Consistent

It occurs to me that it is slightly easier to communicate complex trains of thought in writing rather than in conversation; one of the main reasons for this is that conversation provides little opportunity to speak about what’s been running around in your head, especially when most of the people you talk with are at work.  Not that I don’t want those people to know what I muse on, but it is not necessarily an appropriate time to do so.  And so, I will once again use this blog as a medium to convey my thoughts.  During the summer (and hopefully beyond that), I would like to make a goal of updating it consistently, at least once a week.  It has troubled me recently that when I do something, it is not consistent unless it is easy (or required).  Now, that may or may not be a facet of my personality, but I believe that it is a negative aspect and should be overcome, even if it is a slow process.  And so I will discipline myself to write and share my ideas.  Feel free to comment and engage in discussion with me about what I say.  I hope you enjoy this project as much as I do, because, in the end, this is something I like to do, but “haven’t gotten around to.”

Your Calling

I ran across this article, and found it simple, yet profound. Reposted from http://300wordsaday.com/2011/03/24/what-god-didnt-call-you-to-a-repost/.

Lots of people are wondering what God is calling them to do. And that is a good question. But on the way to the answer, we fill in many answers. So let me suggest some of the things that God did not call you to.

You are not called to be me.
You are not called to be your mother.
You are not called to be your pastor.
You are not called to be happy all the time.
You are not called to be rich.
You are not called to be as organized as the neighbor on the right.
You are not called to be as disorganized as the neighbor on the left.
You are not called to be as ___ as your uncle dave.
You are not called to be your sister.
You are not called to be the guy in all the ads.
You are not called to be the perfect family.
You are not called to smile every moment.
You are not called to have every answer.
You are not called to say ‘yes’ to every request.
You are not called to work 24/7.
You are not called to read the Bible through every year.
You are not called to measure up.
You are not called to do it all.
You are not called to remember every detail.
You are not called to run their lives.
You are not called to do everything right the first time.
You are not called to be at the church every time the doors open.
(okay, maybe the custodian is, but other than that.)
You are not called to stop everything.
You are not called to save the world.
That was covered.
That’s why we’re called to follow Him.
A step at a time.
And that feeling of relief?
You are called to that.

 

A note

So, as you can see, I didn’t end up updating my blog most of the summer. I DID start a post, but then had to do other things, so it remained unfinished; it will be finished sometime in the near future. Now, although I did not write any posts this summer, the summer has given me a large amount of material for future posts. I think I do better writing when I’ve had time to think it all through beforehand, so posts will be coming as my processing of various topics is finished. Bear with me!

Introverts

Yes. This is, indeed, a blog post of a blog post of a blog post. However, I must give Adam Young (Owl City) the credit for directing me to this (via his blog). I have pasted here his blog post, and made some formatting changes to ensure that this is less confusing. The original blog post by Carl King follows the photo (as it was in the Owl City blog). Hopefully this helps those of you who think me a puzzle to understand me a little better ;-)

10 Myths About Introverts

I recently stumbled across a blog written by Carl King about the phenomenon known as the introverted human being and it struck a major chord with me. After each bullet, I felt like standing up and shouting “YESSSSSSSSS!” at the top of my lungs because these points (made by author Marti Laney, Psy.D) are total home runs. As an extreme introvert, this is like sweet manna from heaven.

I was lucky enough to discover a book called, The Introvert Advantage (How To Thrive in an Extrovert World), by Marti Laney, Psy.D. I feel like someone has written an encyclopedia entry on a rare race of people to which I belong. Not only has it explained many of my eccentricities, it helps me to redefine my entire life in a new and positive context.

Sure, anyone who knows me would say, “Duh! Why did it take you so long to realize you’re an Introvert?” It’s not that simple. The problem is that labeling someone as an Introvert is a very shallow assessment, full of common misconceptions. It’s more complex than that. (Since Carl King is talking about it, it has to be.)

A section of Laney’s book maps out the human brain and explains how neuro-transmitters follow different dominant paths in the nervous systems of Introverts and Extroverts. If the science behind the book is correct, it turns out that Introverts are people who are over-sensitive to Dopamine, so too much external stimulation overdoses and exhausts them. Conversely, Extroverts can’t get enough Dopamine, and they require Adrenaline for their brains to create it. Extroverts also have a shorter pathway and less blood-flow to the brain. The messages of an Extrovert’s nervous system mostly bypass the Broca’s area in the frontal lobe, which is where a large portion of contemplation takes place.

Unfortunately, according to the book, only about 25% of people are Introverts. There are even fewer that are as extreme as I am. This leads to a lot of misunderstandings, since society doesn’t have very much experience with my people. (I love being able to say that.)

So here are a few common misconceptions about Introverts (I put this list together myself, some of them are things I actually believed):

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.

A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

It can be terribly destructive for an Introvert to deny themselves in order to get along in an Extrovert-Dominant World. Like other minorities, Introverts can end up hating themselves and others because of the differences. If you think you are an Introvert, I recommend you research the topic and seek out other Introverts to compare notes. The burden is not entirely on Introverts to try and become “normal.” Extroverts need to recognize and respect us, and we also need to respect ourselves.

-Carl

Orientation

Yeah, so these last couple days have been pretty crazy. Had a few training sessions on Tuesday, did the first week’s Bible study with my team, and went on a hike up to a waterfall, during which trip, on the way back, we went a slightly different way, which turned out to be a slightly shorter, but harder way. After that was a talk on relationships, which was followed by the program social, which basically consisted of each guys’ team pairing up with a girls’ team and performing an impromptu skit using random props given in a bag to each group, all of which had to be used. It was a blast. There was one prop that was in each group’s bag (among a variety of others): a Ziploc bag of iceberg lettuce. The results were quite hilarious. Anyway, today was orientation for working at Dollywood. I’ll be at Splash Country working doing food service, and I start tomorrow, so I’ll post about how that goes. I was quite impressed during orientation today at how much the owners of Dollywood value Christian morality and ethics and make that the basis for their business. Anyway, bedtime. Hopefully my posts will become more coherent in the near future.

Busy

Sorry for the recent lack of updates. Will continue tomorrow afternoon. Crazy couple of days.

6 June, 2011 21:11

Let’s put it this way: Whitewater rafting is exhausting. It doesn’t seem that bad at first, but it hits you hard later on. Met some more cool people at the program today. Hitting the hay now.