The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking
A recent trip to Sydney made me think about a lot of things to do with self. Not in a selfish manner, but more so - what are we doing that is making us unlike what or who we are ? A 2 hour car ride with a friend who suffers like me from an inclination to get too caught up in one's head, and I was already overwhelmed when I finally made it to the city.
You know when you go to the city, if even for a day, and the pressure to buy something mounds up so high that you feel slightly confused if you were to leave without lighter pockets? For me, books are always the
Practically every city I went to in Europe last year, I found myself having to leave behind clothes in favour for literature. Most of the time, it wasn't even in English, but that didn't stop me. I picked up English novels in other languages, and French novels in French... it was comforting to have something that would provoke thought and not selfish wonderment. Though I went this past weekend to Sydney with the idea of seeing friends from Paris and catching up with people who had moved away from Newcastle at a Bastille Weekend French Festival, I came home with Paris Letters by Janice McLeod, My Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo and, unexpectedly, but fortunately, Quiet by Susan Cain.
I have wanted a good read for a while now. The other two (the 'Paris' books) were a long time coming - I knew I would buy them eventually. But Quiet stood out to me. The cover art really matched the whole idea. It was bold in difference: Solid white, with the title of the book embossed in the same white colour. It caught my eye instantly. And I'm so glad I bought it.
"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking". Susan Cain talks maturely and passionately about the idea that we now live in a world where only Extroverts seem to be valuable - or at least, the characteristics of an extrovert. She talks about how introverts, in order to succeed, are required to develop skills in unwillingly but proactively selling themselves.
Damn that hit me hard. With the acceptance that there is not just Introvert:Extrovert, but a whole spectrum, I could relate so easily to this. I questioned how I manage, each and every day, to force myself into a situation where I am selling this image of myself to go on to sell ideas and other things, whether during work or with people. Social media and business force us to second guess and reconstruct time and time again the way we present ourselves in every situation. Even as I am writing this, I am thinking "Ruth, you're being a bit of a contradiction, here." That said, I am not even 100 pages in and already things are starting to click into place in my head. I began to suddenly think differently. Not with fear towards these situations, but with an attitude to completely change my situation all together. What I am getting from this book is that us introverts are, too, equally important in this world. Rosa Parks quietly refused to get off of a bus seat for a white person, but she was not widely appreciated without Martin Luther King Jr standing by her side and preaching the message that her silence painted. Without her example, or the example of countless other introverts, those with a flair for words would not have the words to speak or the examples to share.
I implore you to read this book, or at least watch her TED Talk below, and get a sense of understanding behind the fears or conflict you yourself may feel, and don't just settle for what the loud man bellows heartily and ferociously. Think and act for yourself - for your little person.
