Random questions

[BonosSaint]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
situations and information around you?
2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for
a child? I'm inclined to think 4 or 5 years old which is
the period most of us can remember back to. Perhaps
that is when understanding begins.
3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?
4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?
(Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy,
job, personal characteristic, etc.)
5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?
6. With whom are you completely honest?
7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?
8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?
9. What drives you?

 

[Angela Harlem]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
situations and information around you?
Ok everyone, I wrote an essay on nature vs nurture once and got 96% for it so I am pretty much an expert and no one can tell me I'm wrong, damnit. But, facetiousness aside, I believe strongly that environment is the biggest influence in our lives. Here's a question which I shall steal from Babylon 5 who stole it from hundreds of philosophers before them: Which came first- Thought or language? Can we have thought without language? Can we create language without thought? Think about it.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for
a child?
My own is 2.5 and in the last 6 or so months has shown scary but I assume rather normal, thinking. Just recently, in the last 1-2 months, she has shown she can count. Whether that's normal for a 2 and a half year old to count to 10, I dont know, but she does it on her own. She shows independant interest in things on her own. She seeks out what she likes without us. Countijng is not an activity we spent many hours pushing for. She likes numbers. She likes to count. Among other things, of course.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide partof themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?
Yes I thinik they do, and yes I think it is healthy. I think it is contrary to do otherwise. A person who is themselves regardless of the environment is just asking for trouble.

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?
(Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy,
job, personal characteristic, etc.)
Not any "label" labels. No one cares if I am a catholic aboriginal single mother with no legs. They dont care if I am a white non denominal second generation Australian with bipolar political views who works, studies, raises 1.5 children and thinks passion and fervour is what is most valued and dangerous to society, simultaneously.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?
New Zealand. Except for the weather, they are the most similar and choicest bros in the southern hemisphere.

6. With whom are you completely honest?
Everyone equally really in as much as one can be totally honest. I white lie on necessity, not the person.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?
love.

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?
A GT....who knows.

9. What drives you?
passion.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
situations and information around you?

Used to be by situations around me, and it still is to some extent..now I try to be controlled and created by myself as much as I can

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for
a child? I'm inclined to think 4 or 5 years old which is
the period most of us can remember back to. Perhaps
that is when understanding begins.

I have no idea, I know very little about kids


3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

Yes I do. It is necessary sometimes, healthy well probably not when it controls every aspect of your life and keeps others away and hurts others


4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?
(Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy,
job, personal characteristic, etc.)

I hate labels, but I'd say American, Catholic, moderate Democrat..I consider myself to be sort of a loner type..reasonably intelligent, guarded, pretty good sense of humor, not that patient w/ people. My feelings are all too easily hurt.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

Ireland

6. With whom are you completely honest?

God


7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?

Love, if you aren't loved you can still make yourself feel good by loving others and doing good deeds


8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?

Being able to let go of the past and forget what makes me feel badly about myself-I'm missing the ability to confront other people about certain things


9. What drives you?

Being curious about things, hoping the world could be a better place.. love, laughter and all that

 

[Liesje]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the situations and information around you?

As much as we like to think our individuality is the result of our own consciousness, I know mine is just a combination of the cultures in which I was raised and my own specific experiences.


2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for a child?

Not really sure....I think the only things I cared about were roller skating and playing outside until I was about 6/7.


3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks) to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

It depends on why you're wearing masks. I have some different masks I wear, but I usually do this to achieve something specific by taking on a specific role, not necessarily to hide something.


4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?

I think the best way to describe myself in a single word is independent. You could also use words like....practical, rational, and well-balanced.


5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

Australia, though I've never been there.


6. With whom are you completely honest?

Myself and God.


7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love or be loved?

Love, I suppose. I don't think I could leave myself in a situation where someone loved me and I was sticking around, but not loving back. That's kinda mean.


8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life complete or is your life complete as is?

I hate where I live (the weather), I want to have a few big dogs, and I REALLY miss doing gymnastics.


