# What's your perspective?



## Lady Lullaby (Jun 7, 2010)

This is just something to consider. I'm glad I watched this. My INTP Type 5 husband shared it with me and I'd like to get some feedback about what the NT's perspective is after watching:


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## TheVenetian (May 5, 2013)

I like it. It's an enhancement of how I currently experience things. There is the ever-present ability to look deeply into the motivations, circumstances, and prior actions that led to things being the way they are, but, as an NT, I find an extreme value in sitting, and experiencing tranquility to something like listening to my ears work. There are just as many deep truths to be extrapolated from surface observations.


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## Doc Dangerstein (Mar 8, 2013)

It's a beautiful speech; something I wish I've written myself. David Foster Wallace is a new name to me, and, I'm glad I've made that discovery albeit late. I do remember having a similar debate with a judgemental friend of mine. She considers herself an excellent judge of character and professional people watcher, but she never asked herself deeper questions, or consider a back story to someone's existence. He does seem to repeat Jean-Paul Sartre's ideas regarding choice, who in turn elaborates on Epictetus. I do catch myself slipping into the selfish unconscious at times, I do share his feelings of boredom, discontent towards the modern existed. If anything, his words are a pleasant reminder of things I know but often forget.


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## Archetype (Mar 17, 2011)

As an ENTP fortunately I never have the problem with such perspective in life. The first 3 minutes of the video was indeed a nightmare. But watching the last half of the video, I realized that I must be grateful that I could see the world optimistically. Its a shame what happened to David Foster tough. Also, this video makes me wonder, do the half of the video describe how introverts think?? Just curious.


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## Doc Dangerstein (Mar 8, 2013)

Both introverts and extroverts have the proprieties of one another in their function stack. This is saying that extroverts are immune to pessimism, depression and other mood disorders which is not true. From what little I've read of David Foster Wallace, I'm under the impression that he is a heavy Ne user. He navigates multiple points of view with incredible fluency; he's quick to connect patterns and not get caught up in the details. I do think depression is more taxing for extroverts. If your life sucked and you're ENxP, your inferior Si will continue to projects piles of suck into the future and render you a pessimist.

I got a little distracted with watching an interview or two; sometimes, I perceive him to be an xNTP. He strikes me as intensely emotional; yet, I find him critical of what is unhealthy introverted feeling; the solipsism and the unhealthy selfish hedonism of American society.


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## Elistra (Apr 6, 2013)

I would say my life is far less "day in and day out", full of boredom, frustration, etc. as an adult, actually. 

I generally end up in conversations with other bored people while waiting in lines. The bit about the traffic, though... ugh. It's a lot easier to depersonalize people in cars, which is possibly why I tend to get a lot more pissed off.


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## Archetype (Mar 17, 2011)

This thread really needs more audience


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## Lady Lullaby (Jun 7, 2010)

Archetype said:


> This thread really needs more audience


I am starting to wonder if the age demographic of PerC could be effecting the nature of the responses I've seen so far. My INTP husband found this video to be a good reminder for personal awareness . . . I wonder if we're more ready to admit negative tendencies in ourselves after we reach a certain age? Maybe the 'day in, day out' life hasn't hit enough people here for me to really have a conversation on the pieces of this reality more adults face every day? Hmmm....hard to say.


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

Lady Lullaby said:


> This is just something to consider. I'm glad I watched this. My INTP Type 5 husband shared it with me and I'd like to get some feedback about what the NT's perspective is after watching:


I'm not an NT, and I can't claim to know how this might affect an NT.

I'm an INFP, and that video made me cry. I used to make up stories in my head about other people when I was between the ages of ten and twenty, usually as a way to feel more connected and to acknowledge all of the unknown possibilities, but I lost touch with it at some point in my adulthood. This just reminded me.


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## Lady Lullaby (Jun 7, 2010)

snail said:


> I'm not an NT, and I can't claim to know how this might affect an NT.
> 
> I'm an INFP, and that video made me cry. I used to make up stories in my head about other people when I was between the ages of ten and twenty, usually as a way to feel more connected and to acknowledge all of the unknown possibilities, but I lost touch with it at some point in my adulthood. This just reminded me.



