The Thing About Being Blunt...

We went to a live rugby match while in Dublin...Leinster vs. Glasgow. The crowd beforehand was so much fun and at one point while waiting on some food there was a group of men, arms slung over each others' shoulders singing.

I couldn't get a direct view (I'm not terribly tall) so I held my phone up high and hoped to capture what was happening.
Next to me was an older Irish man and when I brought my phone back down to see what I'd recorded he looked at me and said... "A bit vain are ye?"
Hoping I just didn't understand him and confused because I was filming a bunch of drunk men sing, I said, super intelligently, 'what?'

He said "Well it's a bit vain that, taking photos of yerself all the time."

And I realized that he thought I was taking a selfie, which to him was a terribly vain thing to do...I mean why would I want a photo of myself?

I laughed and showed him what I was actually taking a photo of, and he shrugged his shoulders and unapologetically turned back to his beer.

His bluntness did make me pause however, because in that moment, I felt embarrassed for every selfie I'd ever taken.

Until I realized - that his opinion, so bluntly spoken - was wrong.
For me.
We took selfies all trip long because sometimes we were up on the top of a castle wall and wanted a photo. Sometimes because we didn't want to hand my phone over to a stranger and ask them to take a picture of us. Plain and simple. We took them to chronicle our journeys.
That's not vain.
I realized however that I don't take many selfies not because I'm modest but BECAUSE I'm vain, because I never quite get my chin or lighting quite right or my hair or smile is off.

That's not to say that's the truth for everyone who takes or doesn't take selfies.
This isn't really about selfies.

IT'S ABOUT THE BLUNT BLACK AND WHITENESS OF OUR OPINIONS AND WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE TRUE.
I have my own blunt moments where I clearly see the straight honest truth. But those are all MY black and whites. That blunt voice is judgement in it's purest form. Sometimes I disguise it as being "helpful", but really it's nothing more than my voice expressing my right and wrong of the world.

And yeah, it's simply my opinion or the opinion of some random man at a rugby match...and I don't mean to say 'stop being blunt' but it is a curious reaction right? The strait honest truth isn't always so truthful.
Can we be curious about that blunt voice inside of us, watching as it so clearly defines our day.