do you ever find yourself...

[shoeless]

unconsciously/silently rooting for disaster?

disaster on any scale. micro or macro. just to shake things up a bit.

i dunno, maybe i'm just a sadomasochist or something.

 

[NeverAmI]

Yea, or at least something to bring significance to life.

I always feel a bit excited/intrigued/fascinated with significant changes on a major scale. I can empathize with people that suffer, but ultimately things like that bring perspective to life.

 

[bananaphallus]

I've been rooting for this to happen for years - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/956280.stm

 

[Adymus]

Oh it's definitely not unconscious, sometimes not even silent.

I love chaos.

Whenever I hear about a controversial idea or revelation that will put people in an uproar, I get really excited. "Yes! Sweet sweet chaos!"

Chaos initiates change, whenever something conflicting is thrown into society, it must either be stomped out, or destroy the old paradigm. However, when the momentum of change is too great than, it cannot be stopped. The Chaos that ensues is the death spasm of the old ways of thinking's demise.

So yeah, I do get a certain schadenfreude from watching the atavists squirm to protect their obsolete worldviews.

 

[Chronomar]

unconsciously/silently rooting for disaster?

disaster on any scale. micro or macro. just to shake things up a bit.

i dunno, maybe i'm just a sadomasochist or something.

Slightly. I have a secret desire to set of nuclear weapons. Not on any country or group of people...maybe just in space to blow something up.

I think everyone is, in some way, impressed by acts of destruction.

 

[Adymus]

Slightly. I have a secret desire to set of nuclear weapons. Not on any country or group of people...maybe just in space to blow something up.

I think everyone is, in some way, impressed by acts of destruction.

This is why INTPs and ENTPs make the best mad scientists.

We'd blow up the universe, just to see what happens.

 

[Agent Intellect]

I enjoy seeing people forced out of their comfort zone. I think this is why I like Chuck Palahniuk books so much, because they always have elements of social upheaval and the rejection of the status quo and common values (although often through unsavory means).

I don't know about disasters, but the idea of revolution (I guess social disaster) has always been intriguing to me.

 

[warryer]

Yup. Consciously. It is nice to shake things up. A grand scale disruption would be GREAT! It would be like a reset button for the world. Can you imagine the possibilities?

I find that I am at my best in chaotic times.

I would compare this to playing a game that you have a death grip on your opponent. You enjoy watching them try their hardest in futility to do anything.

 

[citrusbreath95]

To Op, yeah I do this a lot... I thought I was a weirdo. Nothing horrible. But if we were to have a mini war of the worlds, and I/family lived... could be interesting (hmm, that does sound really creepy). I think I might be the person, who if we had a tornado warning would be hoping it'd touchdown just to see it and live the exitement. (hmm, arent these the same kind of people who die first in the movies? ) but something to shake things up. Though I've learned it's best not to tell anyone this. They look at you like your either insane, evil, or completely ignorant.

 

[Sugarpop]

Everytime I access a web-based newsservice, I really hope to see something extraordinary. An alien invation/visit tops the list, but the best would be the stuff I can't conceive of already.

In moments of distraction, I sometimes think that suicide would be a good idea. You know, just to have that experience. It doesn't take long to see where that plan might be flawed.

I share AIs fascination with social upheaval. Transitional periods and other unusual circumstances in history fascinate me.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Yes! Chaos! All hail Discordia!

I'm really just pissed off by the over-organizers. I'd enjoy seeing them freaking the FUCK out while upheaval happens.

 

[Kuu]

Oh yes, oh yes...


I keep waiting for war. When there was the flu thing going here, I wanted it to turn into a crazy murderous pandemic. I want economic collapse, ecological disaster, or something....

 

[aracaris]

Yeah I definitely do find it impressive and exciting when something goes boom, but I definitely would rather it be something going off somewhere no one will be harmed.

I do fantasize about doomsday scenarios (and do enjoy apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy films), but it doesn't mean I want them to actually happen. Especially since I could be one of the victims, and well, I value my existence.

I like change, assuming change for the better, but much prefer it be peaceful if at all possible.

 

[echoplex]

Anything that could ever happen is a learning experience of some sort, and thus will undoubtedly satiate some kind of curiosity in me. While the complexities of things (including my own selfishness -- no one wants a disaster to happen to them unless it's one of their own choosing) make it hard to precisely root for disaster, I can certainly appreciate the potential benefits (transformation, entertainment, learning) inherent in any sort of massive change.

