(no subject)
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? At this point, so many things come to mind. I'm tempted to say "World peace," just to make everyone grimace at the triteness. But no. Let's see. I suppose I would love to see everyone in the world be more curious. A childlike curiosity, if you will. There's a certain sense of wonder, of wanting to know, that really affects a person's actions. They are more respectful of people and places around them, because you learn more about a person if you don't insult them, and you can find out more about a meadow if you don't mistreat it. It's much harder to be disillusioned, to be bitter, to be self-involved, when you have realized just how much is out there, and how little you, personally, have known or experienced! Life stops being about getting ahead and starts being a quest for knowledge, for newness, for something you never knew before. I think the world would be better off if we all, to quote the cliche, "stopped to smell the roses," as well as to touched them and marveled at their softness, watched their progression from a bud to a bloom day after day, and realized what a miracle is involved in their very existence!
What makes a person respectable? As with many qualities, respectability is a mirrored trait: a person is shown to be respectable by showing respect to others. A sense of justice is essential -- a desire to treat all equitably and to speak up when he or she witnesses injustice. Oh, and courtesy! I really should have put that up above, because courtesy is sorely lacking in our society; when someone demonstrates good manners and thoughtfulness, my opinion of them is greatly increased.
Also, a reasonable amount of intelligence contributes to respectability as well - not necessarily a high IQ, but an ability to think for oneself and to make good decisions based on one’s own experience, logic, and knowledge. I respect that. And on a vaguely related note, I think independence is a large part of respectability. Not independence in the sense of "I don't need anybody," but rather a combination self-reliance and a willingness to accept responsibility. A victim mentality or an unwillingness to take responsibility for one's own success or failure definitely lowers my respect for a person.
What do you look for in a friend? Ooh, toughie. I would have to say that I look for a person of intelligence and integrity, but someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously. She (for the sake of convenience, I'll stick to the feminine pronoun for now) has to have a sense of humor, too (very necessary, as I have a sense of humor that ranges from the goofy to the very dryly sarcastic, and she's gotta laugh at both!). I appreciate a friend who I can talk to about anything -- from gossip to current events to philosophy -- so I'd like her to be reasonably well-versed in literature, world events, history, and even pop culture up to a point. A person who is totally oblivious to this world and its history and culture just kind of gets on my nerves (Don't they care?). That said, everything else is pretty much open; even if she has a polar opposite philosophy/political stance/religion/etc., I always enjoy a good, lively (but friendly!) debate. Hmm. Yep, I think those are the main two: a reasonable amount of intelligence and a high standard of personal integrity.
What are your hobbies? Anything!
What, you mean you want me to be more specific? Fine, then.
My first love was (and remains) reading. I will read anything I can get my hands on. I love the classics, like Hugo, Shakespeare, and Austen. I'll read philosophical books, biographies, nonfiction, mysteries, chick lit -- anything! I also love (good) sci-fi, whether classic or more modern -- everything from the Bradbury to Orson Scott Card. Aside from my Bible, my most treasured book -- or rather books -- is The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which, after all, is only the most brilliant literary creation of all time, not to mention one that has affected every writer, fantasy or otherwise, since its publication. The characterization, plotting, and loving attention to every detail never fails to suck me in to the world of Middle Earth every time I read Tolkien. I am in awe of his dedication to his work -- the man invented whole languages for the books, created whole histories, genealogies, cultures. I love it. After all, if you're going to create another world, you might as well do it right, eh?
My next hobby would be writing. I suppose that goes hand in hand with reading, but anyway. I love to write poetry and short stories, and I would dive into more ambitious projects such as some sort of novel if 1.) I had a longer attention span (the plot bunnies never sleep!) and 2.) I actually had the time and energy -- my current career as a student seems to have the primary goal of sucking all creativity and energy out of me, try as I may to fight it. Unfortunately, I am fiercely protective of my work and refuse to show it to pretty much anyone. I published my last (and only, in fact) fanfic several years ago, and I still haven't decided if I regret doing so. But, regardless of whether or not anyone but me reads my work, I still love to write. And if I don't, I end up not sleeping at night because of the plot bunnies that hop incessantly through my head and chatter endlessly at me. So writing isn't so much of a hobby as a necessity, really.
Other miscellaneous hobbies:
Singing and music -- I was brought up in a musical household, and I'm always happiest when I'm humming something. Oldies, pop, or classical, showtunes or soundtracks, I love it all.
