I disagree, I don't know many people who appear to introspect at all. I read that and think that your concept of meditation and my concept of introspection are probably more similar than our ideas of meditation.
[edit: Honest question I am pointing out that the parent might not disagree with those who tout introspection, as they may share semantics for different words.]
Meditation on the other hand I view as a letting go of this kind of analysis.
(I knew the definitions in theory, but I questioned them in practice; I don't meditate.)
[edit: You know, after watching the TED speech on success, and a bit of introspection, I see where you are coming from. Introspection has pulled me out of a depression, but it has also contributed to my high difficulty relating to other people. I guess I just reacted to the phrase "'highly' overrated". Which just reinforces my thought that most non-measurable disagreements between people are a failure to communicate effectively.]
I think it is very good for creating works of art or hacking but for me it hinders being able to just relax and "feel the vibe" especially in social settings. Meditation, I find, creates for me the much needed balance.
Nice to have a normal discussion on here as opposed to the flamefests all over the web, HN is very cool!