On a small scale, I always find myself kinda hoping that any and all conflicts, with or without my involvement, will escalate fully. I want to know what people/myself would say and do when forced to allow their motivations to play out. This is why I secretly love angry outbursts from others. Because while they are unpleasant in some ways, they are also one of the few times that people will actually tell you what they think about you beyond all the sweet and nice stuff. And everyone knows this. It's as if a little otherwise-confidential information is leaked out every time someone gets pissed at someone. I love it.

On a grand scale, the same holds true (mostly). Disasters tend to reveal people's 'true' motivations and priorities. They also tend to separate the true believers of whatever faith/creed/philosophy/etc. from those who latched on as a convenience. For instance, will people still believe in democracy when power is within their grasp? Will murder still be considered wrong when there is no reliable law enforcement? What becomes of The Golden Rule when competition is increased? etc. etc...

The thing is, disasters can also kill me, and I don't want to die (yet). I'm a selfish bastard, basically.

 

[Irishpenguin]

I used to kind of hope that the whole 2012 thing would be real. But now I don't really know, and I never actually knew why I wanted it to happen in the first place. I found it interesting how most of the posts in this thread are more concentrated on a big disaster that would change things, kind of like a "Reset button", And yet if this little wish of mind were to occur, it would be more like an
"Off button"...I mean...nothing interesting there.......

"Wooooooo...everything is dead......this is oodles of fun......"

see what I mean?

I feel like I'm Craig off of that one South Park episode where he just decided to walk away from the cool Egyptian lookin' underground cave...he just walked away...

And I remember thinking to myself when he did that "Man, what a douche-move"

My conclusion is that I am a douche...or at least I used to be.

 

[Branden]

Oh it's definitely not unconscious, sometimes not even silent.

I love chaos.

Whenever I hear about a controversial idea or revelation that will put people in an uproar, I get really excited. "Yes! Sweet sweet chaos!"

Chaos initiates change, whenever something conflicting is thrown into society, it must either be stomped out, or destroy the old paradigm. However, when the momentum of change is too great than, it cannot be stopped. The Chaos that ensues is the death spasm of the old ways of thinking's demise.

So yeah, I do get a certain schadenfreude from watching the atavists squirm to protect their obsolete worldviews.

YES.

 

[Alice?]

unconsciously/silently rooting for disaster?

disaster on any scale. micro or macro. just to shake things up a bit.

i dunno, maybe i'm just a sadomasochist or something.

Indeed. Last weekend, my work was evacuated because of a potential tsunami threat (I work in a harbor) and had to stay behind to take care of a couple things before my work partner and I could leave. The sherrifs had told us to leave immediately, so something was obviously worrying them to the point where the tsunami was a real possibility. I was secretly hoping the whole time that something great and terrible would happen. The danger of things like that give me a certain kind a thrill, a particular kind of rush that I don't get very often. It keeps me alive and on my toes. It clears my head of all the routine minutia running though my head and gives me a chance to live in the moment and feel the goosebumps running up my arms, the blood rushing through my veins. I love it.

 

[amorfati]

Absolutely.

Disaster smacks people into reality. Lately, especially, whenever I hear someone incessantly bitching about, say, their cell phone not working right, or getting upset because someone didn't look at them the right; I pray, and pray, that their house will burn down, or someone they love will drop dead... something. It hasn't happened yet, but when or if it does, it will satisfy my soul in a way that brings me close to tears just thinking about.

Same thing for global disasters; earthquakes, school shootings, terrorist attacks... whatever awakens the sheep is a good thing.

And if someone thinks I'm a bastard for feeling this way, than answer me this: what else is going to wake people up?

 

[ashitaria]

Only if no one gets hurt. I sometimes wish there would be a fire or an eruption or something that would be spectacular to watch, but not too powerful to kill people. Injure maybe. Kill? No.

It would sure bring some excitement into my life.

EDIT: Reading the other posts, I see that I find the exact same way. Though I always try to take other human beings into consideration, yes, it would be real exciting to have let's say a huge whirlwind swirling across the states.

