Posted by Bartholomew (67.75.10.164) on July 30, 2003 at 03:01:17:
Literally, "extroverted" means "turned outward." In practice it means "turned towards people." What are psychologists trying to say? "We are the outside; we are the universe," is what they are trying to say. They are foolishly egotistic. Community is not the world. When people are extroverted, they talk among themselves; they are turned in on themselves. People forget--because it is pleasant to forget this, if you are "extroverted"--that when you turn away from the party, you find yourself facing everything else.
This occurred to me high on a dirt road on a high hillside at dusk, beneath softly arching low-tension power lines, bordered by red and white pines and winding its way through low, hot bushes, a week ago. There was no campfire and no gathering behind me, but if there were, I would not spare my eyes to look towards it.