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What up, PerC!
OK, so the actual Member of the Month for March 2012, as determined by real votes, is an INTJ by the name of Blocklos. Like many of our recent MOTMs, he was voted in by a wide margin due to a campaign by another member who found him deserving of the honor.
Blocklos is an American football player turned science teacher, something I would expect is not particularly common. Read on to find out which volcanic caldera is his favorite, which flavor of country music is not his style, how a wall inspired his username, and exactly how much he enjoys repeating himself.
Here's an interview with Blocklos!
What's your real name?
If you are reading it from a form, Ronald.
If you know me informally, Ron.
If you are a friend, Ronnie.
How old are you?
24.5
What country are you situated in?
United States of ‘Merica, in the state of Pennsylvania
Are you single, dating, or married?
Single…
Do you have any kids?
Nope
How would you describe yourself in one word?
Nuanced
What is your favorite place to travel to?
I am a big fan of that volcanic caldera we named Yellowstone. For both the geology and the biology.
What is your favorite color?
I most enjoy the wavelengths between 450 and 490 nm of visible light. That’s Blue.
What is your favorite weather?
I am a big fan of all things outdoorsy and nature-related.
It’s a four way tie for favorite. A cool, crisp fall afternoon with the leaves on the trees really popping, a major winter snow event in the coldest days of January or February, that period in spring where the days start getting longer and you can smell life and warmth coming back after months of hibernation, or a wild and raging electrical thunderstorm at night in summertime would all rank at the top of my favorites list.
What are your favorite books, movies, tv shows, and video games?
Books- Hot Zone and The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Works of C.S. Lewis (Fiction and Non-Fiction), The Writings of Francis Chan, and that big collection of writings called The (Christian) Bible.
Movies- The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit had better make this list in December! I am looking at you, Peter Jackson!), The Dark Knight, Blues Brothers, The Matrix, Star Wars (Not you, Jar Jar), Inception, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Watchmen, The Book of Eli, plus the Classics.
TV- House, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mythbusters, Dexter, Planet Earth, Life, Frozen Planet, Top Gear, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office,
Video Games- Turtles in Time has never been topped, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Brothers, Super Smash Brothers, The Zombie Levels of whatever war games, Madden. I don’t play very many video games.
What are your favorite foods and beverages?
I have really fancy tastes. I love a good pizza, chicken wings, or steak.
As far as drinks, I can’t get into Ethanol for some reason, but I do love Coke and Cream Soda.
What is your favorite animal?
I am going to change your question to ‘What is your favorite living thing?’.
I am a huge fan and fascinated by bacteria and microbial life (I am letting viruses and other microbes in, too). It is my specialization professionally, but I also happen to be absolutely captivated by these life forms. You would think it would wear off, but 10 years later and it’s still with me.
So if I have to pick one, I will pick the Ebola virus. It is elegant in its simplicity and terrifying in its efficiency. It has the abstract beauty of a hawk hunting its prey; it just so happens we are some of its prey.
What kind of music do you enjoy?
My taste of music defies description. I like everything minus Screamo, too-twangy country, and some rap music.
I have noticed that I am attracted to a strong bassline or rhythm section in music that I might not otherwise like. I play bass guitar myself and really enjoy a good rhythm. Other than that, it’s eclectic to say the least.
Do you play or follow any sports?
I did play (American) Football in high school. I was a lineman, offensive and defensive. Now I coach it. About thirty 14 year old boys now mistakenly believe that I am a play-calling genius on offense. Hilarious.
I follow high school, college, and NFL football, NFL to the greatest extent. I am also a rabid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I also lightly follow the NHL and Olympic Games.
I don’t know if skiing counts, but I also get out on the slopes when there is snow.
What are your favorite websites to visit?
Google, Wikipedia, Memebase, Failblog, Drudgereport, and ESPN (PersonalityCafe omitted for the purposes of irony)
What is your greatest weakness?
“Why don't I tell you what my greatest weaknesses are? I work too hard. I care too much. And sometimes I can be too invested in my job[….]Well, my weaknesses are actually... strengths.” –Michael Scott, The Office
My greatest weakness is probably my difficulty in dealing with internal emotional issues. I sometimes feel like I have very rudimentary tools when dealing with my own emotional situations.
What is your greatest strength?
I am excellent in a crisis and in forming and implementing a strategy. Some say I am a good communicator.
What motivates you?
I guess you could say I am motivated by my own internal images of how the world could be and what I understand to be the meanings and patterns of life. I am motivated by ideas, and the pursuit of truth in situations where it may not be otherwise. I am motivated largely by faith, and what are the main ideals of my faith, and I endeavor to display the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control).
