TOW #21 - Who Lost Her Mind (Argument)

"I had always done my work with great passion, but I don’t think I really understood what was at stake until my own brain stopped working… I understood for the first time what many of the patients I study go through — the fear and confusion of living in a world that doesn’t make sense."

     Mental health is a prominent conversation topic around the nation and around the world today, and deservedly so. In this article, Barbara Lipska writes of her struggle with a brain tumor. As a neuroscientist who had spent years investigating and dissecting other people's brains, it was terrifying and frustrating that suddenly her own brain was dysfunctional. Areas of vision went missing and memory floated out the window; yet her brain told her everything was perfectly fine. Even when she saw a brain scan that told her it was not all okay, the same kind of brain scan she had been studying for years, it didn't seem real or logical. She has now been through successful treatment and is sharing her story.

     It is a story in which the reader can feel her fear and frustration, a standout in a culture where people like to talk about problems but rarely stick around to make sure the message really gets through. Lipska, however, is able to provide an emotionally captivating glimpse into one instance of mental illness. Her whole story embodies the feeling that your knees suddenly give out but you don't even realize you're on the floor now, amplified a thousand-fold because it's your brain, the your central pillar of consciousness. She writes that though she is now healthy, she lives every day with the looming fear that her own brain may escape her again.

     When there are a million problems and a billion conversations about each, all of it starts sounding like babble, easy and best to ignore. The idea of mental illness does not escape this unfortunate phenomenon - and it is even worse off due to its tendency to seem abstract or difficult to understand. But as this article arrives contemporaneously with rising worries of insufficient treatment for mental health, of the coinciding of homelessness and mental illness troubles, we should be realizing just how much things need to change. We need more people who understand how to make others truly begin to understand. Lipska devoted her career to studying the complexities of the brain, but found she never truly understood mental illness until she experienced it herself. Hopefully, we can all start on a journey of understanding without needing to go through those experiences first.

TOW #20 - I'm An Introvert

     The labels "introvert" and "extravert" are tossed around so easily today - and in just that way, as labels, not as the two ends of a continuum as they would be better known. Recently society has come under critcism for being too extravert-oriented. While conversation - exchanging and exploring new ideas and perspectives - is a good thing, it is never a simple thing to 'categorize' people. In this article, the author achieves her purpose of encouraging introverts to develop their strengths (as opposed to focusing too strongly on weaknesses, as society tends to do), but at a cost of semi-untactfulness. It is cringe-worthy at moments when she seems to imply that extraverts are not good at listening or observing. Despite these occasional slips, I do believe in her main ideas and the concept of the "Quiet Revolution."

     Retter presents her main argument through the idea that she is a good journalist not in spite of her introversion, but as a result of it. Traits such as being observant, a good listener, and empathetic would look good on anyone. Retter writes, "Introverts are listeners… I pay attention. I read people well. That’s how I find stories." This is something that I connect very strongly with. I remember reading a book when I was younger in which the main character was very quiet but an amazing listener - that immediately became my goal. I was undeniably shy as a child and dreaded interacting with people beyond my family and best friends, and this identity as a "listener" was the perfect excuse. Now I still identify as much of an introvert, but I believe it has benefitted me to grow up in a culture where extraversion is prized because it has forced me to be more confident in my thoughts and words (in other words, it has helped me to shed that sometimes-impeding shyness while still allowing me to build on my strengths as an introvert).

     Another idea in the article is that "my introversion helps me read beneath the surface and tailor my approach." My personality as an introvert inspires me to actively find the things left unsaid by others. Adding to this idea of being actively observant is the original blog's main concept: "Ninja journalism... powers include stealth (knowing when to shut your mouth)... invisibility (staying the heck out of the way), super vision (looking past the obvious to see the real story/picture)…" Compared to some others, I would like think I have a decent handle on when not to talk or intrude. It's amazing how much simply listening and observing can impact one's perception of society.

     "No matter what any professor, friend, boss, or colleague tells you about the pitfalls of introverts in public image careers, know that introverts carry their own set of worthy skills that can add to any field. I’ve found that my unique skill set—my listening, my flexibility, and my empathy—has made my reporting process special in its own way and has led me to stories I never would have found if I’d had a more gregarious personality type."

     At first I was a bit put off by the implication that those with "more gregarious personality [types]" would not be able to be good listeners, flexible, or empathetic. (Consider these quotes: "An extrovert’s charm is no match for a tragedy, a death, or anything that involves talking to someone upset... Introverts are listeners. When I’m in a conversation, I’m not caught up in trying to get my point of view in or draw attention to myself." I am not sure how this can not offend extraverts.) But after further consideration, it's clear that Retter simply means to encourage introverts to discover and develop their own strengths, unique from the social comfortableness and charm of extraverts. She was not perfect in communicating this, but it is definitely an idea that applies to all people - if it seems society praises a 'type' of person that simply isn't you, realize it probably goes deeper than you think, and there are so many ways for you to find your role.