9. What drives you?

I'm motivated by pretty simple things, really. I'm not totally focused on career b/c for me, work is secondary...it's a way of paying the bills and allowing for other opportunities that I'd really care about, like camping with friends or family, volunteering to foster cats and dogs, being able to spend weekends on the beach...little stuff like that. I think I could work during the weekdays bagging groceries for the rest of my life and be entirely happy as long as I could live comfortably with a nice family and be able to spend time w/ them doing the recreation outdoor things that are my favorite things to do.

 

[aislinn]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
situations and information around you?

I'd say a good mix of both, though leaning towards my environment.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for
a child?

Probably around four or five, or about the time the child starts getting exposed to children his or her own age on a regular basis.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

Yes, I do think everyone wears some sort of mask to hide parts of himself/herself. I think it's necessary and healthy because there are pieces of each of us that should be kept private; there are things so special about each of us that are not for sharing.

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?

I tend to use personality traits first.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

Either Ireland or Scotland, even though I've never visited either place (though I plan to remedy that soon).

6. With whom are you completely honest?

God (why bother trying to lie? He can see straight into your heart anyway) and myself--I'm not a compulsive liar, but there are parts of me that are not for others to see.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?

I'd rather be loved.

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?

I'm not sure. I would say I'm pretty complete; I don't need to be completed by another person or circumstance, I don't think.

9. What drives you?

My personal values, hobbies, and interests.

 

[dandy]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the situations and information around you?

i think people are born with inherent personality traits and natural abilities, but also that we learn how to control our emotions and develop our talents based on the environment we find ourselves in. as we mature and gain an understanding of ourselves, and our role in the world around us, we gain more control over our lives.

i'm in the process of taking the control back in my own life. like MrsS, i'm trying to be the person i want to be. it's not always easy, but ultimately, it's what i need to do.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for a child? I'm inclined to think 4 or 5 years old which is the period most of us can remember back to. Perhaps that is when understanding begins.

again, i think we're all born with personality traits and natural aptitudes, so i think the autonomous individuality is there from birth. it just takes time for us to consciously realize it.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks) to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

yes, i think most people do. depending on the social context, there are certain sides of myself that i want to put forward, and other sides that i prefer not to reveal easily. i think we all do this on some level.

is this necessary? to an extent, yes. it's a protection of sorts, whether we want to project an air of confidence or just want to keep certain people on a casual, impersonal level.

is this healthy? yes, so long as you don't lose yourself in the masks and forget who you truly are underneath.

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself? (Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy, job, personal characteristic, etc.)

depends on who i'm describing myself to, i suppose. i'd prefer to describe myself in terms of personal characteristics because they're more telling of who i am than where i'm from , what i do for a living, etc.

in a professional context, i try to keep my political views/social philosophy out of the line of fire, because i'm a bit of a radical. i think it seeps through despite my best efforts, though--observant people tend to get a feel for who am pretty quickly.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

the netherlands. i haven't been to visit yet, but i have a deep personal connection with the country.

6. With whom are you completely honest?

i try to be completely honest with myself, but that's not always so easy.

my best friend lucy--we know each other so well that there's no point trying to pretend. it's rare to have that kind of connection with another human being, and i'm extremely lucky to have her in my life.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love or be loved?

love, no question. if you can't feel, you've got nothing. plus there are so many things to love: books, music, nature, ideas...

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life complete or is your life complete as is?

i hope my life never feels 100% complete, because then it's time to give up. it's the journey, not the destination.

right now, what's missing for me is a sense of connection. i'm adjusting to life outside of the educational system (recovering professional student), where it was very easy to be involved in so many things. now that i'm out, i have to go searching for things that matter, and it can be exhausting.

9. What drives you?

passion and anger.

 

[VertigoGal]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
situations and information around you?

It's always a combination, I guess, but I feel like I am more shaped by myself than events and people around me. I'm not fucked up, for starters.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for a child?

