Confessions Of An Extrovert
As an extrovert, as someone who shares his soul more than most, there are still so many things about me that people don’t know. That funny meme or smile on my face does not always mean I’m happy. That deep reflective post does not necessarily mean I’m in a good place and that I have everything figured out. That ‘I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired’ poem you read does not mean I’m sad or ready to give up. It may actually mean I feel strong enough to share and ready to conquer the world. You may actually know a lot less about an extrovert than you think. Think about it, just because someone shares some of their innermost feelings and thoughts on Facebook or in person does not mean they don’t have any more layers or secrets. They maybe an open book, but quite likely, there are a few hidden pages, chapters or even books about them you may not know. Don’t assume you know someone by a single or several posts or conversations. What you see or hear is not always who we are. You see what we allow you to see. You hear only what we are comfortable with sharing. I’m an extrovert, but you don’t know everything about me, and that’s the way I like it.
At the same token, politically speaking, one post or comment does not make a person a right-wing conservative or a bleeding liberal. It’s not so black and white. Isn’t it possible that we may be a little of both? A RepubMocrat or a ConserBeral or a LibServative…Or perhaps, truly an independent with a little bit of both? If we are not forced to draw lines in the sand, or come up with clever comebacks to defend ourselves; if we just listen for a second, we might find that we have so much more in common than we realize. It is my belief that no one party has all the answers. No one ideology can solve all of society’s problems. I’m convinced that there are good, intelligent, well-intentioned people on both sides of the aisle. Our individual life experiences dictate who we are and what we believe in. So I for one, at least for the most part, promise to try not to post or share divisive one-sided comments. I refuse to say I’m smarter than half of you out there and will not vilify someone for having a different opinion than me. God knows there is enough hatred and anger out there and I refuse to feed into it. Yes I’m an extrovert and you don’t fully know me, yet. Perhaps in another 50 years.
