Do you belong here?

[Ex-User (5841)]

FYI, choosing 0 equates to immediately deleting your account after posting.

This is something I've been thinking about for a few weeks now. I've taken a liking to this place and I've honestly learned and grown quite a bit though I've only been here less than a year. At the same time, I find myself increasingly faced with the thought "I've already had this discussion" (not necessarily here) and simply wind up procrastinating in some other manner. This isn't to say I know it all, just that some things that once interested me no longer do so.

I give myself a 6. I know I'm just above a neutral 5 because I'd miss this place if I left.

I've intentionally chosen not to necro an old thread (without a poll) on this same subject because I'm partly interested in change since that thread was created (So all you long-time members, don't revisit, if you can help yourselves. NO CHEATING!) Here it is, for those who are curious: http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=4899

 

[Puffy]

I gave a 7. But that owes a lot to 'settling in' over time. I've developed a lot while I've been here as well. Motivated me in a few ways. If I was to go by the current posting on the boards in general I'd probably say about 2-3 though.

 

[eagor]

i put 5 because my mbti fits and i enjoy it here, though i have a feeling that if it were up to other people i would be lucky to get a two...

 

[Cognisant]

9 were this the Flying Dutchman I'd be halfway into the mast by now.

 

[Solitaire U.]

'Belonging' implies a linear path with severe responsibilities to conform. I'm really just here for kicks and entertainment. When I comply with the expectations of The Great INTPiquity, it's purely incidental / accidental...

So yeah, I'm definitely not a cult of INTPf personality, and have no aspirations to be so. Hence, 0.1 on your scale, which is just enough to give me an excuse not to delete my account.

 

[Words]

'Belonging' implies tribe mentality, partiality and low individuality. Qualities I'm not fond of. I chose 6 though. >.>

 

[redbaron]

Maybe a 5. My humour and opinions are reciprocated every now and then, but I find I'm not interested in the content of probably 90% of threads, and I don't generally have a desire to contribute to the 'serious' threads.

I'm more interested in reading some funny content and sharing opinions on topics that my experience/understanding is enough to give a reasonable argument.

I tend to develop a certain amount of disdain for the teenager/student personalities that post here. Their infantile and presumptuous nature is irritating.

 

[Solitaire U.]

Maybe a 5. My humour and opinions are reciprocated every now and then, but I find I'm not interested in the content of probably 90% of threads, and I don't generally have a desire to contribute to the 'serious' threads.

I'm more interested in reading some funny content and sharing opinions on topics that my experience/understanding is enough to give a reasonable argument.

I tend to develop a certain amount of disdain for the teenager/student personalities that post here. Their infantile and presumptuous nature is irritating.

@redbaron I like you.

 

[Minuend]

Do you think you belong here

I don't have any strong opinion at this point. My posting has decreased, I find less of the intuitive topics and games I used to like. Topics nowadays are more practical, more relating to the observable universe, so to speak.

 

[Tony3d]

I honestly don't particularly like INTPs in general... I just come here out of pure curiosity to see what conclusions other people with my "condition" have made of it in life and in theory...

I am too feely and externally framed to fit in with most INTPs, this disharmony in my own personality is troubling to think about...

But anyways, I put 1, I am curious, but I rarely have any connection, and that is totally fine by me.

 

[joal0503]

where are we right now anyways?

 

[SpaceYeti]

I know that I belong somewhere through the observation that it's where I am.

 

[crippli]

where are we right now anyways?

On the Internet?

I think I belonged better on the net in the earlier days(prior to forums). I would like to invent a new neural interface where we can connect completely wireless. Computer technology, have to use this interface, is getting old on me. I'm ready for the next level, the problem is to make this new technology, not sure how to do it. In the mean time, I'll make do with what is(it's still superior to the alternatives imo).

This place does have the spirit of the ideas behind the net, as I presume is why I like it. When no longer welcome, I'll just go somewhere else. No problem. I haven't voted yet, but suspect a 5, just on the tipping scale. Mostly slips by relatively unnoticed, hopefully.

 

[BigApplePi]

I gave it a nine but I winced. Does wincing count for something? Where else would I go? I tell you what. I will think about whether I deserve to belong because I'm not sure if ... define "home" will ya. I can leave any time right? No I can't. This is not a question I can answer by myself. A lot depends on whether I am welcome. I say you are welcome whether you are INTP or not.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

I chose 8 because someone once asked me what my lucky number is and I said 8. A few days before (I was around 10 at the time) I was playing a game and needed an 8 and only an 8 to win and that's what I rolled. It kinda stuck.

