Member Questionnaire 1 (JosephBell)
I'm just doing this for the sake of thoroughness. Any answers that overlap from Hotelambush's questionnaire will be copy-pasted. I'll probably have a few questions regardless of what type you think I am, but as long as no one here thinks I'm Delta NF, we're probably going to get along alright.
What is beauty? What is love? Beauty is an aesthetic quality. Love is a positive emotion felt with respect to an object.
What are your most important values? I value impact, power, recognition, freedom, and happiness. I need to make some sort of impact, to accomplish something, to do something that other people are incapable of. I don't know why, but I've always needed to. I crave power, and I love playing games to gain that power by any means necessary.
Do you have any sort of spiritual/religious beliefs, and why do you hold (or don't) those beliefs in the first place? I am an agnostic. I don't know whether there is a God, but I know there is some power higher than myself which has some say in the way things unfold. Perhaps it is just natural law, perhaps it is a personified entity, but there is definitely something. I hold these beliefs because I have never met any religious person intelligent enough to logically explain the link between reality and God, plus I've never seen any proof that some diety actually exists. However, I have seen and can logically prove that there are powers which man does not control that shape our reality.
Opinion on war and militaries? What is power to you? They are necessary. A lot of soft people think that war is inherently unethical, but I say that war is nothing more than the application of force at the grand scale, and applying force to achieve a desired end is neither right or wrong - it is simply the natural order. My opinion is that the ends justify the means, and an amenable result is far more important than an amenable course of action.
Power, IMO, is the ability to wield your will and resources to influence others to whatever ends you deem valuable.
What have you had long conversations about? What are your interests? Why? Well, long conversations with me tend to be (or become, lol) arguments. I will vehemently and viciously argue against idiocy wherever I see it. A lack of rationality (in the traditional sense) almost causes an "unintentional" muscle spasm that causes my arm to rapidly extend into the general direction of the interlocutor's face.
I'm interested in psychology, technology, business, strategy, and such. These are the cluster of things that best align with my long-term goals and desires.
Interested in health/medicine as a conversation topic? Are you focused on your body? I'm not interested in health as a conversation topic, and am not generally focused on my body. I mean, I know when I've got aches and pains, but I'm not really focused on them unless they become pretty damn strong.
What do you think of daily chores? Not a fan. They are tedious, boring, monotonous, dull, unvaried, and any other term I can pull out of thin air which describes "soul-suckingly boring" as an essential quality.
Books or films you liked? Recently read/watched or otherwise. Examples welcome. Films/TV: House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, House MD.
Books: All Sherlock Holmes stuff, most of Orwell's stuff.
What has made you cry? What has made you smile? Why? Success and friends can make me smile pretty easily. My friends make me smile just because they are the kind of goofy, uber-expressive people who bring out that side in me. I'm a cynic at heart, so I also find it endearing when good people have good things happen to them.
I don't usually cry, but excruciating pain can do it to me. I do, however, get really angry and apathetic when I am unable to attain success or hit my goals for long stints. My values could probably be summed up in: Win, solve the puzzle, and be right. Whenever I lose, can't solve a problem/puzzle, or realize I'm wrong, I get pissed.
Where do you feel: at one with the environment/a sense of belonging? I'm sort of there by default, with no additional effort required.
What have people seen as your weaknesses? What do you dislike about yourself? I am frequently criticized for acting in an "unethical" fashion, not taking the human element into account when making decisions. I don't see this as a problem, since humans are often just another obstacle, but apparently other people do. In reality, I do often put on a nice face to get people on my side long enough that I can get into a position where I no longer need to play dress-up like a preschool girl. I've also been told that I steamroll a lot and am quite aggressive when pushing an agenda, but this is a quality I actually like having.
I don't really dislike much about myself, per se. I may be a wee bit arrogant. I do think that I am lackluster at dealing with emotions and relationships in general, and struggle to find some deeper meaning behind the events and actions I take in life, but these have not stopped me so far.
What have people seen as your strengths? What do you like about yourself? Logic, impartiality, pragmatism, forcefulness, and general intelligence. Those are some common threads I hear about.
I like being logical, impartial, cold, pragmatic, and often ruthless. I cherish my intelligence because my rational mind is one of the few gifts I actually possess. I also like that I, unlike a lot of the lemmings I work with, am capable of dramatizing enough to get people engaged in what I say.
In what areas of your life would you like help? Finding some grand meaning behind everything. I have a vision of what I want, but it all ends when I die, and I don't know what anything means beyond the moment that I am dead and buried in a deep hole.
Ever feel stuck in a rut? If yes, describe the causes and your reaction to it. Without a constant stream of challenges, puzzles, or problems, I get BORED. At minimum, I need something to think about, if not a problem to solve, because at least I can make mental progress that way. I generally use this lack of a problem to find a problem to solve. Like a good junkie, I have occasionally created problems just so I would have something to do.
What qualities do you most like and dislike in other people? What types do you get along with? I like people who are emotionally expressive, know how to have fun, can take it easy a bit, know what all of this giant puzzle of life actually means, and enjoy discussing complex issues. I dislike people who are altogether too serious and can't have a good time. I also dislike people who can't bend rules when needed. I like pragmatic idealism, but not idealism for the sake of idealism.
This will create some bias, so I'd rather not answer, but I'm going to be as blatant as I can be anyway. I know that I love lots and lots of Fe and dislike any quantity of Fi that is greater than 0. Every person I like hanging around with is highly expressive, has a goofy side, and doesn't take themselves too seriously. I also enjoy Ti and some Te in people, but only to a limited degree. Te egos tend to rub me the wrong way with the strong focus on efficiency and productivity in exchange for burning all emotions with fire, and people with super-ego Ti tend to frustrate me to no end with their seeming inability to actually logic their way through things.
How do you feel about romance/sex? What qualities do you want in a partner? Sex is awesome, romance is good. I need a partner who can help bring me out of my shell a bit and can handle my pace. I'm a bit aggressive and tend to push really hard for whatever it is that I want, so I need someone who will take a backseat to my ambitions.
If you were to raise a child, what would be your main concerns, what measures would you take, and why? I would want my child to be capable of achieving whatever he sets his mind to. He needs autonomy, intelligence, cunning, and confidence. A few social skills for good measure. I would 'train' him through slight pressure, amping it up over time to the most that the child can handle without seeing me as the big bad evil person. This is what my grandfather did to me, and I'm much better off for it.
A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward and outward reaction? Inwardly, I'm going to analyze his position for a second, then I'm launching into an argument. I can hold my tongue in public, among strangers, but not among friends.
Describe your relationship to society. How do you see people as a whole? What do you consider a prevalent social problem? Name one. I'm sort of an antisocial misanthrope. Most people are idiots, and the idiots bring down the groups they belong in to the lowest common denominator.
A huge social problem, in my opinion, is organized religion. Organized religion could be good, but isn't because so many people are inclined to grab the first iota of meaning they can find without producing any rational reasons why the belief makes sense. I need meaning, but I wouldn't go so far as to invent a fairy tale to make myself sleep better at night.
How do you choose your friends and how do you behave around them? I choose my friends based on how interesting they are, who can have fun, and who has at least a wee bit of style. I really let loose around friends -- cracking lots of jokes, and throwing around lots of drama, wit, and sarcasm to keep things fun.
How do you behave around strangers? Depends on the environment. In a more formal arrangement, polite, composed, businesslike. A light smile, some polite laughter, very emotionally restrained. I hate it. In a less formal, less restricted arrangement, I'll still act however I usually do, just a little toned down. I can stay polite so long as people aren't trying to force me into a corner or act horrendously illogical.