Why Grey Is Good
by David Miller, Staff Writer

Notice the difference in the two pictures: A looks good, B looks bad. When placed close together, A looks comparatively better because it is near a comparatively worse picture. The same principle applies to gray days versus clear days.
Photo by attackofthecute.com

When the subject of how ‘dreary’ or overcast the day is comes up in a conversation, most people I have had the pleasure of talking to claim that they just do not like it. It makes them tired or depresses the mood, and, to give the atmosphere a higher purpose, it generally goes around messing up the day and sabotaging happiness. Having a day filled with gray is not so bad. In fact, I enjoy them when they happen to grace us with their presence.

A world filled with nothing but sunshine and beautiful vistas would soon become just plain-old-every-day-whatever material. I will not rule out the possibility that some things never get old, but anything I can think of loses value when it is repeated frequently. People just do not stay in an elevated state for long periods of time; whether in good or bad situations, people acclimate and that formerly new situation becomes the norm. ‘Good’ weather and beautiful scenery are no exception, and I, for one, want to be able to really enjoy that great view or cloudless day.

If gray, the whole gambit of meaning not just the color, were a person, it would be like Batman (don’t take all of this too seriously): a sort of unsung hero who improves the quality of our lives through contrast, not so much through beating up bad guys, and still ends up being generally disliked.

Another element that makes a gray day good is that it is calming. It’s easier to picture life just slowing down when the world looks like its asleep. Then the world wakes up, the rain stops and the sun comes out. The colors are more rich and vibrant and there is a new energy in the air. Try looking at the trees after it rains.

Of course, just gray would get boring pretty fast too. Without the sunny day in contrast, gray gets dull. Even more than that, it can depress people if they get too much of it. Winter is a good example of a common time to get too much. If the gray gets to you, a good first line of defense is to simply get away from it. Being in a brightly lit environment for an hour or two (maybe when doing reading for class) helps negate it. So while you bear with the gray, remember that it helps make the world a more beautiful place.