Keirsey Temperament Awards

The Keirsey Temperament Awards for 2011

Each year an individual is awarded from each of the Four Temperaments: Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, and Rational.

The awards are given to individuals who are “famous” (if possible) and have significantly impacted the world, to illustrate and highlight the Four Temperaments.  Keirsey Temperament Theory maintains all four Temperaments play important roles in society and we need all kinds of people use their talents.

The selection is difficult, for sometimes Temperament is hidden because we are looking at these individuals from a far. We don’t know the individuals personally, and only through the media are we familiar with these people. The Keirsey Temperament Forum serves as a nominating committee. I am the judge and jury.

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Adventurous Twosome

Among the many holiday gifts received this lovely season was that of the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey of course is one of two upcoming films directed by Peter Jackson based off of J.R.R. Tolkein‘s delightful novel entitled The Hobbit. Returning to Middle-Earth after more than a decade, the trailer for the first of the two Hobbit films introduces the new cast of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakensheild (Richard Armitage) and sees the return of some old friends, including the older Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Galadriel and Gollum. Given such wonderful holiday entertainment news lets take a look at titular character Bilbo Baggins and his dear and old friend Gandalf the Grey.

Gandalf the Grey later known as Gandalf the White is an Istari, a race of superior men that were chosen to aid the people of Middle-Earth in the fight against evil.  Gandalf has been trying to prevent evil powers from rising in Middle-Earth for over 2,000 years, and does so for good at the end of The Return of the King.  Gandalf is the wisest and most powerful of the Five Wizards, and has spent much of his time on Middle-Earth learning, teaching, reading, and studying. Powerfully intelligent, infamously wise, highly pragmatic, rightfully skeptical, and extremely analytical Gandalf is a dynamic example of a Rational. Indeed Gandalf’s never-ending quest for wisdom and knowledge is undoubtedly that of a Rational.   However, as wise and powerful as Gandalf is: he has no desire for fame or recognition, and is primarily and strictly concerned with the mission he was given to protect Middle-Earth from evil.

Warm and eager was his spirit (and it was enhanced by the ring Narya), for he was the Enemy of Sauron, opposing the fire that devours and wastes with the fire that kindles, and succours in wanhope and distress; but his joy, and his swift wrath, were veiled in garments grey as ash, so that only those that knew him well glimpsed the flame that was within. Merry he could be, and kindly to the young and simple, yet quick at times to sharp speech and the rebuking of folly; but he was not proud, and sought neither power nor praise… Mostly he journeyed unwearingly on foot, leaning on a staff, and so he was called among Men of the North Gandalf ‘the Elf of the Wand’. For they deemed him (though in error) to be of Elven-kind, since he would at times work wonders among them, loving especially the beauty of fire; and yet such marvels he wrought mostly for mirth and delight, and desired not that any should hold him in awe or take his counsels out of fear. … Yet it is said that in the ending of the task for which he came he suffered greatly, and was slain, and being sent back from death for a brief while was clothed then in white, and became a radiant flame (yet veiled still save in great need).

Gandalf’s dear friend Bilbo Baggins, on the other hand, is a very friendly and well-mannered Hobbit who like all his hobbit brethren, is fond of food, drink, a full pipe, his friends and good cheer, and was known for greeting friends and family with hospitality saying “At your service and your families”. Being related to both the Tooks and the Baggins: two family groups that were fundamentally opposite in their mentalities, with the Tooks being more fond of adventures and wandering, and the Baggins who were more fond of the settled life, Bilbo had two different sides to him something he referred to as the “Took side” and the “Baggins side”.  This meant that he secretly relished having adventures but still wanted to remain settled and was very afraid.  Warmly hospitable, extremely dependable, surprisingly courageous, and unabashedly concerned Bilbo Baggins is a classic Guardian.  Indeed Bilbo spends half of The Hobbit voicing his concern and pessimism for the adventure he was forced into, but turns out to be the most courageous and stoic of them all.

“Good morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it.  The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out farther than the brim of his shady hat.  “What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”  “All of them at once,” said Bilbo.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is slated for a December 14, 2012 release.

The Need for Transcendence

The  Unbearable  Lightness  of Being

He didn’t want to.

He had written poetry, plays, and several books. Even worked in a beer factory, under duress. He wasn’t a politician.

On the other hand, he had been in jail multiple times because of “political activity.” Many years in jail, for his writings. He would hide them in all kinds of places: even in plain view, as plays. You know, in that double meaning or even triple — in that abstract metaphoric way. Pushing the limits — against the banal evil. They would catch on occasionally — back to jail.