I can imagine myself driving for my life and still thoroughly enjoying it, that Alderamin rush when you're playing Tag is magnified times hundred.

 

[IntenseBurger]

It seems like most are latching on to the macro side of disaster.
I do find myself rooting for such things but more often I tend to dream up micro and personal disasters.

What if that car sideswiped me?
What if that tree branch snapped and fell on me?

I almost root for such personal tragedies just to stir up my life, or quit possibly end it. Although I'd rather that not be the outcome. The few times I've broken something I've found I enjoy the process that comes with such an occurrence, perhaps because it is different.


On a side note, fantasizing about such things has helped avoid them, at least when I'm driving. I've encountered several instances when I thought about someone I see pulling out in front of me and it has made me more prepared to brake or swerve around them when they did such.

 

[ijustprotectedmyidentity]

captain sullyburger or whatever that guy who landed on the hudson, how do you think the passengers life has changed after that near death incident?

being into death ! heiddeger! existentialism! only when we have died can we be truly reborn!

 

[warryer]

It seems like most are latching on to the macro side of disaster.
I do find myself rooting for such things but more often I tend to dream up micro and personal disasters.

What if that car sideswiped me?
What if that tree branch snapped and fell on me?

I almost root for such personal tragedies just to stir up my life, or quit possibly end it. Although I'd rather that not be the outcome. The few times I've broken something I've found I enjoy the process that comes with such an occurrence, perhaps because it is different.

Haha YES! I think of stuff like this to

-What would happen if I were to just open the door and jump out of the moving car?

-What would happen if I decided to walk into oncoming traffic?

It's fun to think about but I would never do it. Unnecessary pain only makes matters worse. Yea it might be interesting to see what happens but the aftermath... no thank you.

I used to be the little devil on the shoulder for a few of my friends. It's a less harmful (for yourself) to see what happens. Once I realized what I was doing I stopped. I had a friend tell me I was a bad influece and they liked it.

Descend into darkness and we shall see exactly who shines.

 

[aracaris]

On a side note, fantasizing about such things has helped avoid them, at least when I'm driving. I've encountered several instances when I thought about someone I see pulling out in front of me and it has made me more prepared to brake or swerve around them when they did such.

I'm sure a big part of the reason why humans will fantasize about all sorts of morbid and tragic things happening is because of the potential for it to be beneficial for survival (you have a chance of being much better prepared for a variety of dangers that you may at some point encounter), especially when it comes to the smaller scale disasters.

 

[Mars]

to OP yes.

that is why I am aiming to go to war.

I believe just to see something that would still any reason that I may want to complain about the 'mundane' things in life.

just because I'm the kind of person that'd rip complainers to shreds with remarks like "well be thankful that you arn't the target of a genocide ra ra ra". I don't like hearing peoples issues.

When something challenges the paradigm perception and forces accomodation the mind is stripped of bigotry and dogmatism, if it is undeniable to the individual. methinks it's finding the truth in a situation before others that is the thrill. ramble on...

 

[walfin]

While reading this, I was wondering if reading this thread would be disaster enough for an SJ.

Lack of chaos is my disaster.

 

[KazeCraven]

What, no one is going to say that disaster is uncool?

Back when I was a kid I had trouble watching many movies because I would always be thinking, "No! Look at all that hard work in building [X, Y, Z] that went to waste because of someone's [negligence, stupidity, arrogance, need for revenge]. Oh the horror!"

Then I watched a sappy love movie and thought, "Well that was exorbitantly mundane. Maybe if someone exploded a car it would have been better..."

I regret to inform you all that I must also jump onto the proverbial chaos-loving bandwagon.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Bruce Wayne: Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. We just need to figure out what he's after.

Alfred: With respect, Master Wayne, perhaps this is a man that you don't fully understand either. A long time ago, I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never met anyone who had traded with him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing the stones away.

Bruce Wayne: So why steal them?

Alfred: Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

There was another quote in "The Dark Knight" that applied to this well. Some point where the Batman kinda admitted to liking seeing the world burn? I dunno. I've lost it. But here's this one quote!

BURN

 

[Lullaby]

Yes. Every single day. Just to shake up the annoying world. I've wished for volcano's, aliens, WWIII, another epidemic... Just... anything. I wish we could create a new superhuman epidemic. Just put all of us INTP's into a room and the world is doomed.

