Turtles and skunks

Childhood can set you up for life of introspection. Here's one reason.

"If you were an animal, what animal would you be?"

I was asked that question in preschool, and at random intervals through my "growing up" years. I'm still asked the question from time to time.

Ignore the fact that humans are animals. Think about animals you know. Which one matches your personality? My favorite response to that question came from a classmate in middle school.

"I'd be a lion so I could eat you for asking such a stupid question!"

It's raw. Honest. Clever.

My answer was a lot more droll. A cat because I like to curl up by a warm fireplace. Except, I'm allergic to cats so I'd be sneezing all the time.

Lest I lose you, let me get to the point. Animal analogies help us understand each other better. And that's important. We all have different personalities. Ancient medicine used four basic types (or humors) to explain temperament and health. English broadcaster Melvyn Bragg's discussion of the four humors is an interesting listen.

Today, people ask about your "spirit animal" and whether you are an Introvert or Extrovert (one of the things evaluated by the Meyers Briggs questionnaire. You can even match yourself to the corresponding animal so you have a ready answer to the age-old question.)

Questionnaires are fun. And great for people prone to introspection. But do we really need them to identify differences in each other? Picture a family gathering. Now look for the person who's wandered off to another room or sitting quietly with a book. It's the non-communicator who avoids conflict at all costs. The introvert.

And just as surely, every family has at least one persistently insistent, get-to-the-bottom-of-it (whatever "it" is) kind of person. Someone who's in the middle of everything. Telling jokes and entertaining stories. Yep. You've spotted the extrovert.

I've heard these two personalities described as turtles and skunks.

Turtles tend to...

love a quiet evening at home.

listen and observe.

have a long fuse. (but when they blow - watch out!)

pull inward when hurt.

Skunks tend to...

love a crowd.

be opinionated.

have a quick temper, but get past it quickly.

lash out at anyone or anything when hurt.

In the country in which I live, it seems skunks have overrun our society. Common courtesy and tolerance for others are endangered. Like sea turtles. Yet the bible admonishes us to get along. Here are just three verses:

• Romans 12:18 -- If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

• Ephesians 4:32 -- Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.

• 1 Peter 3:8 -- Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

The thing is, there's a reason for classifications, and that reason is simple. We all want to get along better. And to do that we need to understand each other a little more. And we all need to love each other a lot more.

The solution is simple. Love God. Love others.

• Philippians 2:3-4 -- Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

• 1 John 4:7-8 -- Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Photo by William Warby - Flickr: Turtle's Head, CC BY 2.0.