1989. Into the Theatre of the AbsurdReality — There were challenges of governing a nascent democracy, when things mattered. No jails to be had, except, maybe, the jail of power. With the breakup of the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union finally disappeared in two years time.  That banal Communist bureaucracy crumbled.

“In this postmodern world, cultural conflicts are becoming more dangerous than any time in history. A new model of coexistence is needed, based on man’s transcending himself.”

He didn’t want to. He knew. But he was elected to do…

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Abstract Conflict

Thor 2 has finally found a new director after firing Patty Jenkins (Monster) over ‘creative differences’.  Director Alan Taylor, best known for his work on HBO’s Game of Thrones, will reportedly step in and take Jenkins’ place.  Jenkins got canned in early December reportedly because of a “lack of clarity in her [creative] choices”.  Marvel Studios of course has an infamous reputation for doing whatever they want after getting into rough financial negotiations with Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, and Scarlett Johansson while having both Kenneth Branagh and Jon Favreau opt out of directing sequels.  Jenkins would have been the first female to direct a major superhero tentpole film and Natalie Portman, who is a close friend of Jenkins’, is reportedly very upset at the way things panned out.  It seems Marvel Studios even though they’ve only put out five independent films so far is already getting big-headed when it comes to managing talent.  Welcome to Hollywood.  Given Marvel’s fine display of hubris let’s take a look at the excessive arrogance of one of their most beloved characters Thor the God of Thunder and his mischievous half-brother Loki.

Thor Odinson is the Crown Prince of the mystical realm of Asgard.  Thor is based off of the Norse God of Thunder, and acts accordingly.  A brave and mighty warrior Thor won many battles as a child, growing headstrong and proud.  In his arrogance, Thor put his realm and people on the brink of war after breaking a truce with Asgard‘s enemies the Frost Giants.  Teaching his son a lesson in humility, Thor’s father Odin banished him to earth, and stripped him of his powers.  Thor came back humblegentleempathetic, and sympathetic to his fellow man.  Altruisticenthusiasticinspirational, and yet fiercely independent, Thor is undoubtedly a Champion Idealist.  Indeed Thor’s high-spirited attitude and warm enthusiasm for defending his realm is often mistaken for arrogance, a typical problem with most Champions.  Thor was only able to wield his hammer Mjolnir ‘the day that great deeds of selfless valor had proved him worthy of it’.  Indeed only those ‘pure of heart‘ are able to wield Thor’s mystical hammer.  A hopeless romantic, Thor fell deeply in love with the Goddess Sif before the age of 20.  Thor has undoubtedly proven himself as self-sacrificing over the years, most notably in the subject of his mischievous kid-brother Loki.  Indeed Loki has made countless attempts at Thor’s life, but Thor however always spares Loki, hoping (to no avail) that Loki has learned his lesson.  Indeed Thor has tireless faith in his fellow man, and time and time again Thor is sacrificing himself to save innocent people from Loki or any other dangers for that matter, as he will no doubt do in The Avengers.

Thor’s villainous step-brother Loki aptly named after the Norse God of Mischief starts off as a resentful and jealous Asgardian Prince but evolves into a truly loathsome and malevolent evil genius.  Growing up step-brother to the Mighty Thor indeed  left Loki with a tragic sense of inferiority and not belonging.  What he lacked in physical strength and bravery however, he eventually made up for in cunning and malice.  Always strategizing and conceiving ingenious schemes and plotsThe Asgardian God of Mischief is undoubtedly a Mastermind Rational.  Diabolically ingenious, highly pragmatic, outstandingly intelligent, and a powerful sorcerer, Loki finds ‘difficulties highly stimulating’, as do other Masterminds, as he loves responding to a problem that requires a ‘creative solution’.  Being the God of Mischief, Loki indeed seems to thoroughly enjoy creating problems for himself, and is well-equipped to solve them.  Finding out that he was actually an adopted Frost Giant, Loki became wrought with feelings of abandonment.  Indeed Loki’s malicious and malevolent behavior are quite reminiscent of David Keirsey‘s ‘distracting rituals’ that serve as defense mechanisms for hiding one’s shame.  Loki’s arch-villainy and ascension into madness can be seen in Marvel’s upcoming The Avengers.

