Quiet

Can you operate successfully in the noisy, busy world of modern civilization, yet, when the opportunity presents itself, happily do your own thing in solitude?  When the music has been cranked up, and the party is raging, are you one of those people who is happier outside at the edge of the venue, talking to one or two other like-minded people?  Or perhaps you aren't talking at all, but observing the behaviour of the other party goers - maybe taking notes (mental or on paper) for your next short story or novel.

We occupy a world that has seen a century in which Salesmanship and Showmanship have come to be far more valued than ethics and honesty - appearance valued more than integrity and substance - and success at any cost has become the guiding principle for a large percentage of the business and political  operators of today. 

Loud, bright, shiny, and colourful are the qualities looked for by too many recruiters and promoters, and, sadly, voters - and those of us who appreciate the gentle noise of a breeze in a forest, the calm crackle of a small campfire, the song of water searching for a way to the ocean, and the calm conversation of thoughtful friends, are often left wondering if there is something deficient in our psychological make up.

Because we prefer to work on our own, or with one or two trusted, like-minded collaborators, we begin to think that we are a rarity, an oddity - that humans are meant to have loud, aggressive, abrasive, in-your-face, look-at-me, aren't-I-wonderful, personalities. A significant part of the human race is like that, but far from all of it. Introverts are everywhere, and though they are frequently drowned out by the bustle and noise of the extroverts, and even looked down on by the extrovers as less capable, they are often the ones who are achieving more, while making far less fuss. 

Susan Cain has written an interesting book called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - and she makes a convincing case in this TED talk for the worth of the quiet people of this world.

She charts the rise of the "extrovert" and personality obsessed culture of the United States that began in the 19th century and ramped up in the early 20th with the rise of people like Dale Carnegie (How to win friends and influence people) as well as other drivers in the psychological fields - much of it less science than opinion.  The many and varied "Self Help and Actualisation Movements" that have flourished and spread around the world have focused on instilling into their followers the personality traits and characteristics of extroverts - and those traits do not sit well with introverts.

Cain points to the research that shows that even we introverts can make the mistake of thinking that the extrovert is somehow more capable or competent in positions of power or command, when, in fact, such personalities can too easily push on, compounding their initial mistakes with further errors, and leading their followers or organisation to disaster.

I can recommend Quiet as an antidote to the constant pressure from the modern media - social and commercial - that says we should follow the extrovert road instead of that lovely, quiet, interesting, introvert path that might take us to far more interesting places.  It contains chapters that look at a wide range of research into the psychology, neurology, and brain chemistry of  human beings, and will help its readers take a few more steps along the road to understanding ourselves and those around us.