whatever pride I might have had in my "open-eyed-ness." I never should forget the suffering that is all around, the evil that poisons the earth. Yes, the world is beautiful, but it is also terrible. Hmm.

So perhaps I do have those rosy glasses on after all. Perhaps it's because others see so clearly the sadness and tragedy of the world that they cannot see the beauty. Perhaps their eyes are the open ones.

Hmm.

Well, on a completely unrelated note, I thought I'd let you all know some random information.

I have Precordial Catch Syndrome and Temporomandibular Joint Disorder.

PCS means I have occasional chest pains and can't take deep breaths. TMJD means my jaw pops when I open it and occasionally dislocates. Fun stuff, eh? The best part is, in both of these doctors aren't really sure what causes it.
But hey! I'm not complaining. My knee is fixed and these little problems are microscopic. Although I can't deny that sometimes I get rather frustrated with my weird body...

That's all, folks. Hej då!
Out of the head of at 10:26 AM
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10 comments:

  1. The Minstrel Boy5/1/12, 8:24 PM

    That's weird. I'm an ENTP and *I* wonder why people don't find clouds and eyes and rain and laughter and wind and chocolate and old book smell and stories and city lights and galaxies and pine needles and water and people and silence and mist and ..and..and...why they don't find as it beautiful as I do. I don't think it has anything to do with wearing rose colored glasses. Maybe you and I just taste reality at a deeper level than others do. The pleasures are just more pleasurable, and the pains more painful.

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    1. Ariel J5/2/12, 10:03 AM

      Hmm... that's an interesting thought about that deeper level. I'm prone to agree with it, but I think the left-brainers wouldn't.

      And I'm also unsure about you're being an ENTP. How'd you determine that?

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    2. The Minstrel Boy5/2/12, 3:13 PM

      Well...I...took a personality test...I'm not sure how else I'd determine. What do you think I am?

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    3. Ariel J5/2/12, 3:33 PM

      HA! That's what I thought. ^.^ I am a firm disbeliever in personality tests. Unless, of course, they're the five-hour ones. My preferred method of determining is to read up on all the types and what the letters mean and from there make an educated guess. But for those who aren't so passionate about it as me, there is one test I kind of trust. HERE http://personalityjunkie.com/freepersonality-test-indicator-myers-briggs-online-mbti/ Because you score it yourself, not some computerized robot who's never talked to you in your life! Yeah, that's the second way to find out, be interviewed by some temperament fanatic like me.

      I'm not sure what you are. I'd have to interview you. I'm just not completely sure ENTP fits...

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  2. joshua. e5/2/12, 2:48 PM

    Hey, love is serious business; why mess around with the silly stuff? No, silly romance it has it’s place, just so long as it doesn’t become the precedent on which commitment is based… anyway, what do I know? :D

    I know that you don’t wear rose-colored glasses: let me tell you how.
    “colored” glasses implies that they manipulate reality to look a certain way (i.e. “rosy”). My red/brown aviators make everything look “warmer” than they really are: greens become brown, whites become orange, blues become… yuck. The point is that what I’m seeing is not real. My glasses are giving me an inaccurate reading of the colors around me.
    The difference with you is that you’re not seeing things inaccurately, but as they are beyond the tainting of sin and death. That’s more of a gift than you know. The reality of evil in the world shouldn’t destroy our enjoyment of creation. In fact, we should enjoy it more knowing that it will someday that much better when it is redeemed and perfect again. You’re not ignoring sin and pretending it doesn’t exist, nor do you look at evil and tell yourself that it’s good. That would be wearing rose colored glasses.

    King David definitely knew of the evil in the world first hand, yet what did he repeatedly say about God’s creation in the Psalms?

    Have you ever looked into someone’s eyes and thought about the soul behind them? Forget the brain, forget the “personality type”, forget what kind of life they’ve lived, and just think about their soul… It’s incredible, beautiful, and totally beyond our understanding; but desperately in need of a Savior. If you can see anyone like that, that’s when you can love like Jesus loved. Do you think it spoiled His dinner when he ate with sinners? I don’t think so. He loved them. He gave everything to save their souls from the very punishment they had brought on themselves.

    “Perhaps it's because others see so clearly the sadness and tragedy of the world that they cannot see the beauty. Perhaps their eyes are the open ones.”
    If God wanted us to focus on despair, He would have sent us His Son to give us hope.

    Anyway, never lose your awe for God’s wonder and beauty: never.

    I’m sorry to hear about your Precordial Catch Syndrome and Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. However, it gives you something more to praise God for. Having PCS should give you a greater appreciation for the ability to breathe. I’d said that we all take that for granted. God gives you just as much breath as you need for each moment. Don’t forget that. If the only thing you ever get out of TMJD is that you thank God for being in control every time your jaw pops, then I’d still say it’s worth it.

