In a Room of One's Own

Loners are a species' insurance policy.

Wow.

Let's rewind for a second here.

The world has been losing its mind lately for a whole host of justifiable reasons. Fear abounds. Opinions even more so. Consequences are real. Facts are---questionable at best.

And some things are just plain unhelpful.

There's this website I frequent dedicated entirely to introverts. Defined rather unhelpfully by the bright red Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary that's been holed up on a rarely touched shelf, introversion is "the act of introverting: the state of being introverted." Mm hm, thanks for the clarification.

Fortunately, the term is common enough these days that it needn't be explained further than to say: introverts like people, but also love and need alone time to recharge and reflect.

Most of the thoughtful articles I've read from "Introvert, Dear" are creepily accurate---like, maybe my life's not as private as I think? How can these writers conceive of the inner workings of my mind?

But not everything is spot on.

The odd quote above is from an article entitled, "Introverts and Loners Will Save Us, According to Science." Some assertion. I didn't even make it the end, to be honest. Lost me at ameobas. Compare them to humans as much as you want---they're not people.

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As many of us examine the cogs and pistons of our largely halted lives, we see patterns. Ways of interacting with the world---particularly other human beings---that we never really thought about till they weren't operational, or even allowed. But if you're anything like me, it didn't take a pandemic to pop the hood. It was already open.

For me, this bizarre premise that loners are somehow better able to "survive" was not so much a new idea as it was a connection. Since childhood, I've teetered on the brink of the [ironic] loners' club. But as I've become an adult, I've realized just how much we need---I need---other people. Quite frankly, I'd be long dead without the family and friends who've been a part of my life at one time or another.

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So why did I share this video? Back in November I recorded a song that I had written earlier that year. Its lyrics and main melody are unfinished and will likely never see the light of day, but the music was written with their theme in mind. Meaning is a multifaceted thing. Wolf is about going it alone, about alienation, about sheep's clothing, about failures. But it's also about the garments of the Lamb. A reminder to myself and hopefully to you that much as we may feel that we have failed, much as we may feel alone, now in this disconnected era or at any time, Christ's forgiveness and presence is a free gift.

Setting aside video quality, casual attire, and mistakes, hope you enjoy.