Drawing and sketching -- I constantly doodle and sketch on everything, especially during class. I'm a visual learner, so even when listening to a lecture I need to be looking at something. Also, I just love to draw. This causes my teachers no end of consternation, especially those that don't know me well. I'm kind of a stereotypical nerdy student/teacher's pet, so it confuses them when it looks as if I'm tuning out the whole lecture -- but really, I'm not. I just get bored easily. Although I don't think they'd find that comforting...
Have or would you give time and money to a charity? Of course! I've volunteered for our local Red Cross chapter and Ronald McDonald House (a low-cost home for families who have kids with serious diseases and need to travel long distances for treatment), and am currently working at the local Humane Society. So much fun. I feel pretty strongly about helping out however I can -- for instance, in January, my friends and I organized a fundraising drive to benefit the Southeast Asian tsunami victims. We sold buttons and wristlets, collected donations at local businesses, and even put on a benefit concert in the space of two weeks, raising over three thousand dollars for the Red Cross (that was pretty cool). My new cause is that of the Invisible Children, an organization aiding children in Uganda who are in constant danger of being kidnapped, brainwashed, and forced to fight for the rebel army (visit here for more info). Wow. I just realized I'm rambling incessantly, so I'll move on.
What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish? Hmm. I suppose my main goal in life is to learn as much as I can. Not necessarily in the textbook sense, but just to...I don't know. Never stop trying to find out things. I think without that sense of wonder, I would very quickly become disillusioned and depressed. It's easy to fall into a routine, to get bored, to find yourself in a rut. And I fall victim to that all the time. But I keep trying to remind myself that there is a whole WORLD out there, you know? Life is bigger than my school, than my hometown, than my state or country or even this planet! I guess that's not really a concrete accomplishment I'm aiming for; it's more of an anti-goal. I don't want to lose my sense of wonder. I don't want to get complacent. I hope to make the most of the opportunities and talents I've been given, and to help others to do the same. I want to use my life to its full potential!
Who is your role model? You know, I looked at that question and drew a blank. Then I started thinking, "Well, who should my role model be?" until I realized that was kind of dishonest. I have lots of people I look up to and admire, lots of people I respect and hope to learn from, but not really one single personage who makes me think: "Wow. I wish I could be just like that person." So I'll create a hybrid role model, a Super!Role Model who embodies qualities I admire in a whole bunch of different people. Soooo...: I admire the courage and desire to fight for justice, as demonstrated by Martin Luther King, Jr. I admire the intelligence and dedication to knowledge I see in my mother. I admire my father's sense of humor and ability to find something interesting in any topic. I admire the logical, reasoned, well-thought out faith of C.S. Lewis. I admire my fifth-grade teacher for showing me that history is fascinating, Shakespeare doesn't have to be confusing, and that even math can be fun if you approach it the right way.
What trait most annoys you about other people? Arrogance, disrespect, and incompetency. I don't mind if you're smarter than me (and chances are pretty good that you are), but don't shove it in my face. And don't shove it in anybody else's face either. I don't mind if you disagree with me; variety is the spice of life, after all. But if you dismiss my viewpoint without bothering to hear me out, or if you stubbornly adhere to a belief or opinion without knowing the facts or even attempting to learn them...that just pisses me off. I clash with teachers more often than I'd like to admit, because I challenge unfairness and just plain wrongness when I see it. Unfortunately, all too often the teacher in question gets defensive and resorts to either the "Well, this is my class, live with it," defense or the classic, "You should have known this was what I wanted." Shudder. Both responses demonstrate an astonishing lack of respect for the student, and I cannot respect a teacher who does not respect his or her students. Or any authority figure, for that matter, if they treat those they have authority over with disrespect and arrogance. Condescension is my sworn enemy. Condescend to ANYONE, and I will personally fight you to the death (verbally, that is).
As for incompetence (another thing I face all-too-frequently with high school teachers), it just...really annoys me. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, of course, but I'd really prefer that someone figures out where their gifts are and sticks to that area. I appreciate someone trying to branch out, but if you're teaching physics and you need a student to point out basic math errors -- on several occasions -- then something's wrong. I get very irritated very quickly by incompetence -- I don't hold it against someone, I just remove myself from the situation or that person's company as soon as possible. And preferably find someone knowledgeable to fix any mistakes the previous person made. Then I feel better.
