1) Context:
a) What is your age range and general location (Country so that cultural values can be taken into account)? Do you have any impairments that may affect the way that you answer this questionnaire? Any religious or political beliefs (or anything else along those lines) that also might have an effect?
- Twenty(ish). Born and raised in the US. No known impairments. Agnostic, generally left-libertarian.
b) Which types are you currently considering? Why are you considering them and why haven’t you decided on one?
- Have my eye more on the NFP types, but am also open to the possibility that I'm completely wrong, which might be a very NFP thing to say. I'm even less sure about the enneagram, especially with the subtype stackings. Maybe I'm just afraid of settling into a fixed identity.
2) What do you deem as your purpose in life?
- To explore and understand many angles of conscious experience, and to make those angles apparent to other people in a genuine way.
3) Of the seven deadly sins, which one(s) do you relate to the most and the least and why?
- Sloth. I don't do enough. I find it too easy to daydream or to mess around with friends.
4) Analyzing your relationships with others, briefly describe:
a) The type of people you are drawn to
- Funny, deep people - people who struggle with the facticity of life, but still find ways to rise above and to delight in the more numinous qualities of existence.
b) The type of people who are drawn to you
- Anxious and offbeat people seeking a non-judgmental person to chill and laugh with. People who need to release their inner weirdness in the company of a fellow weirdo
c) The type of people you are repulsed by
- Dogmatic, inconsiderate people who use violence or manipulate others. People who treat others as means to an end, rather than ends in themselves.
5)What are the traits in others that you admire but you cannot emulate yourself? Elaborate.
- Commitment to one thing. Follow through. Total investment. Practical sense. It's hard to remain engaged and focused for long amounts of time.
6) Describe your relationship with the following:
a) Anger
- Internalize it a lot, but will swiftly defend my values if I feel it's just. Won't really explode at someone unless they're pushing me or are being a complete jerk.
b) Shame
- Feel this a lot, especially with old memories that come out of nowhere. But I think it motivates me to be a good person or to be more self-aware.
c) Fear
- Gets me sometimes. Probably holds me back from committing fully to what I love, but can also help me get myself together now and then.
d) Love/passion
- Usually more of dreamy passive relationship I have toward most things, but can come out in extremes when prompted by a select few individuals. Or music.
e) Conflict
- I try to avoid this, as I'm easily overwhelmed. But if I feel I must defend something worthwhile, then I'll stand my ground.
7) What are some of the themes that have played a prominent role in your life (ie. A struggle you’ve been unable to conquer, ect)?
- A pervading sense of apathy and longing that makes it difficult for me to feel committed to the present.
8) What is your area of work/study? Why did you choose this and would you change it? If so, what would be your ideal?
- Anthropology student. I like writing, and am interested in the varyied modes of human existence throughout the world and across time. Part of me could imagine delving into a real esoteric area of study, like the cognitive science of religion or something like that. But another part of me really wants to create something that people can experience, like a novel or an avant-garde museum.
9) When meeting a new person, what do you tend to focus on?
- What they value, what motivates them. The range of ideas or feelings they're willing to explore. If they can be both light-hearted and heavy-hearted.
10) How do you feel about humanity as a whole? What do you feel are some of the biggest problems the human race faces and why?
- We have a lot of potential, but are often weighed down by fear and laziness, both of which lead to conformity, materialism and even violence. If more people were willing to open their minds and look at the world through the eyes of another, then things would get better.
11) What are some of your hobbies and interests?
- Listening to music. Reading, writing, drawing, watching films/tv. Conversing with friends, evaluating popular culture and societal trends. Traveling, going on solitary walks, hiking, camping, kayaking, swimming. Going to museums, bars.
13) How do you usually “hang out†with your friend(s)? When answering, think about what activities you tend to choose, whether you hang out with one person at once or many, whether or not you initiate the interaction.
- I do a lot of one on one. But sometimes that turns into a group thing if I'm with the right person. We'll often joke, talk about nearly everything, play games, chill outside, go out somewhere, watch something, etc. Some friends I'll talk about artistic or philosophical stuff, others not so much. But good humor always seems to be there.
14) What is more important, actions or words? Why?
- Neither. Both can be coming from the heart, or not at all. Sometimes words are all that need to be said, sometimes they're empty. It's all real situational.
15) Oh dear, you’ve been cursed by a witch! It’s ok though, you get a choice on which curse you will receive. Will you choose….
a) To never be able to experience the sensation of taste
b) To be immortal
c) To lose your memories
d) To be poor for the rest of your life
e) Or to never experience passion
Elaborate on why!
- Haha, that's hard. But I guess I'd choose being poor. All the other choices seem to steal a very human aspect from me, but I think I could still have a very full life if I was really poor. Life without the other things is unimaginable, and I've always felt that being immortal would be a fate worse than death.
16) What do you hope to avoid being? If it helps, describe a person who embodies what you avoid/you as a villain, ect.
- Close-minded, boring, violent. A mindless death-bot that lacks the ability to feel or imagine. A sellout, someone who betrays who they are for security's sake.
17) How do you relate to obsession? Do you tend to "merge" with others or your interests? How do you feel about the idea of doing this?
- It doesn't always happen, but when it does it's bliss. There are certain people or certain types of art that completely engage me, like It's like a breath of fresh air that lifts me up from the rest of life. I feel like most of the time though, I'm kinda deprived of this though. Like I'm just floating around waiting to be lifted again.
18) Organized or messy? Plans and blueprints or impulse and surprises? What are your preferences and tendencies?
- Not too messy, because I'm a bit of a minimalist. But I am the more spontaneous, impulsive type, who will do things in an unpredictable, self-directed manner. I love drifting along and letting life surprise me, compared to others who need everything settled and done.
19) How do you subjectively view comfort and how do you create comfort in your life and surroundings?
- Comfort is realizing that even though some part of life and ourselves will always be dark and restless, that there is another part that always remains still and content with being itself. It's about giving yourself a break, and feeling free to take time resting, enjoying pets/food, letting loose with friends, etc.
You've been very helpful. I might get around to a collage soon enough. And as for the shame and fear stuff: Now and then I'll be presented with a memory of me being very not self-aware, and it makes me reevaluate my actions. For fear, I often dwell on the fact that I might never measure up or discipline myself to the point that I can manifest my daydreams or achieve a more ideal situation.