It's a strange question. I've been here off and on for a fairly long time. I've taken 3 extended breaks because after awhile I just...can't anymore. I'm free here. I can be an ass, a dumbass, a smartass and occasionally a nice guy. I'm reluctant to be the 3 asses in my other dealing in the world and while I try to be a nice guy sometimes I don't pull it off very well for a couple reasons; general awkwardness and a resemblence to my avatar (minus the porcine features) tends to scare people a little. I cannot for the life of me "wear a smile on my face" and I've tried.

So the decision is mine as to whether or not I belong here. I'm perfectly happy saying yes even after only recently returning from an extended absence. As eagor stated above, you all may feel differently. Too Bad!! <---please don't take that as a dare you wonderful beautiful moderators.

As Minuend alluded to, this place has certainly changed. I'm glad to see a lot of people and miss a whole lot more. I miss the liveliness and energy that for a time existed here. Especially though, I miss the respectful loving disdain we used to often treat each other with .

 

[own8ge]

0. I don't belong here and could certainly be considered being equivalent to deleting my account. Problem is, I don't belong in life. Never have belonged anywhere.

 

[Duxwing]

0. I don't belong here and could certainly be considered being equivalent to deleting my account. Problem is, I don't belong in life. Never have belonged anywhere.

Ohhh, wow. That sounds rough, wanna talk about it?

-Duxwing

 

[Duxwing]

I gave it a nine but I winced. Does wincing count for something? Where else would I go? I tell you what. I will think about whether I deserve to belong because I'm not sure if ... define "home" will ya. I can leave any time right? No I can't. This is not a question I can answer by myself. A lot depends on whether I am welcome. I say you are welcome whether you are INTP or not.

You're always welcome here, BAP. Here, have some roast boar as the fire crackles by our feet.

-Duxwing

 

[joal0503]

Ohhh, wow. That sounds rough, wanna talk about it?

-Duxwing

its a tough place to fit in, when you just cant seem to buy in to any of the horseshit routine we call 'life'.

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television...

 

[Duxwing]

its a tough place to fit in, when you just cant seem to buy in to any of the horseshit routine we call 'life'.

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television...

What would such a routine be? What, precisely, makes doing something that everyone else is doing feel so wrong? The loss of individuality, perhaps? I'd genuinely like to know.

-Duxwing

 

[crippli]

Youth, love and motivation at it's peak of fertility

The new people haven't had that yet. It's there for the making, like a flower that blossoms. The only thing that could stop this is the burden of history, or it should be inevitable. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if all threads older then 6 months got deleted, and a random generator made new names each year. Perhaps one could achieve death and reborn each year.

It's all psychological though. One needs to be a bit schizophrenic and not record the past. Is better.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

What would such a routine be? What, precisely, makes doing something that everyone else is doing feel so wrong? The loss of individuality, perhaps? I'd genuinely like to know.

-Duxwing

Maybe it's just a desire for something else. Something that won't be accepted perhaps?

Being part of a seemingly monotonous pattern/cycle certainly quashes the idea of individuality. An existential crisis if you let it bother you.

 

[joal0503]

What would such a routine be? What, precisely, makes doing something that everyone else is doing feel so wrong? The loss of individuality, perhaps? I'd genuinely like to know.

-Duxwing

its not an issue of doing what others are engaging in....or being unable to enjoy or participate myself...its a genuine lack of interest and fullfillment currently with what i see going around. Specifically with what this society considers to be the 'dream'...

Oh, so you mean if i work my ass of really hard, pay tens of thousands of dollar to obtain a college degree, abandon the less fortunate, work a job 40+ hours of the week, sit in traffic for nearly 4 hours a day, find somebody to love and make babies with, drive a fancy european car and engage in adult activities (which seem to be nothing but grown up children playing out their fantasies) so that i may at the end the only existence i have in this universe can die with lots of cool toys? wooofuckinhooo. to me, there nothing fulfilling about it. its the material obsessed , its material driven.

call me a dreamer, but i just feel like theres just something much more to learn and investigate in this world. now what exactly that somethin is...you got me.

 

[BigApplePi]

... as the fire crackles by our feet.

-Duxwing

How close is that fire to my feet?

 

[BigApplePi]

@own8ge. You can stay anyway. You may find something within yourself. Takes a while.

 

[Duxwing]

its not an issue of doing what others are engaging in....or being unable to enjoy or participate myself...its a genuine lack of interest and fullfillment currently with what i see going around. Specifically with what this society considers to be the 'dream'...