Quote1.png My, my, my… a world for the taking. Quote2.png

Loki Laufeyson
Quote1.png Even the life of a Thunder God can offer no greater satisfaction than this! For I have helped a fellow man! Quote2.png

Thor Odinson

These Idealist-Rational relationships do not always remain harmonious, of course.  Conflicts of NF emotional expressiveness against NT self-control, of NF intuition against NT logic, and of NF ethical or humanitarian concerns against NT technical pragmatics can prove challenging.  — Please Understand Me II, p. 238

Thor 2 is set to hit theaters on November 15, 2013 with a script from Don Payne.  Chris Hemsworth will return as the title star in The Avengers, which will arrive on May 4, 2012.

Naughty Boy

As she walked away, she looked over her shoulder and gave an almost imperceptibly slight roll of the hip while mouthing the words “Naughty boy!”

He had been actually somewhat gracious in his reaction. That wasn’t his normal reaction, he being a direct and blunt “public intellectual:” he is not known for mincing his words or being upstaged by the Iron Lady.

Using his words as weapons, he had ripped into his opponents with relish: their station in life or credentials didn’t matter.

He loved to talk, preferably as part of an argument.  Most public pundits no doubt would be intimidated by him: he was articulate and extremely knowledgable, and Oxford educated. His encyclopedic literary and historical knowledge was unmatched in public discourse.

Skeptical and Cynical, he was known for his admiration of George OrwellThomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson and for his excoriating critiques of Mother TeresaBill and Hillary Clinton, and Henry Kissinger.

Not a mainstream pundit.

My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, anyplace, anytime. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line and kiss my ass.

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The Bat Squad

The Dark Knight Rises released it’s first full trailer Monday and HOT DAMN.  For those of you who do not know, Christopher Nolan‘s concluding film to his blockbuster Batman trilogy takes place 8 years after the previous one and will feature antagonists Bane and Catwoman.  Warner Bros. also released a 7 minute prologue to The Dark Knight Rises attached to the IMAX release of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was an introduction to new villain Bane.  Warner Bros studios has since received a lot of criticism for one particular issue that kept coming up: no one can hear what the primary antagonist Bane was saying.  Bane dons a grim-looking mask strictly of course for fashionable purposes but does so however at the cost of having a muffled and hard-to-understand voice.  The legend himself Christopher Nolan has reportedly commented that the studio is fully aware of the issue but will not make significant changes to the sound.  Apparently Nolan wants his audiences to have to listen up and ‘participate’ rather than just be dumb stupid idiots.  What Nolan evidently is not aware of is the fact that 99% of people are in fact dumb stupid idiots.  Despite Nolan’s slight misconception let’s take a look at The Caped Crusader himself and his well-rounded supporting cast.

Bruce Thomas Wayne is an arrogant billionaire industrialist and notorious playboy by day, and a ruthless masked vigilante by night.  Characterized by his physical prowess and technical ingenuityBatman ‘strikes terror into the hearts of criminals everywhere’.  Indeed Batman has a thick skin and is a hard-nosed utilitarian, doing whatever it takes to get the job doneBolddaring, impulsive and adaptable with a strict adherence to utility The Caped Crusader is undoubtedly an Artisan.

Alfred Pennyworth is Batman’s trusty, faithful, and tireless butler, confidant, and surrogate father figure.  Alfred has served the Wayne family and maintained Wayne Manor for all of Bruce’s life, and essentially raised him.  Serving as a beacon of strength and stability, Alfred helps Bruce Wayne keep his tumultuous two-sided life on an even keel.  Highly dependable, extremely stable, serving as a provider and a pillar of strength Alfred Pennyworth is a classic Guardian.

Lucius Fox is Bruce Wayne’s financier, gadget man, and the President and CEO of the international corporate giant that is Wayne Enterprises.  Fox is extremely intelligent and business savvy, and turned Wayne Enterprises from a failing venture into a successful multinational conglomerate.  Fox is very knowledgable in the realm of technology, and heads a lot of Wayne Enterprises‘ engineering projects like the creation of the Batwing.  Highly pragmatic, astutely skeptical, technologically intelligent, serving as a voice of reason Lucius Fox is a prime example of a Rational.

Finally Commissioner James Gordon is Batman’s trusted allyconnection to Gotham City’s Police Force, and a dear friend.  Commissioner Gordon and Batman share a deep and unrelenting desire to rid Gotham City of evil no matter what the cost.  A man of integrity and honor, Gordon quickly realized that Batman was one of the only men in Gotham City that he could trust.  In a city riddled with crime and corruption, Gordon is a beacon of light and hope, and has made many sacrifices in the name of making Gotham City a better place.  Highly altruistic, tacitly optimistic, and undeniably spirited serving as a bright light in a very dark city Commissioner Gordon is a true Idealist.