Thanks for your response! (I definitely had a similar response to yours.) Would you mind putting this comment in this NF thread? I posted this vid in each subforum to compare reactions. :wink: (The SP thread has been interesting too.)


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## Doc Dangerstein (Mar 8, 2013)

Interesting, I often translate music, visual arts and the physical environment into language, into ideas. Is that the intuitive thing to do? I read the post about teaching your ISFP daughter to read; I hated books until they dealt more with ideas rather then stories. Even when I speak of music there's always an underlining character or literary script. It fascinates me that SJs have yet to respond to this thread, that SPs were lost and inquisitive about the details. I wonder if the SJs consider this normal: this is the way it's supposed to be, there are no other options.

This is the reality I do not want, thank you David Foster Wallace for reminding us of other options. Emotionally, there was a delicate sadness, a fascination that was strangely comforting. The thought of graduating, making a routine contribution to society, and society making a meagre contribution to your economic well being terrifies me. This is the life I want to escape, drug myself with books, film and internet forums; strive to meet interesting people and keep in touch with the youth -- I do feel the agony of day in and day out, the endless monotony, the thought of spending the next forty years teaching piano lessons. I want to destroy what little I built.

I wonder how many people find me confusing? This is how I write; this is how I think. The video was straight forward, easy to follow.


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## Pirate (Jan 2, 2013)

I'm confused. You want my opinion on the video? 

Duh? I'm aware a lot of people would benifit from seeing that, but he didn't say anything I didn't already know.


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## Nirel (Oct 21, 2012)

I don't like this one at all actually. If everything you see in your life is the routine, that's your main problem. Considering that other people infront of you in line are actually amazing people in an improbable way, forces you to acknowledge the fact that they might be horrible people also if you want to be objective. You should focus on finding a solid real meaning to life that would help you deal with the day to day, instead of looking for things that are not there.


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## See Above (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm old. This occured to me long ago.


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## Archetype (Mar 17, 2011)

Nirel said:


> I don't like this one at all actually. If everything you see in your life is the routine, that's your main problem. Considering that other people infront of you in line are actually amazing people in an improbable way, forces you to acknowledge the fact that they might be horrible people also if you want to be objective. You should focus on finding a solid real meaning to life that would help you deal with the day to day, instead of looking for things that are not there.


Its easy if you have a strong Ne. We can't say the same to others.


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## Meltboy (May 14, 2013)

Personally, I more naturally do think that way.
It could be something my dad drilled into my head. He's often trying to ensure I learn little lessons like this.


From the start I knew the video would be an inspirational speech. I've seen enough of these kind of videos to see where it's heading fast.

I don't see what there is to cry about in the video although I do see it's told in a moving way.


I think that because this is my default thinking style in those kind of situations, I'm better than you and you should praise me. 
I'm kidding aha. I do think that this is something everyone should try more often.
For me, I find this much more mentally stimulating than standing in line hating everything (albeit not something I find amazingly fun).


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## Doc Dangerstein (Mar 8, 2013)

Playing robot is counter productive to our nature; SJs might argue that is paying homage to your social dues whereas us and the NFs would continue to gnash our teeth with frustration. It must be nice to sit back and be able to say: this is the way things are, and have been and will continue to be because that's just the way things are -- love the circular logic. My mind doesn't work that way.

I can entertain myself remarkably well standing in line in a shop, or waiting at the dentists office. I always carry some Ne crack: be it a novel, a notebook, a conversation in my head, etc. There is social pressure to industrialize your personal life; become a cog in the social economic machine. Success is defined as wanting the same thing as your neighbour; which in turn is something what society wants you to want.

The banalities of everyday life are manoeuvrable; it doesn't take great intelligence to do so. Having an existence outside of the social expectations does -- I could not see my life being defined by everyday habits, by my career or by the things I have. Maybe the later is more representative of me because they are my books, musical instruments and clothing. They are tools with which I communicate my ideas which in turn mirror who I really am.

Sometimes Ne has been known to declare a general strike. You're not using the ideas I give you, I'm just going to lie on this sofa, drink beer and get all lethargic watching the tele.


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## azdahak (Mar 2, 2013)

I've seen this video before. . As has been said it's perhaps a function of age, as the video implies at the beginning, that the "young fish" don't notice the obvious.

