In Response To "Extroverts Will Inherit the Earth"

This week, my dear friend Finley posted on his blog a post titled Extroverts Will Inherit the Earth. Intrigued, and told that my name was spelled out in the first letters of the sentences of the third paragraph, I decided to read it. And boy was I in for a treat. 

It opens with Finley's observation that he had been hanging out with introverts as of late. He then expresses in his confusion of why one would choose to be an introvert because "don't think that it's not a matter of choice, because it totally is." 

So lets begin there. As one of the people Finley was referring to as in introvert, I feel I can give some insight. First, do you know the definition of "introvert?" Webster helpfully defines and introvert as "one whose personality is characterized by introversion." Introversion is then defined as "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life." This is when I got confused. Because the people our friend Finley usually interacts with are not introverts by that definition. They could more easily be identified as shy (Merriam-Webster definition) or as asocial individuals (rejecting or lacking the capacity for social interaction). It's not that the reason they don't talk to others is that they are focused on themselves. They more just don't like people or have trouble talking to people.

I'll describe myself as an example. When in a group setting, no matter how long or short a time that I've known the people for, I'll always worry about their judgement of me. I'll ask myself if they think I'm annoying or if they're actually interested in what I have to say or if they even like me. Then I'll have this inner mini-panic/anxiety attack where I feel as though I want to run away and just hibernate or something. It very much might be a mental state of mind. But if I could change, I would at the drop of a hat. I hate feeling that way and very much wish that I could be one of the outgoing people who didn't care what anyone thought of them (or appear that way.)

Finley then goes on to say that he thinks that introverts miss out on a lot. I don't feel that's the case. His reasoning is that his high school experience wouldn't be the same without the group of friends he has. And that's true. But all of these so called introverts he knows has friends because we do somewhat talk to people and there are obnoxiously outgoing people like him who look for quieter people to befriend/annoy. 

We can all just ignore the third paragraph though, as it is just a sad attempt to write my name with the first letter of each sentence. 

His last point is that it's good to be loud and outgoing. That may be. But that doesn't mean it's bad to be quieter. By not talking, by not being the center of attention, you can catch a lot. And what would the world be like with out all the listeners to listen to all the talkers? A horrible, horrible place. 

So the next time you see someone quiet, not really talking to anyone, don't be so quick to judge. Those people just might not be as good at starting conversations, or they might enjoy sitting and watching the world go by. Don't be so inclined to call them introverts, just because they aren't "[going] through the halls screaming about [their] love for turtles with a pink sequined cowboy hat on and the breeze blowing through [their] knees in [their] nice new kilt."