Oh, so you mean if i work my ass of really hard, pay tens of thousands of dollar to obtain a college degree, abandon the less fortunate, work a job 40+ hours of the week, sit in traffic for nearly 4 hours a day, find somebody to love and make babies with, drive a fancy european car and engage in adult activities (which seem to be nothing but grown up children playing out their fantasies) so that i may at the end the only existence i have in this universe can die with lots of cool toys? wooofuckinhooo. to me, there nothing fulfilling about it. its the material obsessed , its material driven.

call me a dreamer, but i just feel like theres just something much more to learn and investigate in this world. now what exactly that somethin is...you got me.

I agree entirely, the "GO GO GO!" aspect of life confounds me. The greatest assets that you'll ever have are your contributions to humankind as a whole and the relationships that you form with others. Provided that you don't live in a box, little else matters. I too don't desire to reproduce, though I feel a compunction in leaving my genes (rather good ones, at that) to waste; therefore, I will leave some in a sperm bank before having my vas deferens cut in order to prevent accidental insemination. Regarding love, though, I like the idea of mutual compassion and affection; the interaction seems sweet and loving like nothing else. On the other hand, relationships are woooooork.

Furthermore, I like the idea of exploration. Discovering something sounds like so much more fun than making something or doing something.

-Duxwing

 

[Duxwing]

How close is that fire to my feet?

Comfortably close: just enough to melt the frost between your toes and fill your heart with a sense of pleasant warmth. These chilly winter nights are so nice. Cuddling up to a warm blanket on a forgiving bed, laying one's head upon the downy pillow, and drifting off to sleep.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful.
Let it snow, let it snow."

And wake to a wonderland of white, snowy drifts before our dark and gloomy castle. Hear the wind gliding between the bare branches of our orchard's trees, its cool whispers a backdrop for the crisp and snappy day. See the winter coats hanging toasty and dry, the boots sitting below them, their hard leather tops and rubber soles agleam with frigid crystal. Smell the soft, sweet scent of morning's pies baking in Cognisant's robotic oven, and taste fresh, clear melting bit of snow that's blown in through a tiny crack in the window pane and onto your lower lip. Your friend, who's watched in wonder with you, touches your shoulder and whispers, "How quaint and beautiful this life of knowledge is, my friend".

-Duxwing

 

[Da Blob]

LOL, I gave my Self a three, because I can't count the times I have been told that I certainly do Not belong here.

However, a person has to "Be" somewhere on the 'Net, and at least this forum attracts intelligent individuals who will grudgingly admit on occasions that those who differ, are not necessarily inferior.

Unfortunately, that seems to be too rare of a quality in today's modern 'civilization'

 

[redbaron]

@redbaron I like you.

Don't make me blush

 

[Architect]

I chose 9. My history with discussion groups is getting run out of town eventually. I attribute it to how the sensors herd together, in life and online, and me being an outsider to that. However I also left INTP central which is puzzling, unless it's true (as I suspect) that it is more mistyped sensors (ISTP) than INTP.

At any rate I've gotten the most positive feedback and personal enjoyment from this forum than from any. The reason for a 9 instead of a 10 is because most of the folks here are younger than I am so are concerned with other issues than I have.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

I say you are welcome whether you are INTP or not.

NO! INFIDELS!!!

*looks at own type*

Oh Agreed Sir!

 

[The Introvert]

I feel about this place similarly to wherever I seem to end up. I like it enough to stay, and to have reasonable discussions about topics that interest me; however, after I feel that I have reasonably exposed myself and my personality, I prefer to watch from the background and react to circumstances accordingly.

Unfortunately, this probably will not be so beneficial here, as people will never know if I'm watching... lurking...

Oh well, we'll see what happens.

I would like to add, too, that I don't seem to have too much in common with many of the people here. Although I prefer to keep to myself, I rarely feel socially awkward/ like I don't fit in, and my problems seem to be similar, but different from many of the people that I have seen here, so far. Additionally, I'm not sure how I feel about MBTI since my arrival here. It seems to me that SOME people use their INTP-ness as a scapegoat for their problems... which I don't condone.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

I feel about this place similarly to wherever I seem to end up. I like it enough to stay, and to have reasonable discussions about topics that interest me; however, after I feel that I have reasonably exposed myself and my personality, I prefer to watch from the background and react to circumstances accordingly. <- Ha. You'll fit in perfectly.

Unfortunately, this probably will not be so beneficial here, as people will never know if I'm watching... lurking...

Oh well, we'll see what happens.

I would like to add, too, that I don't seem to have too much in common with many of the people here. Although I prefer to keep to myself, I rarely feel socially awkward/ like I don't fit in, and my problems seem to be similar, but different from many of the people that I have seen here, so far. Additionally, I'm not sure how I feel about MBTI since my arrival here. *It seems to me that SOME people use their INTP-ness as a scapegoat for their problems... which I don't condone.

