Solve Problems, Make Art, Think Deeply.

We Don’t Ask Why God Chose As His Prophet A Stutterer With A Public Speaking Phobia. But We Should. The Book Of Exodus Is Short On Explication, But Its Stories Suggest That Introversion Plays Yin To The Yang Of Extroversion; That The Medium Is Not Always The Message; And That People Followed Moses Because His Words Were Thoughtful, Not Because He Spoke Them Well.

Solitude Is Out Of Fashion. Our Companies, Our Schools And Our Culture Are In Thrall To An Idea I Call The New Groupthink, Which Holds That Creativity And Achievement Come From An Oddly Gregarious Place.

Our Culture Rightly Admires Risk-takers, But We Need Our 'heed-takers' More Than Ever.

A Widely Held, But Rarely Articulated, Belief In Our Society Is That The Ideal Self Is Bold, Alpha, Gregarious. Introversion Is Viewed Somewhere Between Disappointment And Pathology.

Ask Your Child For Information In A Gentle, Nonjudgmental Way, With Specific, Clear Questions. Instead Of “how Was Your Day?” Try “what Did You Do In Math Class Today?” Instead Of “do You Like Your Teacher?” Ask “what Do You Like About Your Teacher?” Or “what Do You Not Like So Much?” Let Her Take Her Time To Answer. Try To Avoid Asking, In The Overly Bright Voice Of Parents Everywhere, “did You Have Fun In School Today?!” She’ll Sense How Important It Is That The Answer Be Yes.