INTROVERTS IN AN EXTROVERT WORLD

The teacher says “your child is quiet and soft-spoken, is there a problem?

“The mother asks “is there a problem? In being a well-behaved and soft-spoken person?”

This is a conversation at a PTM , where a primary school teacher is giving feedback about a student in second grade to his parents! A classic example of how majority of the extrovert environment views the other side.

Picture the same conversation when a supervisor is addressing his introverted junior. In a world where restlessness is often considered being pro-active, where results are always here and now, and the start was always yesterday and therefore today is always late, what chance to do quiet introverts have in the age of instant gratification and low negative attention spans?

Take a look at the advertisements around us and you will notice words like “Mean-Machine”, “Killer-shot” , or in sports “that went like a tracer bullet”, or in food “that’s like gunpowder hot” or even birthdays “Have-a-blast” , defining excellence in ability,taste or even celebration.

So why do we see introverts differently ? Is it because the world around us has more extroverts than introverts? Or is it because it seems that way, because the extroverts make way more noise than the introverts and therefore are more visible at all times. Fact of the matter is almost half of the world’s top leaders are introverts and the world is just spinning fine.

Gandhi to Gates,Einstein to Musk,Warren Buffett to Michael Jordan proved they can be different and yet be relevant, history is replete with instances on how these introverts went on to become successful in their endeavors,they showed that they can be equally competitive ,smart and agile without screaming about it to the whole wide world.

The true caliber , is unstoppable in some sense. World needs extroverts as much as the introverts – it comes as a great balance. So the next time a teacher gives similar feedback about your child, go and tell them, " I think they are going to be just fine!"

So dear introverts,there will always be pressure to be them,but the brilliance lies in being you.

PS : Views strictly personal.