What is your philosophy?
I don’t really know how to answer this. So, I will just hit you with some of my guiding quotes:
"37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
"Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." -Francis Chan
"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through" -Francis Chan
'I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.' -Unknown
'Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.' -C.S. Lewis
'Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.' -C.S. Lewis
'There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.'
- Albert Einstein
'A man should look for what is, not for what he thinks should be' -Albert Einstein
'A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to characterize our age' -Albert Einstein
'If you can't explain it simply, then you don't understand it well enough' -Albert Einstein
'Chance favors the prepared mind' -Louis Pasteur
'Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity' -Louis Pasteur
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about understanding and solving problems.
I am passionate about people; understanding them, helping them, improving their lives.
I am passionate about the universe, nature, and the sciences. My first love was Biology.
I am passionate about my faith, which is a large part of the previous 3, as well.
What kinds of jobs have you had?
As a teenager (and in spare time), I work construction with my Dad, a genius of all things construction.
In college, I started as the guy who cleaned up all the nasty messes in the Bio Lab. Then I became the guy who made the messes. Then in grad school, I became the mess-makers boss. Right up the corporate Biology ladder.
In college summers, I did all manner of crazy things. McDonalds one summer (Just Wow). Dorm Room maintenance at a local college one summer. Painted Houses and did lawncare one summer. Al kinds of summer work, haha.
Now I am a Science Teacher. I torture kids for their own good.
What are your pet peeves?
I hate repeating myself like you can’t believe.
Pushy, obnoxious, ignorant or arrogant people do a good job at it, too.
What are your fears?
I have a deep fear of loneliness. Enough people have been close and drifted away in my life that it gives one a complex.
Who do you look up to?
My parents and grandparents are an amazing group of people. Otherwise, it’s just a list of people who have really made a lot of great observations, discoveries, and innovations that I agree with. The list looks like this Jesus Christ, C.S. Lewis, Francis Chan, Milton Friedman, Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Louis Pasteur, and D.A. Henderson to name some off the top of my head.
Do you have any pets?
I had an ant farm in my classroom. But interestingly, it got an aggressive fungus growing in the tunnels and killed all the ants. So it just became a pet fungus with dead ants in it. Still cool, though.
What do you do for fun and relaxation?
I play bass guitar, go skiing, hiking, hunting, I enjoy many movies, listening to music, lifting, biking, running (not the most fun), I enjoy traveling, reading, and writing.
How did you get involved with personality typing?
At some point in college, I began realizing that I was not able to reasonably approximate some people’s points of view or predict their behavior, but only some. I was compelled to figure out specifically why. I found personality typing and it filled in many of the holes I had in understanding others cognitive languages. I could tell things were being lost in translation and this is one of the Rosetta stones I found.
What is your Myers Briggs personality type?
INTJ I -60%, N-85%, T- 75%, J- 7-%
What is your enneagram type?
Type 5w4, I think there is a 6 and then a 9 after that from my memory. SX/SP/SO if memory serves me correctly.
What's the story on the tree avatar you're using?
Oh yes, my tree. It mirrors the trees around where I live. When they bloom, it blooms, when they are green, it is green, when they turn colors, it turns colors, and when they go dormant, so does it. Right now my avatar tree is very close to blooming. Watch out!
So what's it like being an INTJ and a 5w4?
Hmmmm, I think the type lends itself to being completely misunderstood. Largely because of its preferences for stoicism and reclusiveness. When you give people a blank canvas, they will pour their imaginations out onto it. As a general rule, people judge me by their own preferences, which I guess is how most people operate. But according to their preferences and cognition, I can be seen as a miserable, negative, cold robot. That’s entirely untrue.
Do you think the different personality theories give an accurate description of you?
I think they get pretty darn close. Some of the descriptions you read can be strangely specific about certain characteristics, and they aren’t always spot on, but for the most part, I resonate strongly with the descriptions.
Which personality theory do you prefer, and why?
I guess I most prefer JCF correlated to MBTI because I find the work on cognitive functions to be most informative and compatible to the way I understand how people think. Also, it’s the only place I have seen people take a stab at Ni, which is something that I have always had and was impressed someone described decently, since I can never get people to understand it myself.
Do you use personality typing in the real world?
Not very well. I can’t type people like some on PerC claim to be able to do. I do find myself picking out particular cognitive functions, though. That’s probably why I like JCF, because I can be around someone and think, my, that is very Fe or that sounds like Ti.
