City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

”Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone…”

Genesis 2:18

Commentary

I’m a high functioning introvert. My wife, Cindy, says I’m a misanthrope, but it’s not that I don’t like people; I just prefer groups of them in measured doses and not after 9 p.m. I actually just took an online test which labeled me an “ambivert,” which I guess is like being ambidextrous but with one’s personality. My point is that if you consider yourself an introvert, I’m one of you. And, according to statistics, you and I are part of 25%-40% of the population. This post is for you, and us, and them.

Extroverts don’t need to be told it is not good for man to be alone; they prefer to be around others. They draw energy from it. They are drawn to community. It makes them feel alive. Going to a church gathering for them is a carnival of the senses. 

But you and I draw energy from a quiet evening alone with a good book, engrossed in our own thoughts. We need time alone to recharge and relax. As a result, we need to be reminded that the One who made us provided a label for the user: “Warning: This product works best when in community with others.”

The evidence of this truth is all around us. When the neighbors of Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer and Hannibal Lector enthusiast, were interviewed they said, “He was a loner. A quiet man.” To quote an old Rodney Dangerfield bit, “It’s like that with every mass murderer. They ask his neighbors, ‘What kind of man was he?’ And they say, ‘He was a quiet man. He was was a quiet man.’’ Then one day he picks up an axe and wipes out the whole family.”

And then there is Pee-wee Herman, who said in that epic, quest film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, “You don’t want to get mixed up with a guy like me. I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.” And he was right. If you don’t believe me, look it up on the internet, or maybe you shouldn’t look it up. Just trust me.

I also suspect, though I am not a licensed psychiatrist and have no statistics to prove it, that being alone is the number one cause of loneliness. 

Application

When Barbara Streisand sang in Funny Girl, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world,” she was not just voicing clever lyrics but one of the first and oldest truths God ever revealed to man. 

Even people who like to be alone need people, misanthropes and ambiverts included. So says the Creator. So says Rodney Dangerfield. So says Pee-wee Herman, and so says Barbara Streisand.

And if you are reading this post and you don’t know who Pee-wee Herman and Barbara Streisand are and you never heard of Rodney Dangerfield, you don’t just need people, you need older people.

Prayer

Lord, please make me an integral part of the family of God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.