I can't really say, but probably around 3 or 4. I have memories of my 4th birthday, and how I felt that day.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

Yes, so much. I like to watch people sometimes, notice how predictable their conversations are, think about what they really think or feel. I'm like this a lot too. Maybe not with some of my closest friends, but with a lot of people I find myself almost dumbing myself down. I hate people that do that, but I know I'm guilty of it sometimes. Truth is, when I'm just completely myself, after a while people say I'm too cynical (it's *sarcasm* people!). I pretend to be happy in the peppy way around certain people. It's maybe not the healthiest thing, but I don't think it's too unhealthy. I don't pretend completely to be something I'm not, my friends know who I am.

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?
(Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy,
job, personal characteristic, etc.)

American...I feel a strong sense of identity with my country...not necessarily the government, or even the history, but the ideals. also, Jewish (even though I don't believe the religion ), Polish-American, moderate Democrat.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

Poland. A lot of suffering in that country to get where they are today (including my family), I'd love to go there some day.

6. With whom are you completely honest?

No one, really. I don't think I'm even honest with myself, although I'm getting better at it.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?

I honestly don't know. When someone you know you love doesnt love you back, it's a really awful feeling. It sounds selfish, but at this stage in my life I feel like I'd almost rather be loved. Unless this love also includes things like music, in which case I'd take the ability to love anyday.

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?

I'm missing a sense of achievement, progress, individuality. I want to feel like I'm completely living my own life, and that I'm doing something with it. I know I'm supposed to enjoy my childhood, but accomplishing things fulfills me, and I feel like I'm just sitting here.

9. What drives you?

I'm not arrogant or anything (lol), but I feel like I'm a smart person, I feel like I have something to give, I feel like I have a future. I don't need to be president of the USA, but I'm convinced that I'll do something significant with my life. Typical, naive but unrealistic optimism drives me I guess you could say.

 

[BVS]

1. I would say both. I don't know any blood relatives, but I see my family and how I was raised and brought up and there are just certain things about my personality that didn't come from that household. If it was purely environment I think I would have turned out completely different.

2. My first memory was actually at 14 months, but that's because it was pretty tragic my next memory was years later. But I think it begins at birth.

3. I'm someone who wear's my heart on my sleeves and I admit I still wear certain masks.

But mostly during foreplay.

4. I guess I usually start with personality traits.

5. I've always been obsessed with Ireland, even before I knew who U2 were. I think it has to do with having red hair and everyone assuming I was Irish and me really not knowing.

6. Completely honest or completely open? I'm honest with quite a few people, but right now I have no one to be completely open with.

7. I think because I've spent so long loving and not having it returned, I'd like to be selfish for a while and be loved.

8. A place I can call home.

9. Usually public transportation.

 

[beau2ifulday]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
situations and information around you?

A mix of the two - the balance has fluctuated at different times in my life though, and has never been completely even. I am still being 'created'.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for
a child?

Generally, i'd say 4 or 5. Personally, it was when I was 7.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

I'd say it's necessary and probably healthy too.
Many people feel more well equipped to deal with certain situations emotionally if they do wear a mask, however small or large it may be. I don't see how that can be a bad thing if it allows someone to enhance their experience of a short-term event.
If we're talking on a deeper emotional level, I think it can still be both necessary and healthy, provided that the individual doesn't lose sight of their own true feelings. I think when people become too detatched, the problems can start.


4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?
(Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy,
job, personal characteristic, etc.)

I don't tend to use labels. Those who know me well are aware of my traits without me having to state what they are.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

America - I have fond memories of times spent there as a child, when life was carefree and frivolous. 80% of my family also reside there, so I have emotional ties too.

6. With whom are you completely honest?

Noone, although the person I come closest to being most honest with is myself.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?

I would rather love. I am not the kind of person who embraces love towards me well, nor do I thrive on it - I tend to feel suffocated when someone has love for me, and it can inadvertantly make me hostile towards them.

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?

No - I miss the absence of my Father in my life. His departure had led to a number of emotional problems for me in the way I address and perceive life. I believe these problems could be resolved should he return.

