I saw this a couple of weeks ago from a twittie bird on Twitter… I clicked on the link, expecting it to be a funny, ha ha moment, “tongue in cheek”. I grew silent as I read the list. It describes my youngest almost to a T, and for the first time, I was getting an idea of “Where he’s coming from”.
It does not say much about my being an observant mother, does it? How could I have not seen? It is so obvious: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment has so conveniently divided people along this line: on one side you have your extroverts, on the other, introverts. It’s just that it has never occurred to me that we are living essentially in an “extrovert” world now.
There is an implicit, prevalent belief that in order to be somebody, you need to be an extrovert, or act like one, for most professions residing in a corporate structure. Of course, if you are a writer, an artist, or a musician, you are welcome to be as introvert as you need to. Hack, you can be crazy if that’s what floats your boat. I am sure the way human interactions have been moving onto the Interweb, into the virtual world, has allowed a lot of introverts to thrive. How many amongst us are “closeted introverts” that are gregarious and energetic online yet reserved and apprehensive in real life.
A lot. Judging by the sheer amount of comments on Reddit, almost 700 of them. This list received almost 2,400 “Up” votes, and 3,400 “Diggs“. A pent-up realization that it is O.K. to not to want to be around other people 24/7, to not be adaptive, to not enjoy change, to take a long time before making a decision. To be quiet. To be observant. To need to feel drained by other people. To want to be by yourself.
I like to joke that there is no manual for parenting. Well, this list sort of helps.