Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Shyness is just egoism out of its depth

“Little bits of things make me do it;—perhaps a word that I said and ought not to have said ten years ago;—the most ordinary little mistakes, even my own past thoughts to myself about the merest trifles. They are always making me shiver.”
~ Anthony Trollope, Can You Forgive Her?

A good metaphor allows you to see the world in new ways. But there aren’t many good metaphors. Most annoy and distract rather than illuminate...Stone Cold;  ach Should you be Shy?

One of the great sacrifices of adulthood is giving up shyness. Even if it’s been a defining characteristic since childhood, a constant companion through early life, at a certain point it is a luxury we cannot afford. So far as the world is concerned, we are all outgoing, delighted to be here, happy to see you. We can’t run away when we get to the door.

There are moments that change our lives. Sometimes big, conscious decisions, other times a word, a missed train, the last five minutes of a party. I can only remember one such, consciously. It was reading a quote by Penelope Keith: “Shyness is just egoism out of its depth.”  Shying

Making the rounds yesterday was the dress. Take a look, and figure out which two colors it is: Some people see the dress as white and gold, others see it as blue and black. Which do you see it as?

The phenomenon is interesting and fun, and there are explanations of it atWired (more science-minded), Vox (more philosophical), and elsewhere. Millions of people are..

Rules for handling Faulkner
After teaching writing
Letter from Saul Bellow
 
Censoring Shakespeare?