Shyness Is A Sin

[jwangkal]

is a shy person a snob?

[dairygirl4u2c]

thanks moro, that stuff is what i was referring to.

a specific form of omission i was thinking of, not that you would, is that God intends us to form relatinoships, most of us i think, and not to could be very wrong. it depends on what God is calling you to. obviously not doing what God intends is wrong.

i made the mistake kinda like people make who say being gay is a sin, when they mean acting on the gayness is a sin.

Edited January 2, 2007 by dairygirl4u2c

[Proud2BCatholic139]

Everyone has different personality traits. There are introverts and extroverts. It's the way a person's brain functions. If we were all made to be extroverts, then the whole world would not be quiet and constantly talk with no silence. If the whole world were made introverts, there will be a world with thinkers. God created every human being just the way they are.

God created every single human being, and we are good!! Don't be discouraged if you are shy! God gave you special talents. Being shy can have many advantages, but, I can relate because I have been pretty shy.

Try spending time with your friends that you have. I'm sure with time, your shyness will slowly disappear.

Also, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you over come your shyness just a little bit.

God bless.

[Tony]

[quote name='JP3' post='1154519' date='Jan 2 2007, 09:10 AM']
is a shy person a snob?
[/quote]

absolutely not!

[dairygirl4u2c]

who what why when how, to what extent and in what context

[CrossCuT]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1150678' date='Dec 27 2006, 08:19 PM']shyness is genetic[/quote]
[size=1]Shyness is genetic???????
Personality traits are not genetic, they deal with the way you develop mentally according to your environment and the levels of interaction with others.

If shyness is a sin, then so is depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, schizophrenia, bibliomania, and other such things that deal with our mental state.

Things like shyness are parts of our personality that have developed through ageing and how we have been exposed to different things in our life.
If someone has been brought up to being afraid of certain things through no fault of their own, may be more likely to be shy than a sibling who has not experienced the same thing.

To hold this against a shy individual is not fair because they cant help it.
Maybe with some help from a psychologist they can get over their fears or anxieties, but until then it isnt a sin if they are not freely choosing to do wrong or neglecting anything. (And this of course is all assuming they are doing something WRONG by being shy...which would be strange)

Shyness is not a sin.
[/size]

[Lena]

[b]Shyness is most definitely not a sin.[/b] It can, however, present limitations on someone's life. But we're all limited in some way.

I suppose some people would call me shy, but really I'm just quiet around people I don't know very well, and would rather hear other people talk. The only times this trait bothers me is when it gets perceived by others negatively---like I've heard from other people, who will tell me, "wow, you look tired" or "you look kind of pissed off"---I'm sorry I'm just not talking your ear off, I'm simply listening! I don't think it's a bad trait necessarily, but I do know [i]extremely[/i] shy people and I feel for them.

It's funny because my sister is the most loud, borderline obnoxious, in-your-face person I know. Which is what most people seem to like.

Edited December 11, 2007 by Lena

[Justin86]

Ever notice how these days "sin" is whatever we don't like or find unattractive, instead of what offends God?

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1154661' date='Jan 2 2007, 07:03 PM']thanks moro, that stuff is what i was referring to.

a specific form of omission i was thinking of, not that you would, is that God intends us to form relatinoships, most of us i think, and not to could be very wrong. it depends on what God is calling you to. obviously not doing what God intends is wrong.

i made the mistake kinda like people make who say being gay is a sin, when they mean acting on the gayness is a sin.[/quote]

Shyness does not preclude you from forming relationships. At all. A hermit who never sees another person for years at a time can be just as closely and intimately connected with the world as a person who is really outgoing and is always organising the social events for church.

The trouble is that you are trying to apply a tight definition on what it means to form relationships, and it's stringent definitions like this that are responsible for the well-intentioned but very cruel urge to put autistic people like me through hellish, invasive programmes of 'cure' and 'intervention' so that we can go to loud crowded birthday parties and make small talk with the lady in the hair salon. My behaviour and that of other autistics can manifest as extreme shyness. (I climb out of my window if I can hear that there are too many people standing in the corridor outside.) Nearly everybody assumes that we want to be liberated from this, and that it is a flaw in us if we don't want to reach a point when we can attend those birthday parties and talk to that hairdresser. But consider this: we already give to the world, in our own way. We already form relationships, again in our own way - and those relationships are just as valuable as the relationships between bubbly, extroverted people. This doesn't just apply to people with autism, which is a complex and pervasive neurological condition, but to any shy person. There's nothing about shyness that demeans people. There's nothing about shyness that stops them from being loving. There's no sin in it.

[ardillacid]

[quote name='heavenseeker' post='1151349' date='Dec 29 2006, 12:20 AM']um Uruviel.. how can shyness have an intent?[/quote]


PWND

[st-annes]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1151954' date='Dec 30 2006, 01:36 AM']so are all you guys saying someone who is shy has no duty whatsoever to overcome their shyness?[/quote]

Yes. You're the first person I've ever heard refer to it as a sin.

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1151954' date='Dec 30 2006, 01:36 AM']btw.. the title of this thread is just to catch attention. i don't believe shyness is a sin or even considering it.[/quote]

Then it shouldn't have been posted.

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1151954' date='Dec 30 2006, 01:36 AM']i am only considering that it is sometimes. or that is, not acting to go beyond your tendency more accurately is.[/quote]


What? That doesn't make any sense.


If shyness is a sin, every person who ever lived in a monastery or a convent that has rules about silence is in big trouble. Every saint who was a hermit... you get the picture. Not to mention that I can't think of anything in Scripture or tradition that even comes close to the gist of the thread.

Waste of time, really.

[dairygirl4u2c]

surely shyness is a sin, if God is calling you to evangelize or something.
do you agree with this or not, and why? if you can't respond to this meaningfully then your post is a waste of time. this is the core issue.

if God is calling you to socialize to be able to spread hsi ways, or become married etc, then it can be a sin.

the title was just to stir things up. if you read my initial post you would've seen that.

Edited December 11, 2007 by dairygirl4u2c

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1432998' date='Dec 12 2007, 12:32 AM']surely shyness is a sin, if God is calling you to evangelize or something.
do you agree with this or not, and why? if you can't respond to this meaningfully then your post is a waste of time. this is the core issue.

if God is calling you to socialize to be able to spread hsi ways, or become married etc, then it can be a sin.

the title was just to stir things up. if you read my initial post you would've seen that.[/quote]

It's possible for shy people to evangelise - via the Internet, through writing books (if they have the ability), and through prayer. St Therese in her cloister was one of the greatest evangelists the Church has ever had.

If God is calling a person to St Dominic-style preaching, I have a hard time imagining why He would have created them as such a shy person. That's like saying, "Is it a sin for a man to have no legs, if God is calling him to be an Olympic athlete?" God's call is commensurate with the abilities and gifts that He has blessed you with.

As for marriage, if you are able to get deep enough into a relationship with another person to know that you are called to marry them, clearly your shyness isn't a stumbling-block in this respect. It may even enhance the relationship. My own difficulties with socialising and communication mean that the friends I do have are extremely valuable to me, and I really treasure my time with them.