    Is it against the rules to have your reply to a post longer than the post itself? wow, that’s embarrassing. >.<

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  3. Paul5/2/12, 7:48 PM

    I'm INFP too, and I agree about seeing random beauty in everything. I mind myself marveling at countless things around me. I've literally spend five minutes staring at a blade of grass. Or at Starbucks yesterday, I found myself randomly struck with total awe at God's creativity displayed in just how different and unique every person in the coffee shop looked. So in that regard I'm arguably inclined toward 'rose-colored glasses' too.

    However, I personally find it accompanied by an inverse correlation. Evil, suffering, and pain always horrify and wound me whenever I encounter them. One of my weird quirks is that I have to avoid violent or dark movies and books, simply because it horrifies me so much. Dark, cynical, hopeless stories mess with me and negatively affect my mood for days after I've read it. Thus, that quirk of my personality slightly *forces* me to focus on the beauty, rather than the darkness; otherwise I just end up miserable. In that regard, I must simply become so used to beauty and goodness that evil and darkness shock me every time. And I don't think it's a bad thing; it keeps me from becoming used to the sin and problems in the world, without them becoming my focus and dragging me down.

    All that to say, if that's what seeing the world through rose-colored glasses is, then I guess I do.Though I'm inclined to agree with Joshua that the term technically refers to seeing a distorted view of reality, rather than having eyes open to see the beauty that truly is there.

    And hopefully that was even remotely coherent. :p

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  4. Hannah5/3/12, 12:56 PM

    I love all of this! :)

    I don't think being a certain personality type has to do with it...I'm ISFJ (or mostly ISFJ, anyways...I've been known to float around in multiple personality types...) and I'm with all of you - being able to see beauty in everything.

    Paul -- you stare at random bits of nature too??? :)

    The ability to see beauty in the world shows who our Creator is. It's the thing that draws us to something beyond ourselves and shows us what we were made for.

    That's actually my favorite apologetics card: "I commune best with God when I am out in nature, I don't need organized religion to feel close to God." The glory, beauty, and power of our God is revealed through creation (Romans 1:20) and I think being able to see the beauty in it is like getting a glimpse of God.

    Joshua - I love what you said here: "Have you ever looked into someone’s eyes and thought about the soul behind them? Forget the brain, forget the “personality type”, forget what kind of life they’ve lived, and just think about their soul… It’s incredible, beautiful, and totally beyond our understanding; but desperately in need of a Savior. If you can see anyone like that, that’s when you can love like Jesus loved."

    Also - my jaw pops too! I was told that it was supposed to go away when I grew up, but it never did. I can't chew gum or eat really hard-to-chew things because it hurts too much. =[ I didn't know there was a cool name for it though.... ^.^

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  5. Ariel J5/3/12, 4:19 PM

    Firstly I have to say I'm intensely amazed at the popularity of this post... it definitely wasn't one of my favorites. But thank you all for taking your time to comment and bless the rest of us. :)

    Josh - I mostly responded to yours IP, but I just wanted to say: I will never lose that awe, Lord willing, because it is him that gave it to me in the first place. I didn't choose to have it and I can't choose to take it away. :)

    Paul - Hello, nice to meet you, fellow INFP! :D Interesting what you said about darkness horrifying you... Hmm. I agree. But I usually don't get affected by stories - not sure if I'm glad or sad about that.

    Hannah - Ditto! Hmm... Well, I'd like to debate with you about it not having to with personality type. If you want. Because I quite disagree. :) Hehehe! Yes, now you can impress your friends (if you can pronounce Temporomandibular. :P) Oh, and also I'm inclined to challenge your personality type as well. You should take that test I linked up there. ^ I'm pretty positive you're an N, not S.

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    1. Hannah5/3/12, 6:18 PM

      Haha -- I haven't done my research, so I won't debate you. ;) But S is actually the only letter I'm positive of when it comes to the myers-briggs personality type. I am super super visual and remember things by the way look/arrangement/listing/colour/etc.

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    2. Ariel J5/4/12, 11:38 AM

      Hmm, that's very interesting. Having done my research ;) I would say that being a visual learner/rememberer has more to do with right and left brainness rather than the S/N scale. I would explain S/N but I'm terrible at it and this site does a way better job than me. http://russellrowe.com/Myers-Briggs%20Typology%20System.htm#Table 1 - List of Keywords for Each Preference

      Also check out Table 2, the one below it on the page. That's a pretty good definition of S/N.

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