(no subject)
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? I'm a hopeless idealist, so I have to say that I'd want to encourage trust, love, or honesty. Since it can't be all three (you said one), I'd choose honesty, since it is crucial to the other two. I can't claim to be perfect, but I do try to always be as honest and objective as possible. It's screwed me over a few times, particularly in situations where I try to give an honest account of that happens, and listeners, assuming that I've swayed it in my favor, deduct what they figure must the the truthful portion and find it to point entirely away from me. I've complained often about our justice system (though I've been told plenty of times I'd make a great lawyer) because it seems to me that trials should consist of "Did you do it?" answered by "Yes," or "No," and that the rest of the trial should be spent agreeing on the form and duration of punishment. See? Idealist. Everyone should be honest (excepting those occasional useful no-you-don't-look-fat little white lies). So I suppose I should say that everyone should be honest when it truly matters. I don't care so much if you lie about your favorite color so that it matches you best friend's choice while you're in first grade.
What makes a person respectable? Predictably, I'm going to go with honesty on this one, as well. Status, education, and all that we generally use to judge a person are worth very little in the presence of great, or poor, character.
What do you look for in a friend? A great sense of humor, an open mind, intelligence and wit, creativity, loyalty, conviction and passion, faith in self and friends, respect for creatures, nature, and powers beyond our control, respect for the great minds and ideas of the past, wisdom, an understanding that (I'm getting into some psychology stuff here) morality in an adult is based upon personal beliefs, not laws and rules, and that it is more important to uphold one's own moral code than one outwardly imposed, even if it means breaking a few small (or huge) rules.
What are your hobbies? I'm a bookworm (mostly history, fantasy, and scientific romances --ex. The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Time Machine, and others that never fail to freak me out but create great mind expansion), I love animals, and I really enjoy goofing off with friends in what would be wasted time but for the hysterical laughter and wonderful memories it spawns
Have or would you give time and money to a charity? As a poor college student, I don't have much in the way of cash or time, but I would certainly give (and have given) both to what I felt was a worthy cause.
What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish? I want to leave my mark people, if only one person. My career goal is to teach. I was raised by teachers and have been blessed with many excellent ones on my path through school, and I can think of no more important use of life than shaping, inspiring, and encouraging those to whom we leave the world when we pass on. If I don't teach, I've seriously considered psychology and social work. I want very much to help people. As early as middle school, I was always thrilled when friends confided in me and asked for advice, hugs, or simply a sympathetic ear. I feel more complete and worthwhile when teaching and helping than at any other time.
Who is your role model? It's a blend between my grandfather and my dad. Pop was one of the most loyal, hard-working, loving people I've ever met, with a dedication to his family and his job that is sadly missing in my own generation. I notice its absence in myself, too, sometimes, and it disappoints me. I suppose you could say he's my role model for daily life and interpersonal relationships. Daddy, on the other hand, is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, a college professor with PhD. When I was younger, I thought there was nothing he didn't know, and even now, when my questions have for years brought answers of "I don't know," I've never lost faith in his mind. He's guarded with his emotions, but he feels more deeply than most men, I think, and he would give anything for me and mom to be happy. There is something that speaks to me in that: he has accomplished so much and touched so many people through his schooling and his work, but he would give it up for those he loves. Of course, he loves his work beyond comprehension, but he loves us, too. That balance of noble purpose and family impresses me.
What trait most annoys you about other people? Arrogance. That one was easy to answer. Arrogance undermines honesty, it undermines trust, and it creates harsh competition and bitterness. I'm quite competitive, myself, though not as much as I used to be, but I don't neglect to notice the negative string of dominos it can easily set in motion. Self-assurance is a grand thing, but it must be kept in check with modesty and a firm grip on reality.
What do you want to do for a living? I want to help, teach, inspire, and remind people never to give up.
If your friend was attacked (by a person, animal, or (in the magic world) beast), what would you do? Leap immediately to their defense, of course. As I'm currently sitting comfortably on an old couch in the presence of small furry mammals and momentos of family gatherings and vacations abroad, I'd like to say that I'd rack my brain for anything I might know about this person/animal/beast and use that to help defend my friend, but in all likelihood I'd leap headfirst (after momentary hesitation to gather thoughts) into the battle, praying that anything I might have once read will come to me as needed. I'm impulsive and headstrong and extremely defensive of my friends. I've thought for years that, if I had the opportunity to save someone but knew I would die in the process, that would be an excellent death. Successful sacrifice to save a friend, or anyone, would be worth any pain.
Would you ever use an Unforgivable Curse for any reason? Again, it has to do with the greater purpose at hand. For something purely noble or righteous, I might have some difficulty, but if my friends or family were at risk I wouldn't so much as blink. The side of me that feels bitterness and pain would possibly even enjoy torture of an enemy, though it makes me feel a bit ill to acknowledge that. Now that I'm thinking about it more, I feel I should amend this to say that I could use torture, but absolute control and murder would be beyond me, I think, under any circumstance. There are other ways to achieve your ends than to kill; there is always another way past someone.
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities? Open-mindedness and acceptance. Intelligence, curiosity, and insatiable inquisitiveness. Loyalty and love. Conviction and passion. Faith in the future and in myself to make things work out for the best.
What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities? Passion is as much a weakness as a strength because we are so easily blinded by it. I have a sharp tongue and an ability to know just where to slice someone to make them bleed; I don't particularly like this skill, and use of it usually makes me feel like scum, but in the moment I can be accutely cutting, especially if I have been wronged or witnessed the wronging of someone else, and part of me takes pleasure (though very short-lived) in this. I have difficulty allowing others to love me, though I love easily; sometimes I feel that, as I know my dark parts better than anyone else, they would be better off without the burden of loving me, though I know in my head that love is never a burden and I'm no darker, really, than most people. I sometimes ignore the advice that is given to me in my best interests, preferring instead to follow my own ideas, even when they haven't yet matured or taken into account all that they should; this is part of my characteristic stubbornness. That's only four, but they're the big ones, and I'm stumped to come up with another one on the same level. I'm sure I'm overlooking something obvious, but the only other things I can think of right now are petty and not significant to my overall personality.
Define in your own words the following key traits:
Courage: The ability and willingness to uphold the highest standards, even in the face of opposition, which, most often, comes in the form of daily encounters and not, as we all tend to imagine, in the form of basilisks, demons, and other blatant forms of evil. The truest evil is the type we allow to slip unnoticed or unaddressed into normal life.
Loyalty: Support of the best interests of those one loves. Though this could mean defending a friend, it more often means the difficult task of confronting them in the hope of guiding them back to a path they've lost along the way.
Intelligence: Appreciation of the expanse of the human thought, and even more of its limits. Respect for the thinkers of the past and the ability assimilte great truths into one's own concept of life.
Ambition: The dream of making a difference.
Name: Nikki
Age: 19
What house do you think DOESN'T fit you? I find, as JKR intended, that there is much of each house in me. I feel that I've given a rather Hufflepuff-ish application here, though it feels as if the questions posed targeted that side of me. Had I to sort myself, I would be torn between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, as I have been ever since I read the descriptions in the first books when I was around age 13. There is evidence here to the Ravenclaw side, but I don't feel the Gryffindor aspect was much tapped. There are, of course, Slytherin aspects to my personality, but I don't feel that they are dominant; more, I think, they serve to support and enhance the traits characteristic of the other houses. Though I doubt it will have much influence on your decisions, I would like to at least indicate here that I feel there's an enormous bit of lion in me, and I'd greatly like to see other questions posed, either at me via the comments or in future on the basic application. Just a suggestion; please don't be offended.
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