Not long ago on a podcast I heard the following thought posited. "People with social anxiety tend to function really well in high-stress crisis situations because they're used to having to function with a high level of stress all the time." This is pure observation-based social estimation not predicated on any rigorous study, to be clear.
But as a self-proclaimed high-functioning introvert, it rings true to me. I do have a low level of social anxiety. Not because I can't socialize, or because I'm prone to panic attacks in social situations (though to be sure, those things are the case for some people), but simply because I know social situations frequently exhaust me abnormally fast. So there is a low hum of background stress present pretty much any time I leave the house. And sometimes even when I'm at home.
Does that actually mean I'm better at staying calm and focused during a crisis situation? I can't say for sure. But in the few actual crisis situations I've been a part of, I do remember thinking everyone else seemed to lose their crap surprisingly easily for no reason I could perceive. So there's one piece of anecdotal evidence in support of this idea, at least.
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If all it takes to kill a vampire is a solid helping of holy water, and if all it takes to get holy water is just to have a priest bless it, wouldn't the easiest way to kill a bunch of vampires just be to get a priest and have him bless the clouds?
But, you know what, if you think back on basically all the vampire stories, the vamps typically seem to originate in Europe. Why aren't there any vampires from, say, Africa?
Well, think about it, someone already blessed the rains down in Africa...
...
In related ponderings, A) I'm stunned Buffy never ran with this idea, and B) I've got a great idea for a movie starring Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, and Kate Winslet, about rain, ancient memories, and a 12:30 flight. Producers; call me.
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There's something to be said about having convictions that put you inside of a group. A sense of community, a support structure, friendship, all those things can come as a result. There's always a temptation to sort of reject those things, however, if in comparison to the other members of that group your convictions don't line up precisely, or somehow seem weaker.
But strength of conviction is an illusion created by our faulty assumptions that we can be compared directly with other people. There's enough difference between each of us that the only real comparative data regarding much of our healthy purely psychological development is our own historical progression. So the next time you look at your convictions regarding something and find them weak in comparison to someone else, consider this. Are your convictions yours? Did you come by them on your own, through your own ponderings and experiences, instead of simply adopting someone else's?
If so, then for better or worse, no matter the perceived relative "strength", those convictions belong to you. And I cannot imagine anything stronger.
But as a self-proclaimed high-functioning introvert, it rings true to me. I do have a low level of social anxiety. Not because I can't socialize, or because I'm prone to panic attacks in social situations (though to be sure, those things are the case for some people), but simply because I know social situations frequently exhaust me abnormally fast. So there is a low hum of background stress present pretty much any time I leave the house. And sometimes even when I'm at home.
Does that actually mean I'm better at staying calm and focused during a crisis situation? I can't say for sure. But in the few actual crisis situations I've been a part of, I do remember thinking everyone else seemed to lose their crap surprisingly easily for no reason I could perceive. So there's one piece of anecdotal evidence in support of this idea, at least.
_______________________________
If all it takes to kill a vampire is a solid helping of holy water, and if all it takes to get holy water is just to have a priest bless it, wouldn't the easiest way to kill a bunch of vampires just be to get a priest and have him bless the clouds?
But, you know what, if you think back on basically all the vampire stories, the vamps typically seem to originate in Europe. Why aren't there any vampires from, say, Africa?
Well, think about it, someone already blessed the rains down in Africa...
...
In related ponderings, A) I'm stunned Buffy never ran with this idea, and B) I've got a great idea for a movie starring Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, and Kate Winslet, about rain, ancient memories, and a 12:30 flight. Producers; call me.
_______________________________
There's something to be said about having convictions that put you inside of a group. A sense of community, a support structure, friendship, all those things can come as a result. There's always a temptation to sort of reject those things, however, if in comparison to the other members of that group your convictions don't line up precisely, or somehow seem weaker.
But strength of conviction is an illusion created by our faulty assumptions that we can be compared directly with other people. There's enough difference between each of us that the only real comparative data regarding much of our healthy purely psychological development is our own historical progression. So the next time you look at your convictions regarding something and find them weak in comparison to someone else, consider this. Are your convictions yours? Did you come by them on your own, through your own ponderings and experiences, instead of simply adopting someone else's?
If so, then for better or worse, no matter the perceived relative "strength", those convictions belong to you. And I cannot imagine anything stronger.
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