9. What drives you?

The determination to overcome some medical problems I have at the moment - I want my life to regain some normality, and I strive every day to take small steps to help try and make this normality resume, sooner rather than later.

 

[elevation2u]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
Situations and information around you?
I think is it a combination of both, certain experiences, situations and information have shaped who I have become but I have also become aware of this and having lived many bad experiences and using them only to learn what Not to do as well as taking everything in consideration and living a good life despite everything else.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for
a child? I think we lose it as we grow up and is replaced by conformity.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?
There is a mask for everything but certain situations or maybe certain individuals I find myself without one and completely vulnerable, it is scary, exciting and also quite a rare and beautiful moment.

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?
(Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy,
job, personal characteristic, etc.)
creative, pacifist, introverted, awkward, literate
others would say ‘liberal’, ‘vet nurse’, ‘artistic’, ‘christian’, ‘political’, ‘vegetarian’, 'sarcastic', 'funny'

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?
This one is a bit challenging as of now I live in the US but I was born and raised as a young child in Mexico where I still have family and spend a lot of time. What would be ‘my’ country…Mexico or the US?

6. With whom are you completely honest?
God & myself, I don’t have any dark secrets or anything of that matter but I am a reserved person when it comes to personal matters so I would say my boyfriend and two close friends are the people I try to open up to.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?
Love
8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?
As of now I feel blessed, happy, loved and that is the best it has ever been. I have been through very low, dark periods of time but luckily with perseverance I was able to overcome them by myself. Things I am missing are more on the material side like “finish college”, “get a job I like”, “get a house”, “get a license”, “travel the world”, but overall I would say I am content with my life in general.

9. What drives you?
Life, love, patience,

 

[BonosSaint]

I am enjoying everyone's answers. What a diverse and interesting group we have here. Angela Harlem, would love to get into language and thought discussion. One of my favorite topics. Off the top of my head, I think thought comes first, but language both enhances and adds complexity to thought. I also think that the way we use language often has the effect of controlling thought.

 

[echo0001]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the situations and information around you?

Both. I've read a quite a bit about nature vs. nurture, and at this point, I can't see it any other way.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for a child? I'm inclined to think 4 or 5 years old which is the period most of us can remember back to. Perhaps that is when understanding begins.

I think children begin to display individual personality almost at birth, but that a psychological sense of seperation of the child's self-identification from the parent's indentity begins at around six.


3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks) to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

Yes, everyone masks part of themselves from others. And yes.


4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself? (Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy, job, personal characteristic, etc.)

My name? I don't think I use labels to describe myself...


5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

Australia, though I've never been there.

6. With whom are you completely honest?

Myself.


7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love or be loved?

Be loved.


8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life complete or is your life complete as is?

I think maybe a nice guy...yeah, that'd be good.

9. What drives you?

Curiosity.

 

[melon]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the situations and information around you?

Myself. I have always generally been off in my own world.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for a child? I'm inclined to think 4 or 5 years old which is the period most of us can remember back to. Perhaps that is when understanding begins.

Or perhaps that is where consciousness begins, but that's for another debate.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks) to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

What is a mask? What is our real selves? Even I no longer know.

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself? (Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy, job, personal characteristic, etc.)

I reject labels.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

Canada, most definitely. If I felt I could have a fulfilling career there, I'd probably move there permanently.

6. With whom are you completely honest?

No one. Not even myself.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love or be loved?

Unrequited love is empty for both parties involved.

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life complete or is your life complete as is?

A respectable job and the fact that same-sex immigration is currently impossible under current U.S. immigration law.

9. What drives you?

The fact that everything is trivial, and everyone is stupid; and, as such, the last thing I want to live is a trivial and stupid life.

Melon

 

[U2DMfan]

edit*

 

[U2DMfan]

what a great set of questions.

1. A combination. The first 15 years of my life were probably more parentally centerred, and since then, it hasn't been close. Tough to give a good answer. As myself today I am more of my own making than pawning it off on my parents.