Has personality typing helped you in any way?
One time I was on a quest and I came to a bridge with an old man who forbid me to pass. He said “Answer me, these questions three”. His last question was about INTJs, and I replied “MBTI or Socionics?” He said, “How should I know?!” and was thrown into the ravine. So, yeah, that was helpful.
It has helped me describe myself better and understand the points of view of people who give me brain cramps.
Do you prefer to associate yourself with certain types, and why?
I like individuals. I have difficulty seeing type in them apart from the obvious E/I distinctions. So I don’t limit myself to any type of person, I guess. Though I will say, only certain brands of people are interested in getting to know me, experience has shown. I don’t know many people with Ne, but the ones I have been around in person and online have been absolutely complementary to associate with. Our minds seem to fit together somehow. It’s not a rule, just a trend. I'll admit it.... ENFPs.
How did you initially find your way to PersonalityCafe?
I started on a particular forum full of INTJs and soon found it to be boring, negative, and annoying. I also noticed that the most interesting posts came from non-INTJs typically. So I found my way here on a search for a menagerie of different personalities to mingle with.
What made you join us?
I am supposed to say ‘For the kinship and community’, but really, I just wanted to see the links, pictures, and videos that people were posting as well as members only sections. I don’t think you can do that unless you have so many posts, right?
Why did you choose "Blocklos" as your username?
Back in 8th grade computer class, we had to make an email account. I came up with the username and have used it sporadically since. It has no significance. It is completely serendipitous. I was staring at a block wall, and I just came from Spanish class. Block and Los. Deeeep Maaaaannnnn.
If you had to choose your favorite forum on PerC, which would it be?
It’s a tie between the ENFP and INTJ forums. Both have a tendency to get boring from time to time. The INTJs have better discussions and the ENFPs are more fun. Go figure.
What do you like most about PersonalityCafe?
That there is a sizable community of mature, intelligent individuals that represent a variety of cognitive strengths, who, if asked, will provide constructive and useful information and advice to a wide range of topics. It’s rather unique. Like a cognitive think-tank.
What do you dislike most about PersonalityCafe?
I wish there was a banana-cream-pie-in-face button to go along with the Thank button. Cause sometimes people need negative feedback, haha.
What is the most important thing you've learned here?
It’s not really anything I have learned, but unsupported observations I have made that have been confirmed through discussions on PerC
Example
That’s pure gold to me.
Do you have any advice for the community of PersonalityCafe?
My advice for the newer, and possibly younger users, is to not ever put TOO much emphasis on certain information that you encounter. If you are an INTJ, that is not a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is a one texture in the painting that is you. Don’t use it to handicap yourself or make excuses for yourself, use it to improve who you are. Never stay in place, use new information to get better.
If you could have any super power, what would it be?
Oh, I have had this discussion before. Hands down, I would be Professor X. He has the coolest superpower set. But I will say, Dr. Manhattan is the most powerful superhero. He is the quantum man. But I would much prefer Professor Xavier’s powers. I will send you my address if they are for sale.
What do you know now that you wish you'd known five years ago?
My knee jerk reaction would be to say something like insider stock information or winning lottery numbers . But in all seriousness, if I knew what I know now then, I would probably have branched out a little bit more in college and made more connections with people. I did the typical INTJ thing and had a handful of super close friends. I might go back and do that differently if I could.
What do you believe is your greatest accomplishment at this point?
I always hope that the accomplishments ahead of me are better than the ones behind me. But the truth is, an INTJ never tells his secrets. If you knew about my accomplishments, they wouldn’t be as great as they are when no one knows about them.
Tell us something about yourself that we don't already know.
I played the title role in the Wizard of Oz as a Senior in high school.
Take that, INTJ stereotypes!!!! POW!!!
What is next for you? What are your plans and goals for the future?
This interview is my mountaintop experience. After this, I will go off into seclusion. Eventually, I will own a used car dealership in the Denver area. The way of the wizard, they say.
My plans and goals for the future are big and exciting, and known by only a select few. I am involved in biotech research, as well as, mission work and I hope to combine those fields of interest in the near future. That’s all you’re getting about that, haha.
Give us your parting words.
Regardless of your situation or circumstance in life, there is always something to learn, something to marvel at, some person to help, some problem to solve, some great value still left in who you are. Meaning can be made from any station in life, if we are willing to love selflessly and be guided unquestioningly by wisdom and truth.
If you suffered through all this, I thank you.
“Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.”
- Henri L. Bergson
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