Friday, September 12, 2014

Scoffing at a Recluse, I realized I was Pointing at Myself

By far, the most intriguing theme I have encountered thus far has been the debate over introverts and extroverts, via the text, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. I have found this book so compelling that I had to reread the first 100 pages to get the every little tidbit I could, to memory, for contemplation. 

Personally, I’ve never really cared about whether I could be labeled and introvert or extrovert, because as far as I knew, I was without a doubt an extrovert. But in the back of my mind there has always been a hint of something else, a closer connection to a part of me that I like to keep private. Shortening my own story, I found that I am clearly an introvert. But I have bought into the negativity, described in the text, that surrounds such a title. I guess a little like the movie the Matrix, we tend to grow cognitive vines around what we think we believe we know, when that reality in truth may be just a complete lie. There were so many notions which were pointed out in the text, that I have been negatively a part of most throughout my life. I’m not a cruel person at heart but indeed I have been blatantly part of the problem and reason most introverts tend to pretend they are extroverts, since such a negative spin has been placed on their status. 


This book has brought me closer to the true me, which I already thought I knew so well, and has allowed me to embrace a kinder mind towards those who appreciate recluse. If anything, I have been able to collectively, day by day, retrace areas in my life that I jumped tracks and walked away from the real me. It has been a pleasure to “re-meet” myself for the first time. That is, quite the book. 

2 comments:

  1. Wow all the power to you in re-discovering who you are. When I analyzed this book I only thought on the matter that and introvert would try to become an extrovert even if they didn't like it, but to have the extrovert mindset take over and change who you really are is very brilliant. It’s like the mask jumping on to your face and keeping you in check so that it is in control. I can that you are fighting for your freedom and all I can say is to keep at it and eventually you will pull off that mask and be the person you know you wish to be. Cheers

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  2. I love what you wrote about how Quiet made you rethink your life. I agree that it made me reconsider myself. I've always known I've had something else, a part of me that couldn't be labeled as an extrovert, a part that should be privatized from everything else. I think it's really great that you stepped back and looked at your life with a new perspective. That's the value of good reading, after all. If a book can make you rethink everything you believe you already know, I think that makes a good book. Here's to you for taking back your life.

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