The power of the observer

In the on-going conversation about introverts vs. extroverts, there seems to be an unspoken agreement that one is better than the other. It's as though the quiet, thoughtfuls and the gregarious action seekers are engaging in the sport of life. Score one for the introverts when life calls for some reflection. The goal goes to the extroverts when small talk and sales pitches are needed. But often, what gets overlooked, is observation. Though in the same family as reflection, observation can be comfortably taken on by introverts and extroverts alike.
Observers blend in as a myriad of labels. Some are titled writers. Others titled crazy (often, this goes hand in hand with writers). As an observer myself, I know I've been labeled passive on multiple occasions. In a culture where actively doing something is the measure of success, holding back and watching, taking in one's surroundings, is viewed as unproductive, lazy, or just plain stupid. I guess that's why reality TV is nothing but guilty pleasure for many of us. It's the hidden observer waiting to leap out.

I had a friend tell me that, in large groups, she loses all knowledge of what to say. After a half hour or so of not speaking, she'll get the feeling that she is not participating in her friends' activities, rather, she's watching them from a tree above them. I don't know what it is about trees, but they make watching stuff all the more epic. After explaining this pattern, my friend would turn to me, perplexed, wondering what was wrong with her. Then she'd go and write a kick ass story that will be in bookstores sooner rather than later, I'm sure.

Without observers, we wouldn't have breakthroughs. So many inventions have happened through processing information, stepping away from activity, and organizing thought. Without observers, we wouldn't have coffee! Now that would just be a sad, sad world. There's plenty of need for the do-ers, those who are so driven with adrenaline and the need to go, go, go, but before labeling someone as passive, or indecisive, or even crazy, just think, for a moment, about the power of the observer.