This I would say it depends. A lot of new people seem to believe that MBTI explains all their problems, while more experienced folks tend to include it as just a piece of the puzzle (yet they tend to be the ones who stay the longest). MBTI is basically a catalyst for personal growth, at its best.

Another big reason I stay is because this place is a great repository of information and differing perspectives. I've still probably explored only 1% of the archives...

 

[MichiganJFrog]

I gave myself a 4. I interpret that to mean I can follow the threads about 40% of the time. Not unlike in real life, and probably a generous estimate in both cases.

 

[The Introvert]

Another big reason I stay is because this place is a great repository of information and differing perspectives. I've still probably explored only 1% of the archives...

Didn't mention this but it is also something that entices me to stay. Personal experience/ debate is IMO the best catalyst for growth. It's much easier for me to understand something if someone explains it to me and we discuss it (or I simply experience it) as opposed to reading about it. I feel as though this is true for anyone though

When I have the time I'll be doing some archive digging as well.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Necro.

I'm curious as to how you've changed since you responded the first time.

I believe I've gone from a 6 to a solid 8, maybe a 9.

 

[Hadoblado]

I'd bump up my original seven to something higher, but this is both a product of an increased sense of belonging, and a new approach to self-rating. Rather than gauge the sense of belonging with the entirety of the forum (a rating that would have dropped now I am more aware of our differences), I now rate myself in respect to those who I actually interact with, which is a higher sense of belonging than most places in life. I'd probably give myself and 8.5 using the latter system, but like... a four on the former?

 

[The Introvert]

Voted 6 before, would say about 3-4 at this exact moment, because of the recent inability to visit.

Fluctuates between 3-7

 

[Jennywocky]

Voted 6 originally.

7-8 now. All because of you, my sweet skin-flaying cannibal. Where else could I fit in more?

 

[redbaron]

5 to 5.01.

Nothing much has changed since I last posted, would still described it the same way I suppose.

 

[TimeAsylums]

I gave myself a 9, but only because everyone here needs me.

 

[Hawkeye]

I'd say I'm about a 2/3

 

[Grayman]

I don't understand the phrase, 'belong here'. I'm either here or I'm not.

 

[BigApplePi]

I don't understand the phrase, 'belong here'. I'm either here or I'm not.

I'm withdrawing my self-rating of 9 and replacing by "I don't know." My earlier rating of 9 was based on emotion and sentimentality. Those things change. What does "belong here" mean? I most often like to post here because it gets my mind going and maybe "productive." There is more but I can't articulate it.

"Belong"? How does one belong? Does a key belong in a lock? No. It just fits it. Do I belong in the United States? New York? California? I don't belong in California if only because its a strange land. Does my shirt belong to me? I guess so. It isn't owned or used by anyone else. Does the INTP Forum claim me? No. Don't think so. I don't "belong" here unless it can't do without me ... or is this claiming too much?

___________

Oh I see. There is another relevant thread. I'll go over there to see if there are answers.

 

[Pyropyro]

Voted 6.

I enjoy most of the discussions here especially the Human Relationships ones since they provide me with some ideas on how to work with people (a weakness of mine).

Lurking in popcorn-grabbing threads is quite enjoyable although I tend not to actively join the fun.

However, I sometimes don't understand some of the things you guys are passionate about so I just hold my tongue (fingertips?) and read the threads.

 

[Reluctantly]

I've never felt like I truly belonged anywhere, lol; but I have liked some places more than others.

I don't really know, anywhere from 1 to 9, depending on the day.

 

[Hadoblado]

However, I sometimes don't understand some of the things you guys are passionate about so I just hold my tongue (fingertips?) and read the threads.

Mind elaborating on the topics in which you don't find passion? Is it that you don't understand why there is passion, or that you understand it but you don't experience passion yourself?

 

[Pyropyro]

Mind elaborating on the topics in which you don't find passion? Is it that you don't understand why there is passion, or that you understand it but you don't experience passion yourself?

There are lots but let's settle for a simple one: PUA.

I understand the topic/s and its pros and cons but just don't get why some people get too emotional (for INTP standards) because of it.

 

[Jennywocky]

I don't really care much either way about PUA, I just don't like it when it starts to filter into multiple threads as much as I wouldn't like to have Pat Robertson and the PTL club preaching the gospel of Jesus in multiple threads here. Just gets old and pervasive.

Otherwise... whatever floats your boat.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I feel I belong decently enough, but I fear I shall forever be the "feeler" in people's eyes