What is beauty? What is love? Well, for me it is just a personal thing. I am definitely not interested much by the idea of universal beauty in terms of experiencing or confirming it, although attempting to analyze what might be meant by universal beauty can be interesting. A passage in a book based on the language employed, a theoretical argument, certain kinds of scenery or environments, all can be beautiful. I suppose this falls under a sort of aesthetics.
What are your most important values? Personally, just for myself that is, intensity of thought is very important. A day is wasted if it is not attained. I also believe in an absolute in terms of acting in accordance with good will, and seeking constructive solutions to things by seeing all the angles possible. "That is just how it is" is one of my least favorite things to hear, and frequently will employ my analytical power to show it need not be that way. I greatly appreciate compassion and warmth, but would not demand that people be compassionate because I believe everyone has a disposition and that is only sensible to honor, but certainly detest willfully non-constructive decision-making, and do not think basic brashness and compromising of basic ethics is condonable.
And consistency combined with the highest level of multi-perspective is a must when someone holds views, whether myself or anyone; if some analysis does not capture the essence of something, there is no point to me in it except as a starting point to something better. This means that if I can reasonably conceptualize a different way of looking at something relevant to someone's views, it needs to be done. Otherwise the views are baseless and useless to me, and I prefer someone not hold any views than hold limited ones.
Do you have any sort of spiritual/religious beliefs, and why do you hold (or don't) those beliefs in the first place? It is hard to say I "believe" in things, although things like "act in good, namely at least nonnegative will if at all" are just basic to me, and it's not that I believe, it's that I think it's a heuristic which can be sufficiently philosophized and which I think is the most constructive premise I can think of, although the point is this just means I would be willing to entertain other theories but be skeptical if they truly had to dislodge this foundation, since it does seem so basic if one is going to enter the human sphere at all. I would say my preference is not to act based on what is most likely, but what is certain, but to continue to speculate what may be, as unknowns are definitely present in the universe. One could say I keep forming a web of associations and descriptions of how things fit together. If there is a new idea, and if I cannot dismiss it on grounds of being merely an incarnation of something I have discarded for reasons satisfactory to myself, it must be put in its place. In a given situation, I might see shades of various such views of reality enter and select whatever mixture is most salient to describe it. I prefer for my analyses to be for intellectual interest rather than practical use, but I will put them to practical use if I am compromising myself by not doing so.
My view says truth should lead you to spirituality, not the other way around.
Opinion on war and militaries? What is power to you? Power definitely is a factor in things, but I maintain enough skepticism of pursuing it for its sake, and am more interested in theorizing about its place thoroughly. Wars and militaries: well let's just say I obviously do not want to exist in an undefended land. I don't, however, hold any enthusiasm for going to war at all.
What have you had long conversations about? What are your interests? Why? Pretty much anything involving clarifying a very fundamental idea. Abstractions are of intrinsic interest. With regards to practical matters, I still want to know about them rather than not, if only on a generalist level. I am not exactly blind to ethical issues, in that I do not condone cruelty and appreciate compassion, but in some ways I do not see much to really discuss. With less theoretically minded individuals, I can definitely be interested in the occasional perspective on a topic I might not otherwise pursue commonly, though it would have to be casual, as I am quite fixed in my interests, and might be doing this more for the company, which admittedly I do not seek out frequently.
Interested in health/medicine as a conversation topic? Are you focused on your body? In a way, yes and no. It is important to me to remain well, and so maximizing the chances of this are appreciated. Unrelated to this though, I am not sure I would wish to hear a tremendous amount of this information.
What do you think of daily chores? Usually hard to get by with. In a utopia, I have no schedule issues, and doing chores could be a break from my thoughts, and that would be fine. But most of the time, they get in the way hugely and can grow to be quite an issue of neglect.
Books or films you liked? Recently read/watched or otherwise. Examples welcome. Occasionally something with depth of psychological aspect can be interesting, but mostly I read or watch films to relax, rather than actively looking for "good films."
What has made you cry? What has made you smile? Why? Blatant unkindness and kindness are the basic answers to what makes me sad or happy in the smiling way (when I absorb a new insight, I don't smile, though I do register it very positively - smile just wouldn't be the word). I am not the crying type though, despite having the potential to be quite emotional when personally distressed, because I am more likely to seek out solutions and preventative measures to the unacceptable than anything else when it happens.
On a lighter hearted note, smile: humor and general amusement around people.
Where do you feel: at one with the environment/a sense of belonging? Where there is mutual understanding, things are taken in good humor, and if it is comfortable and I can also toss about ideas, this is a great combination. There are times when I can enjoy a comfortable situation amidst good company, but in a way it is always better if I have something to think about in the meantime.
