If introverts weren’t such an understated crew, you would be deafened these days by our slightly guilty but utterly gleeful cheers as we rejoice in the new dispensation.
No longer do we have to invent lame excuses for not attending weddings, parties, anything. Even meetings are being cancelled. With a completely clear conscience, knowing that we are being model citizens, in fact, we can avoid other human beings altogether and do what we want to do all the time and are seldom permitted to: never leave the house, revelling in our own company.
For too long, we introverts have been made to feel inferior in a society that celebrates and rewards extroversion. In a time of coronavirus, we are coming into our own. We don’t need other people or constant activity to be content and energised. We are happiest, and our emotional and psychological tanks are filled by time spent blissfully alone.
I’m not an idiot. Nor am I devoid of compassion. I’m horrified at the thought of the over-loaded health systems, isolation and deprivation of the most needy in our communities, not to mention the devastating long-term financial impact this will have on the whole world. I’m aware that when disasters of any kind strike, it is always the poor, the sick and the lonely who suffer most. I have dear friends who have had to postpone a longed for wedding. Several members of my immediate family stand to lose their livelihood for the foreseeable future.
But there are silver linings in this strange new situation in which we find ourselves. Most parents of school age children I know are enjoying the lack of after-school and weekend commitments that they have to run offspring to. Commuters have a lot more time in their day. There’s less rush and stress. The environment must be rejoicing in reduced emissions as we can no longer indulge our addiction to flying, as industries grind to an almost halt. We are learning the joys of having gaps in our diaries, and weekends that are what weekends used to be, maybe what they are supposed to be – a change of pace, a time to rest.
For a lifetime, I’ve had to work on skills that don’t come naturally – making small talk, feigning enjoyment at social gatherings. Extroverts, it’s your turn now. Take this opportunity to learn some useful new skills like self-sufficiency. Like the development of deep inner resources. Because who knows where all this is going to end?