What do you want to do for a living? Hoo boy. No idea. The various careers I have considered include paleontology, creative writing, landscape architecture, biology, law, social work, psychology, journalism, animal behavior, and government. Basically: no idea. Currently, my dream job would involve working with dolphins and other marine mammals. They're fascinating creatures whose intelligence we are just beginning to understand, and they just intrigue the heck out of me. I would love to be a trainer at Sea World or the like, but I think my current Dream Job O' Dreaminess would be training dolphins for the Navy -- they teach them to recognize underwater mines, then take them out and have them identify any existing mines so they can be removed. Pretty cool. But, as you can see above, I can't for the life of me decide what exactly I want to do.
If your friend was attacked (by a person, animal, or (in the magic world) beast), what would you do? Fight back. Not physically, of course -- I'm not exactly the muscular, powerful type, but I will give them what-for and use any resources at my command to drive them off. I've had (unfortunately) quite a bit of experience with bullies; I can laugh them off and/or insult them with those lovely, veiled jabs-that-seem-like-compliments-except-they're-really-not, which gives me no little satisfaction and generally makes the bullies lose interest, but then they move on to others, and that just pisses me off, and I will give them a tongue-lashing they won't soon forget. Animal-wise, I'd likely protect my friend as best I could at the moment, then try to figure out why the animal was attacking and use that knowledge to try to lure it away or calm it down. If it was a beast doing the attacking, then I'd use a spell to exploit a magical or physical weakness and drive it off.
Would you ever use an Unforgivable Curse for any reason? That depends on the situation. If I were an Auror authorized to use an Unforgivable Curse under certain circumstances, and the situation called for it, I might use one, but only as a last resort. And other than that, I don't think so. Especially not the Imperius Curse, which I find the most distasteful of the three. Something about literally forcing another human being to obey your every command just gives me the willies. Even a slave or a prisoner can disobey or rebel. If someone is under the Imperius Curse, there is almost no chance of escape.
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities? Eep. I must admit, I hate these types of questions. Here we go.
First, I suppose, would be my optimism. Although I have a sarcastic and rather cynical sense of humor, I'm actually quite hopeful at heart. I prefer to assume the best of people and situations, and I always try to see potential in even the darkest moments. It saddens me when I hear people who are truly embittered by life, because I make a point of never giving up hope.
At the risk of sounding horribly conceited, I think I have to include my intelligence. I try not to appear proud or conceited (HUGE pet peeves of mine), but I do get good grades and score very well on tests. That's all very well and good, I hear you saying, but that doesn't measure intelligence. To which I reply, Thank you! I think our culture today has really lost sight of what it means to be intelligent. Kids are trained from birth, it seems, to fill in bubbles on Scantron sheets. English classes concentrate on spelling and essay formats, not on creativity, quality of ideas, or the ability to make connections. Rote memorization is at a premium, instead of the ability to analyze historical patterns and see similarities between the past and the present. Math and science is all about scoring well on standardized tests or getting into a good school, not the joy of discovery or the satisfaction of solving a difficult problem. I don't mean to say that I never fall victim to the things I've just criticized, but I do try to break free of what society says learning is all about, because I think it's not right. All those things have their time and place, but true education and true intelligence are by their very nature impossible to measure. So I guess I should modify my answer from "intelligence" to "desire for true intelligence." Which is rather vague, I guess, but so is the whole concept. That's why it's so hard for people to grasp, I think.
Third would be ability to communicate. I love to communicate verbally, whether it be in speech or writing. There's a statistic floating around somewhere that says most people are afraid of speaking in public, but I'm not. I never pass up a chance to express myself however I can. I seem to have inherited my speaking skills from my father, which may or may not be a blessing -- we can argue until we're blue in the face and get nowhere. I don't even know where creative writing came from; I suppose that's my dad as well. In any case, communication is very important to me. One of the things that frustrates me the most is when I am unable to get my point across, for whatever reason.
Determination. Although I can have a short attention span, if I am passionate about something, I grab hold and I do not let go. Make of this what you will. I am very passionate about various causes and I will not back down in the face of criticism. I'll take my fight to the top if need be, and I'll exhaust all channels of communication. If I'm dedicated to a project, it will get done, make no mistake. I always see projects through to the end, sometimes just for the satisfaction of getting them done and knowing I've done my best.
Personal integrity. I hold myself to high standards, and I have a rather overactive conscience. I hate even the insinuation that I've been dishonest or sneaky. I'll admit to the various white lies that everyone tells, but I've never been the sort of person to deliberately lie to people I care about. I do my best to show respect to everyone, whether or not I'm particularly fond of them, and to treat them with fairness. I slip up, of course -- all the time, I'm afraid -- but if it means anything, I always feel horrible afterwards.