2. I am not sure If I am un-drunk enough to answer
Can I have a mulligan on this question until tomorrow?

3. No not everyone wears a mask. Easy

4. I am my own person
I treat other people with the respect to get to know them first.
I see it as a two way street, I am just a dude. Want to get to know me, then ask. If not, be anohter asshole making stereotypes.

5. Ireland, Germany, Scotland.
I am a white boy and I like to drink. Plus music. and food and culture. I can't apologize for it.
Krauts and bagpipes and pint of Guiness or 12.
That's heaven for me.

6. Fucking everybody.
I have no respect for dishonesty.

7. I'd rather be loved.
I have enough love to go around, not enough of it actaully circles back around. I have a huge circle of friends, yet my relationships SUCK. I chose to be selfish on this answer.

8. A soul mate?

9. Love in family, friends and a passion for music.
There are other things but that gets it done.

Also fried potatoes, love em

 

[Saracene]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the situations and information around you?

Environment definitely plays a huge role - I felt it especially after moving to another country with a drastically different society to what I grew up in. But I'd hesitate to say what's more powerful, and which of my traits can be attributed to nature or nurture. For example, I've been a bookworm for as long as I can remember, but my younger brother who's been raised in the same book-loving house doesn't read much at all.

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for a child? I'm inclined to think 4 or 5 years old which is the period most of us can remember back to. Perhaps that is when understanding begins.

My first memory of myself goes back to when I was two years old, but I'd agree with 4-5 years estimate.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks) to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

Yes, and I treasure being able to hide myself from others very much. After all, your own head is about the only real privacy you have in life.

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself? (Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy, job, personal characteristic, etc.)

I try not to use labels as they're awfully generic.

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

UK, even though I've never been there.

6. With whom are you completely honest?

I try to be honest with myself, but the problem is that you want to look good in your own eyes as much as you do in other people's.

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love or be loved?

Be loved.

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life complete or is your life complete as is?

I can't really imagine ever being 100% satisfied with -everything- in my life, and all things considered, I think I'm bloody fortunate in life as it is.

9. What drives you?

Curiosity about the world.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I am enjoying everyone's answers. What a diverse and interesting group we have here. Angela Harlem, would love to get into language and thought discussion. One of my favorite topics. Off the top of my head, I think thought comes first, but language both enhances and adds complexity to thought. I also think that the way we use language often has the effect of controlling thought.

Would love to discuss this too I think I agree. Thought doesn't not necessarily require language, in it's most basic form. But I guess thought needs to be defined first lol. Hmm.
I also wish I could edit mine for all the typos and spelling mistakes. I really detest laptops.

 

[BonosSaint]

You want to take the first crack at defining thought?

 

[Angela Harlem]

I could well highlight how thought needs good grasp of language at least in my blundering!

 

[BonosSaint]

Ah, but blundering often leads to new thoughts (like misheard lyrics.)

 

[nbcrusader]

1. Do you think you were mostly created by yourself or by the
situations and information around you?

while a product of both, what you do with your environment is the critical factor

2. When do you think autonomous individuality begins for
a child? I'm inclined to think 4 or 5 years old which is
the period most of us can remember back to. Perhaps
that is when understanding begins.

elements of individuality can appear at earlier ages. Watching two kids growing up in the same household, yet having diverse personalities is very interesting.

3. Do you think everyone wears a mask (or shifting masks)
to hide part of themselves? Is this necessary, healthy?

we are all siting behind the largest "mask" on earth - the internet

4. What traits or labels do you first use when describing yourself?
(Nationality, religious affiliation, political or social philosophy,
job, personal characteristic, etc.)

Christian, husband, father, attorney

5. What country besides your own do you feel most connected to?

none - the artificial ties of ancestory really don't mean anything to me

6. With whom are you completely honest?

God (considering that He knows my heart, anything else would be futile) and my wife

7. Assuming for now you can't have both, would you rather love
or be loved?

love - giving is more rewarding than receiving

8. What are you missing that you feel would make your life
complete or is your life complete as is?

equiping my family for the future is an ongoing effort - one that I may never feel is complete

9. What drives you?

to be right before God