What have people seen as your weaknesses? What do you dislike about yourself? I do not take criticism much, and tend to essentially do things my way. This is not out of a need to prove anything, but rather because it works, and it does not make sense to me to be judged by standards that I did not have a role in creating. I am weak at practical matters involving the hands-on. I am not sure I dislike myself exactly.
What have people seen as your strengths? What do you like about yourself? Well, generally I do well with conceptualizing theory quite rapidly. I take all sides of a picture into account, which I am very glad I do. I am generally very accepting of people and can analyze their circumstances if they need me to with nuance as to their individual natures although my solutions tend to be philosophical, with an occasional suggestion on how to get started, but more stated as "this is one example, you should internalize the big picture of what I am saying and it should convey some perspective on where to go." I do not tend to butt heads unnecessarily with anyone. I can synthesize information from multiple areas into a given situation. All these have been commented on at some point by others, and/or noticed positively by myself.
In what areas of your life would you like help?Difficult to say. I have a tendency to remain aloof in a way, because most of my struggles have more to do with aversion to people's ways than something I find I could be helped with. I think general practical life is one area I could say. Help with intellectual matters tends not to work, because I am quite confident my way is the best way for me at least, needn't be for everyone. I think simply knowing supportive people who remind me to not give into excessive anxiety, negativity, etc, or those who help with my impracticality occasionally in an unassuming and understanding way.
Ever feel stuck in a rut? If yes, describe the causes and your reaction to it. Yes, much. I need freedom to do things as I please (I won't impose on anyone either). The causes would include anything along the lines of career or schooling situation where I do not get plenty of freedom to pursue things exactly as they interest me.
What qualities do you most like and dislike in other people? What types do you get along with? I do not do well with so-called nasty-minded elitism or brashness, or overly rigid characters. I get along with those who promote warmth of atmosphere and freedom of thought and fodder for furthering my insights.
How do you feel about romance/sex? What qualities do you want in a partner? I am not sure if it makes sense to desire, in a way. It certainly should not get in the way of my existing relations, and I would have to find a place for it if anything. I am not the type willing to go through the motions to "play the game" of this and that expectation, and am likely to just state what I want upfront. If this works, I can be very affectionate, so maybe it could be good.
If you were to raise a child, what would be your main concerns, what measures would you take, and why? I seek the ideal. This world does not need more individuals to come into it and suffer for the lack of knowledge and foresight of parents.
I would seek to arm the child strategically, and I would hope the child would grow to be knowledgeable, intelligent, and act basically in good will. I would possibly be colored towards my own leanings in what I would provide for the child, but would try to be as unbiased as possible in assessing what makes sense for the child, as with any human being. I am not exactly confident of all this, though, so it is unclear if I will want to raise a child.
A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward and outward reaction? I do not hold beliefs so much as understand ideas at work in the world, and everything has just a relative place. With the few things I do not think I really can compromise on, I would try to analyze the individual to discover a weakness in his or her outlook. I do not tend to leave these ends overlooked, and will not assume my position is superior without full investigation. I also do not consider a superior position an asset of mine so much as a necessity of pursuit, that is, we must seek the highest understanding possible or claim no understanding at all.
Describe your relationship to society. How do you see people as a whole? What do you consider a prevalent social problem? Name one.
I think they all come down to the same thing, unfortunately, namely people quit before they get the very essence of a situation. They tend to assume they have the ideal perspective far too soon. Also, not following most insights through to the conclusion. I am all for interesting theorizing, but when you put things in practice, much harm can be done by a less than ideal solution.
How do you choose your friends and how do you behave around them? They tend to be good natured and understanding. I often will ramble about my thoughts to them, and alternate between this and affectionate moments. As much of my theorizing may as well be done alone and not in company, I find my interactions with others can be excessively casual for some, as all the non-casual that I pursue is often more solitary. I may dump my thoughts in excitement to someone I know well, though, just to share some moments. For those who do not mind this, I am usually an affectionate, understanding friend. For those who want a more serious interaction, well only if it fits with my plan of what I want to think about is that likely to happen.
I do not tend to engage in activity-based socializing. Usually it is individual and more discussion-oriented, even if the discusions can range casual (if noncasual, again, I have to be interested to a very high level).
Basically, with people in general, I prefer there to be few rules apart from a basic regard for the other's space and respecting that all needs are different. I enjoy interactions where I analyze the other person casually, and maybe they analyze me. But again, in good humor and not people who claim to know much more than they can analytically verify.
I can appreciate friends who are either very emotional or not much at all.
How do you behave around strangers?
I am cautious. If they are proven friendly and easygoing, I might engage in casual talk as a break if they strike it up with me. I tend to be excessively hesitant with new people unless I am only interacting very casually and briefly. Lengthier interactions, well I prefer there to be few rules. Free thought and open-ness with a respect for the other's privacy.
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Originally Posted by chemical