I guess as an ENTP I almost never have problems coming up with multiple perspectives. I mean i get being stressed out and annoyed, but To get personally annoyed at my own assumptions about others....as a default way of viewing the world....is .... Well, frankly, I find it bizarre.


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## Archetype (Mar 17, 2011)

azdahak said:


> I guess as an ENTP I almost never have problems coming up with multiple perspectives.


Exactly. Thanks to our Ne.
I'm be interested to see other temperaments would react to this video.


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## Doc Dangerstein (Mar 8, 2013)

I didn't always have a healthy functioning Ne; being able to consider and entertain multiple perspectives is very natural and comforting. I lost this ability in university, and recently when I felt bound to teaching piano. In typing myself I considered my teenage self when I was most complete, most happy and most fulfilled and contracted that life with my university and present self. Trying to live an SJ life turned my into a bitter, unhappy cynic describing the meaning of modern life as a series of financial agreements and obligation where your last duty is to die. Definitely happier considering the infinite.

i forgot where I want to go with that thought. Perc at quarter to five in the morning. The idea is that it's possible to NPs to think like this when we're in out grip.


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## yet another intj (Feb 10, 2013)

My reaction: "_Meh... First world problems, __sensor frustrations with __upper-middle class delusions__... Hmm... T__he illusion of free will... And... Stuff... Cute!_"


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## Sara62097 (May 16, 2013)

First I was listening to the speech and just the words and what their meanings were supposed to be (I want to experience what I'm supposed to, not just what I really do. I'm jealous of you emotional people.) But then as if on cue with the music I started thinking of the dynamics of the speech. It is a well put-together speech. The music correlates with the tone of the speech and creates an emotional response that is most likely beneficial to understanding the concept of this speech. Along with the music, the videography associated with the music really did move me to my more emotional analytical side. The sentence structure as well as the ideas presented within the video were pleasing. If I were to grade this as a persuasive speech, the person would get an A-, maybe an A if I am feeling generous. To the average person it would be very influential.

Then, I'm guessing you want my own personal response other than me just dissecting the way the video was made. It did get me to think about those menial tasks, but I have always thought of those tasks. I like to be very aware of my environment. I also like to come up with scenarios to explain things such as why a person is acting the way they do.


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## azdahak (Mar 2, 2013)

Sara62097 said:


> First I was . If I were to grade this as a persuasive speech, the person would get an A-, maybe an A if I am feeling generous. To the average person it would be very influential.
> .


I'm sure David Foster Wallace would be honored you considered him for an A. :laughing:


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## Rayos (Mar 28, 2012)

I didn't really know what it was about at the beginning, mostly because I was doing so many other things while listening to it. When he really go into the "day in, day out" monotony and the store line difficulties, I remember thinking how much it's going to suck when that's my daily life, in a few years or so. Sure, I can try to go at night or something, when there's less people, but who's to say that there won't just be other people there who, like me, hoped to avoid traffic and long checkout lines and now, because of all the people there, it might as well be as bad as daytime checkout?

Anyway, I really began listening at the 3:30 mark. I wondered how the heck do other people get through life with that kind of mindset. It just seems so needlessly... terrible, I guess. Of course, I've thought some of those same things too, but I almost always temper it with the the idea that, from their point of view, I'm most likely just as repulsive, stupid, cow-like, and dead eyed and not human as I perceive them to be.

It was about then that my mind got derailed and I found myself thinking about how well that sort of thinking would work for one of the characters of one of my books, before the character development and everything. And also how a lot of my villains also seem to have that same problem. Anyway, once I actually got back to the video, I was reminded of how much I was like that during my 7th grade year. How misanthropic and cynical I was becoming in response to how "illogical and shortsighted and just plain dumb" the people in my class were. Maybe that was my Te, which would have just been coming into the picture, if I'm not mistaken. Moving on, I probably would have stayed that way, if not for my discovery of typology.

Nowadays, those kind of situations wouldn't bother me at all. It's just a time to work on my stories, or read, or even just think with no objective in mind. Of course, when my day's sucked, it isn't easy, and I'm likely to enter that mindset. But it's not as bad as it might have been, before I realized that it's in my power how I look at things. The ending phrase really got to me (like, made my eyes water slightly) for some reason I can't hope to explain. Overall all, I found it highly inspirational.


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