Great, now I'm all excited for nothing.

 

[Taniwha]

Disasters, as much as I am fascinated by how much power and destruction they can bring, I am more interested in finding ways of preventing and recovering from them.

Sorry to disappoint.

 

[Cogwulf]

Disasters are opportunities, as long as you avoid being a direct victim.
Unprecedented events lead to unprecedented reactions, which is often the best way to break free from old patterns and repetition.

 

[WittyUsername]

This is insane. I thought I was the only one.

I tend to picture myself in a personal tragedy like loss of a loved one. In the hope that it will motivate me to do something great or just drastically change the way things are running.

 

[Vrecknidj]

As regards the original question, yes, I have a deep interest in such things. It's sad, it's crazy, but it's there. I have often defaulted to a "news junkie" scouring the news for indications of anything. I have a weird split in my personality at such times. The tsunami of a few years ago brought tears to my eyes as I kept refreshing Internet pages watching the death toll rise. At the same time, I found the excitement of the disaster to be a draw.

I don't dwell on it, and I don't do anything to foster it. (That is, I don't do anything to bring about disasters -- I wonder how many arsonists are INTPs...) But, I also don't give myself crap about it, or go on guilt trips about how I "should" be feeling. It just is.

Dave

 

[Stigmata]

Yes. Whenever I hear something bad, a small part me hopes it just gets progressively worse, if only to go against popular opinion. Whenever I heard about a wild gunman on the loose, I hope he gets so desperate that he takes refuge in a nearby school for the blind and turns a simple armed robbery into a hostage situation. I then hope he starts taking out a kid per hour until they finally negotiate a deal to get him a chartered flight to Cuba & 2,000 packs of Menthol Cigarettes in exchange for knowing that the remaining hostages will not be harmed. I...I think I've said too much.

 

[gruesomebrat]

Stephen King had it right in The Stand. Kill off 99.4% of the human population, and see what happens from there. On second thought, King only had it half-right. He should have stopped the book after the first part... no need to add the bizarre "good vs. evil" plot in the second and third parts.

As far as personal tragedy goes, I think you're all a little insane. Personal tragedy is good when it happens, because it allows you to grow, explore your pain tolerances, find out more about yourself, BUT there is no need to focus on the possibilities. When you focus on the possible tragedies that could befall you... if you're doing it right, you will be paralyzed. The possibilities are infinite, and most of them are so so much worse than a tree falling in front of you as you're driving down the road. I ride a bicycle everywhere. That's my mode of transportation. If I were to think about all the ways that personal disaster could strike while I'm riding, I would never get back on a bike as long as I live. I hit a patch of ice, go down, crack my head open... I'm dead. Some dumbass motorist isn't paying attention when he opens his driver-side door right in front of me, I get the door prize, go through his window... I'm dead, or paralyzed. That branch that could have cracked off the tree in front of your car? It falls in front of me, brings my bike to a complete stop, and I get impaled on tree branch. Those of you who use a car to transport yourself have nothing to worry about. Cars today are so safety-oriented that practically the only way you're going to get seriously injured is through shit luck, or if you drive off a cliff. Personal tragedy isn't going to strike you, so until it does, there's no reason to think about it. When it does strike, you'll have plenty of time to think about it, especially if you live in any country that has socialized health-care (Canada, UK, most of Europe {I think}, Australia? Sorry, Yankees, you're SOL).

In short, if we're looking at macro-disasters, go big or go home. Kill off the global population, or don't bother. If you're rooting for a micro-disaster to happen, stop. If it comes, it will come, and you can obsess all you want about it then.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

i love you guys

 

[Dimensional Transition]

Oh yeah, I do this a lot.
When walking down the stairs, an image of me falling on the back of my head and dying shoots through my head. When walking through a busy city I wonder what would happen if someone blew themselves up, the image of limbs flying around shoots through my head. When in an elevator, I imagine it crashing down and what my last moments would be like....

I'm not really sure why I do this either, it sounds pretty worrying this way haha. And I agree with Vrecknidj. I'm not bothered by these thoughts, they just are.

 

[Stoic Beverage]

Oh, of course. Change is deviation from the hideously boring routine.
If ever there's a building I spend a significant amount of time in, I can't help but imagine what it would look like if it were engulfed in flame.