Looking at the above picture, you might not know whether someone had spilled a bunch of paint on a piece of paper, whether a kid was playing around with a bunch of colors, or whether a professional artist dug deep into an artistic soul and created a masterpiece. The latter is actually the truth - this is a painting by the famous artist, Jackson Pollock. Now, for the life of me, I don't get it. I mean, I love pretty colors as much as the next person, but there aren't enough mind-altering substances in the world to get me to pay millions of dollars for this. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it. Frankly, it doesn't really look like much (in my non-artistically trained mind).... I mean, how decided that this was great art while other pieces that make much more sense (in some way) aren't prized and valued? [Don't be afraid to have your own opinion and know that you don't have to like something just because other people call it "great" or "a classic."]
On the other hand, teachers and parents teach their children to color inside the lines. Honestly, I've seen a lot of children's drawings that make more sense than the above painting. Now, the argument is that coloring inside the lines teaches hand-eye coordination, and I'm not opposed to learning that. My thought is the larger emphasis, and the fact that restrictive thinking doesn't stop with coloring inside the lines on our paper. Having recently read books like "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," I have been thinking about the way we teach young people (who ultimately become adults) that the best way to live is to conform to what is already established.
I had a conversation with a friend the other day about a conversation she'd had with her "friend." Her friend said, "I just want to walk around campus holding your hand. I want everybody to see who my baby is." This was quite a touching sentiment, and it nearly brought tears to my sensitive friend's eyes. Yet, as I thought about this simple gesture of care and affection, I thought about that this would be coloring outside the lines of much of "normal" society, because both of these individuals are females. And while that topic is particularly close to me since some of my friends deal with that, there are many things that put us outside the lines, especially depending on our given context.
Whether it's race, gender, ethnicity, size, physical ability, sexual orientation, religious affiliation (or even particular theological leaning within a given religion), there are always ways that we can be seen as coloring outside the lines. And while I'm always one to encourage you to do and be you, the reality is that this is not always easy. It's been said, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Parents, employers, spouses, friends, communities matter, and sadly they don't always agree with us being who we feel that we truly are.
So what do we do? Continue to love you and color outside the lines... Even if it can only be in small, private way, be yourself in every way possible. And look for ways to create dialogue and understanding. Even if things don't change in enough time for you to see the change, be like Dr Martin Luther King who knew he wouldn't get to the promised land but still continued to fight so that others could.
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