What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities? Ooh, this is much easier.
Perfectionism. I am fiercely perfectionistic (although I've been getting better in the past few years). Projects need to be finished and flawless. I need to never get into fights or to be disliked by anyone. I must always be on time and my behavior must always be impeccable. If any of these conditions are not met, I berate myself. Needless to say, it's a trait I'm not proud of. I hated group porjects, because I was always the kid who voluntarily took on all the work, not because she wanted to or because everyone else flaked out, but because she was the only person she knew would get it done right and on time, and she was too anal to trust anyone else with the responsibility. I really am working on it, though.
Hypercritical-ness (is that a word? Hypercriticism didn't sound right...). This is directly related to my perfectionism, but I'm very quick to notice flaws in other people or their work. I might not necessarily remark on it, but I do notice. For instance, I am extraordinarily sensitive to basic grammar errors (did anyone else read that book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves? GENIUS), and if I notice those errors in someone's writing, I automatically think just a teensy bit less of their ability. Again, not something I'm proud to admit. This also ties in to my intolerance of incompetency. I make sure everything I say and do is correct, why doesn't everyone else? Sigh.
Stubbornness. Hoo boy. The flip side of determination. I can dig my heels in like there's no tomorrow. The trouble is, I'm pretty reasonable to begin with; I make sure I know the facts, I think my position through logically -- and then I entrench myself and I AM NOT MOVING EVER. Although I usually try not to get too heated during debates, I can at times be overly strident. Because I am right, can't you see that? Another sigh. This makes for some pretty exciting arguments with my parents, let me tell you. Especially since my dad shares this exact same trait. Fun!
I am easily bored. I hate being confined, both physically and mentally. I get antsy in a classroom, not only because I want to stretch my legs, but because all too often we're going over a concept for the fifth time and I get it already, can we move on? And when I am bored, I get annoyed, because there are so many other things I could be doing and learning instead of sitting here on my behind, adding nothing to my knowledge or my enjoyment of life. I wish I was able to alter this trait, but I'm afraid it's with me for life. Routine and repetition are just part of life, I know, but I hate it. I can get pretty resentful at times, because I'm not getting the absolute most out of the situation (as my perfectionism demands), which unfortunately leads to me being hypercritical of the teacher or authority figure, and then they get defensive and I get stubborn and dig in my heels, and isn't it lovely how all my less-admirable traits dovetail into one another?
Last but certainly not least, I am accustomed to getting my own way. I often forget how privileged I am to live in a developed country where luxuries such as water, food, and shelter are taken for granted, and how many opportunities I have been given. As such, I can be a bit petty at times if things don't work out just the way I want them. If I don't get the grade or recognition I want, I get resentful and will sometimes complain or fight back. If I have to wait for something, I get impatient and irritated during the interval. If I pursue a cause or objective and don't come out victorious, I am thoroughly annoyed and may hold a grudge against the responsible party for quite some time. I'm working on this one too -- simple life experience tends to open my eyes quite a bit, as you might imagine.
Define in your own words the following key traits:
Courage: The ability to face one's fears. To overcome the basic instincts of self-preservation and selfishness, and to instead rise to the challenge of sacrificing something for the sake of something more important. It can be as simple as standing up to a bully who is threatening a friend (sacrificing one's safety for that of one's friend), or as important as engaging in civil disobedience for a just cause or fighting for one's country despite one's own misgivings and fears. There are many types of courage, but all make a difference.
Loyalty: In a sense, love. The acceptance of a person, with all their qualities, quirks, and flaws, and deciding to stand by them no matter what. For some reason, I am at a loss for more to say. I think that sums it up.
Intelligence: Hmm. Well, to begin with, see my entry under top five qualities. But in a nutshell: The desire to gain knowledge and the desire to use it to gain still more. Someone who is intelligent is never satisfied with what they know, but rather is always thirsty for more. In addition, someone who is intelligent uses the knowledge they have to understand and appreciate the world around them, and to help others do the same. They are always learning more, understanding more, questioning more, perceiving more.
Ambition: The drive to better oneself and to use any resources and opportunities available to achieve that goal.
Name: Katherine
Age: 17
What house do you think DOESN'T fit you? (This question is optional for those who feel they just DO NOT fit in a house. Please explain WHY.) Hmm. I don't know. I'll leave it up to all you lovely people to decide.
Where did you find out about us? Why, through cleolinda, of course!