Current mood:

rejuvenated

Solitude (7/11/98)
I can't let myself forget the limitations of my personality -- I am an introvert -- and every day I need some time to myself for meditation and reflection.

Introverts like me are a minority. Psychologists say we make up only 25% of the population. Extraverts often don't understand introverts. They may think we are cold, shy, or withdrawn. They don't understand why we would ever go to a movie by ourselves, or head out to the clubs without gathering a group together first.

Introverts are territorial. We desire private places. We recharge our batteries by working alone, reading, or meditating. This doesn't mean we can't stand crowds, but it does mean we need to take breaks from the crowds in order to maintain our energy.

Many introverts feel pressure from society, family, and friends to be more outgoing. They often spend their lives wishing they could be more like others. Don't we all want to be more "normal"? And we can learn to be more sociable. There is a recognizable rhythm to small talk no matter where you go.

Even so, finding a mature satisfaction with life requires that we make peace with our personalities. Perhaps our sexual preferences do not please the majority. Maybe we prefer to live in a world of ideals and dreams. Some of us prefer flexibility to closure; others of us prefer strong principles to subjective values. If you continue to fight your nature because "society" wants you to be somebody else, then you won't find the true happiness of living in the world as you were created.

You are unique, indivisible, uncontrollable, and responsible for your own life. Don't delegate that responsibility to anybody else. You need to listen carefully to the waters running inside -- stop swimming against your own tide!