Many people are having problems about staying at home during this period of enforced quarantine. They constantly whine and complain about it on social media, to the point of irritation. Feeling restless, they venture out of their homes in spite of the risks. Nowadays, the streets are not as empty as during the first few days of the lockdown.
As far as I am concerned, I am completely “at home.” I relish long moments of isolation. I enjoy being left alone.
You’ve probably guessed by now. I am an introvert.
Psychologists say that introversion is a preference for environments that are not overstimulating.
In 1921, Carl Jung said in his book Psychological Types that introverts are drawn into the inner world of thought and feeling while the extroverts lean to the external life and activities of people. Introverts recharge when alone while extroverts get their energy from socializing.
Introverts may look absent-minded because they are often in deep thought. A lot of them love reading, solitary engagement in a hobby, and daydreaming. Introverts dislike group work, mingling and public speaking.
Introverts are at their best when they work in isolation. Steve Wozniak was mostly alone when he developed the world’s first personal computer. He said, “Most inventors and engineers I’ve met are…almost like artists…and artists work best alone.”
Yes, I know that our business culture is slanted toward the more outgoing personality. Adulation is given to people who are great at presentations. Staff who are vocal in meetings and who like to rub elbows with peers and superiors in cocktail parties get to step up the corporate ladder sooner than the quiet types.
Me? In a room of people I always sit at the back and I am not the type to ask questions during the open forum. Much less start an argument or debate a point with someone.
But more than just being a natural born introvert, I am also introspective. No, I am contemplative. That sounds more like it.
That’s because I try to stick to activities that give me space or room for slow absorption and reflection.
In my choice of conveniences, I much prefer things to be simple as possible. Basic functions are all I want with my mobile phone. I don’t go for upgrades because I hate complicated gizmos.
Why? Simplicity begins with an inward focus, and eliminates external distractions. It fosters an inner attitude.
Sometimes, I have a feeling that I must have been a Buddhist monk or hermit in a past life. That’s why I was always attracted toward monasticism since childhood.
I tried acting, teaching, lecturing, presenting in front of an audience, but it was no dice. Believe it or not, I even tried to be a stand-up comedian and do magic tricks, but I was a dud.
I am predisposed to solitary tasks such as writing and unhurried activities like reading, or simply listening, watching and observing, picking the scraps of daily life. These need a lot of mental processing and require being left alone for lengthy periods of time—undisturbed. Most people can’t get by without saying something to someone.
I can go on without saying anything for days. I let my mind and hand do the talking. Or, fingers, in this digital era. I am more of a note taker not a talker. On the phone, I hate to carry a conversation for more than five minutes. In fact, my wife would often go batty because my mind meanders while she engages me in a conversation. I plead guilty to her accusation that I spend more time with my books than with her.
They say I have a phlegmatic personality. Maybe so. I don’t react immediately to a given stimulus. I would rather let it sink first and then look at the context and from a wider perspective. That’s how I let things happen to me in my life. I call it waiting for the ripe time. Definitely, I don’t subscribe to the acta non verba motto.
With my attitude and the nature of my personality, I find myself going against the flow. People want problems to be fixed right away. They want leaders who act first before thinking. No more dilly-dallying. The mantra is just do it. Their favorite buzzword is “political will.”
I exist as a counterpoint to all that. An odd man out, I seem to be more and more out of place in today’s world where people want action and quick fixes and fast-paced performances. Slow, passive, contemplative people seem to have no place in this world.
But this is me. I can’t help it. But one thing I can tell you: gift me with some moments of isolation, then I would most probably serve you a fresh creative concept for a communications campaign, or a new idea for a film, or an essay, or a poem at the end of the hibernation.
I would not be surprised, therefore, that when the dust has settled, and we are allowed to get out of our bunkers, there would be a rainbow explosion of new inventions and new books, all incubated during the long lockdown. I am very certain, this enforced isolation has galvanized budding Steve Wozniaks of the world who chose to do their time creatively working, instead of whining about being bored or pining for a cup of Starbucks cappuccino.
So, in the new social order that will surely emerge after this pandemic, be more considerate and sensitive to that geeky-looking, quiet guy in the room because he might just amaze you. He may be dull and lackluster. But he could be a silent genius at work.
As for me, don’t bother knocking on my door when the lockdown is lifted. I would be too deeply immersed in some book or creatively inspired about something.