Member Questionnaire 1 (ILI)
What is beauty? What is love?
Beauty is everybody living in harmony and helping each other live their best lives. Short-sighted competition that hurts the community is ugly.

Love is treating somebody else as if they are the most important person or people in your life. While a certain amount of brotherly love is needed in a community for the community to perform its best, familial and romantic love are far deeper, and involve a much closer connection.
What are your most important values?
Socialism, environmentalism, and anti-racism are all near and dear to my heart, as is keeping active in politics. A strong community demands active participation from the community's inhabitants, and I am deeply saddened by how toxic political discourse has become, given the importance of political discourse.
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 a former Jehovah's Witness, now an atheist. The Jehovah's Witnesses did a good job of debunking other religious groups, and given I was born into the Jehovah's Witnesses, I once took the Jehovah's Witness organization (called the Watchtower Society) very seriously. When their doomsday predictions didn't come to pass, however, I looked into their history. I found they had a corrupt history of failed predictions, and were guilty of most of what they accused other religions of. I left the Jehovah's Witnesses, and have since not been convinced by any other religion.
Opinion on war and militaries? What is power to you?
War is something that should only be used in self-defence, but is often used to further capitalistic imperialism at the expense of the working class. The only war I think would be just in this day and age would be the working class waging war on the capitalist class, but I know that will never happen.
What have you had long conversations about? What are your interests? Why?
I speak at length about politics. There is so much in this world that can be improved upon, and I see politics as one of the most noble fields one can work in, though it saddens me the corruption that often plagues politics. Politics should be reclaimed by the common people from the wealthy elites, and democracy should be more universal, including in our workplaces!
Interested in health/medicine as a conversation topic? Are you focused on your body?
I am interested in good food and drink, but often neglect my health. I overeat and oversleep, and tend to be inactive.
What do you think of daily chores?
I am often behind on my chores as its often difficult for me to get started on any kind of work. I procrastinate often. As a result, my dwelling often goes without necessary cleaning or repairs for a long time. I live alone.
Books or films you liked? Recently read/watched or otherwise. Examples welcome.
I have been binge watching shows on Netflix like "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and "The Good Place". I enjoy the themes these shows explore, even if they feel a little "goofy" sometimes.
What has made you cry? What has made you smile? Why?
I cry when I think about how cruel people in the world are to one another. Humans exploit other humans. This isn't good. I also cry thinking about how the universe will eventually end and everything everybody ever worked for will end along with it.

I smile when I see people supporting socialism, as well as when I see them organizing to help the community--soup kitchens, acts of charity, ect. I also like seeing more young people getting involved in politics.
Where do you feel: at one with the environment/a sense of belonging?
I feel a sense of belonging among other socialists, environmentalists, and intellectuals.
What have people seen as your weaknesses? What do you dislike about yourself?
I'm often very slow-moving and not attentive to my physical surroundings. I've been bullied all my life for my slowness and inattention. I have one speed at which I do everything and I'm often so lost in my own thoughts that I have problems and frustrate people.
What have people seen as your strengths? What do you like about yourself?
I'm very academic and all though grade school, college, and graduate school, I was able to understand topics with such ease that I seldom studied and still graduated with honors. I'm also very patient with other people, and can put people at ease. For a living, I work with the disabled community to help them get the resources they need.
In what areas of your life would you like help?
If I had a housemate who could cook for me and clean, and generally help care for me, I'd like that. Also, we could go on drives together and talk with each other.
Ever feel stuck in a rut? If yes, describe the causes and your reaction to it.
I sometimes feel as though my activism isn't being successful, and yes, that sometimes feels like being "in a rut".
What qualities do you most like and dislike in other people? What types do you get along with?
I like people who are altruistic and wish well for others, and I dislike people who are tribalistic and cruel.
How do you feel about romance/sex? What qualities do you want in a partner?
I'm a middle-aged virgin. I've never been approached by anybody and my own feelings surrounding romance and sex confuse me. I'm probably asexual.
If you were to raise a child, what would be your main concerns, what measures would you take, and why?
I'd want to raise my children to be upstanding citizens of the world and to be willing to help others.
A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward and outward reaction?
I'd feel very deeply hurt, but I'd try to bring them around to my point of view, if the clash of beliefs was over beliefs I find important. If the clash is over something important, and I can't bring them to believe as I believe, we probably wouldn't remain friends very long. If they aren't important beliefs, I'm more likely to let the disagreement go and "agree to disagree".
Describe your relationship to society. How do you see people as a whole? What do you consider a prevalent social problem? Name one.
I see people as a whole as hurting and victimized by a malevolent capitalist elite. Some people (environmentalists, socialists, and anti-racists) understand this, but others have directed their hurt and anger at the wrong targets. I think most people would be good if given the chance, but capitalism and environmental destruction bring out the worst in people.
How do you choose your friends and how do you behave around them?
I choose my friends on the basis of if they align with my politics. We like to meet over food and drink and discuss our activism projects, and what we plan to do next to help our community. We are a generally quiet bunch,
and discuss serious topics.
How do you behave around strangers?
I am polite, reserved, and distant, but still warm.