Can you keep a secret?

Image via Wikipedia

A lot of us are shocked at the sudden spate of suicides by housewives. We wonder why they didn’t share their sorrows with their friends. Why did they bottle up all that anger & grief, till it became too much for them to handle?

But is it really that easy to share secrets with people these days?

People share secrets to others to as a declaration of their trust, importance and that they recognize them as their close friends. Additionally, people share secrets to strengthen the bond, to make the relationship tighter and closer. Give & Take, I’ll tell you my secret, if you tell me yours.

Sometimes we just share secrets to unload the burden, to have someone to talk to.

Introversion: A non-viable genetic trait today?

Darwin’s theory: Survival of the fittest. It dealt only with physical traits, like moth color. But I get a sense that it can maybe also be applied to behavioural traits. And the more I look around my office, the more I sense that Extroversion is the name of the newest set of scales that will help you outrun your competitors.

The world today is for the person who will as the Survivor motto goes: “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”. I add my bit to it: “Over-Communicate”.

The rules for the communication seem to be

1. You shall communicate only with people of importance so that you can reflect in their glory.

2. Information is power, so don’t give out your information to anyone other than people of rule 1.

So where does that leave people who are introverts?

"Introversion is the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life".

Introverts tend to be more reserved and less assertive in social situations. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, drawing, and using computers.

The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, composer, and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people, though they tend to enjoy interactions with close friends. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate.

Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement. They are more analytical before speaking.[from Wikipedia]

Frankly, i am an introvert myself, and way I see the world around me, I am beginning to wonder if I should crumble at the pressure laid at my doorstep everyday to conform to extrovertism.

Another road-block in the way of introverts is that they don’t tend to tom-tom their achievements and their connections in the faces of others. Which makes them seem less important, less significant, less hard-working and simply less worthy than others in this world of “I-want-my-five-seconds-of-fame-and-will-do-anything-for-it.”

Maybe we introverts ought to gang up together against these extroverts who are pushing us beyond the point of endurance. But then how do you get together a group of people who would rather be left alone?

©Tanveer Parmar