Together they make a very well-rounded Bat-Squad.

Quote1.png Everything’s impossible until somebody does it. Quote2.png

— Bruce Wayne

Quote1.png We soldier on undaunted, you and I, Master Bruce. And if I may say so, sir… I couldn’t beg, borrow or steal a finer way to live my life. Quote2.png

— Alfred Pennyworth

Quote1.png Let me get this straight. You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands; and your plan, is to *blackmail* this person?  …..Good luck.   Quote2.png

 Lucius Fox

Quote1.png No — Gotham doesn’t die — not on MY watch! Quote2.png

— James Gordon

The Iron Butterfly

Bhaya-gati is the worst of all.

She demanded of her future husband: “I only ask one thing, that should my people need me, you would help me to do my duty by them.”

And they and her mother did need her, so she went back… and was put under house arrest because of her political activism.

She was offered her freedom, if she left…  But she is a Diplomatic Contender, and

“… Contending entails competition. Thus to contend with another’s work one must hold one’s ground, hang onto one’s position, stick to one’s intention, tend to one’s business, stay the course, in a word, be tenacious. It is not so much that one is bent on overtaking or outdoing others, as it is having one’s way. Contenders will have their way if at all possible.” Personology, page 77.

She would not leave…

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Deductive Duo

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opened this past weekend to an underwhelming box-office presence and mixed but positive reviews.  Warner Bros. was already reeling from a horrendous debut of its ensemble holiday rom-com New years eve proving once and for all that no one should ever make ensemble holiday rom-com’s of any kind.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows still ranked #1 at the weekend box office leading Hollywood to believe that people are cramming all of their holiday shopping in rather than seeing movies.  Most criticisms of the film arose mainly from it’s slight affinity for senseless action, and Robert Downey Jr. being an ex-coke-head-hooker-junkie portraying one of the most beloved literary intellectuals of all time.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s most infamous and cunning villain Professor James Moriarty serves as the primary antagonist in the film and does a great job at that.  Indeed the film becomes a very intriguing battle between two powerful intellectuals (Inventor vs. Mastermind), culminating in a deadly chess match.  Despite being a former cocaine addict, Robert Downey Jr. actually does quite well in portraying Sherlock Holmes, as Holmes was actually a bit of a cocaine addict himself.  Downey said he had researched the role much more this time around, further bridging the gap between him being a blazing Artisan portraying a brilliant Rational.  Criticisms aside Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is packed with action, romance, bromance, intellectualism, plenty of pipe-smoking, deadly chess matches, and smelly french gypsies so let’s go ahead and take a look at the dynamic deductive duo of Holmes and Watson.

Sherlock Holmes is a London-based private detective world renowned for his astute logical reasoning, his skills in the art of disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve cases.  Holmes prides himself on his ability to successfully draw large conclusions from minuscule observations.  Holmes is described by his dear friend Watson as ‘Bohemian‘: a very eccentric man “with no regard for contemporary standards“.  “What appears to others as chaos, however, is to Holmes a wealth of useful information.”  Indeed Holmes finds solving complex problems highly stimulating, and has an insatiable hunger for knowledge.  Certainly Sherlock Holmesinnovative attitude causes him to bend the truth and rules quite often, all of course on behalf of solving cases.  While Holmes’ demeanor often comes across as that of a distant or cold intellectual, while in the midst of an interesting adventure Holmes is capable of remarkable passion and can even display a flair for showmanship.  Highly eccentric, extremely intellectual, possessing an innovative attitude and entrepreneurial spirit Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential Inventor Rational.  Indeed Holmes‘ often relies on his talent for improvisation and expedient action, as do most Inventors, a habit that often gets him into trouble.  Not to worry though, as Inventors like Holmes’ entrepreneurial spirit often miraculously gets them out of the jams they put themselves in.  However, so does his dear friend Watson.

Doctor John H. Watson is Holmes’ faithful companion and trusty sidekick, and also Holmesdearest and oldest friend.  Watson chronicles the majority of Holmes’ professional ventures, and is the narrator in most of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s novels.  Watson is described as a capable and brave companion to Holmes, while also serving as a skilled sharpshooter and a talented doctor and surgeon.  Though the two companions have a close relationship, Holmes’ often appears to abuse Watson and take him for granted.  Watson often attempts to solve crimes on his own using Holmes’ method, with moderate success.  Though Watson never masters Holmes’ deductive methods, he is astute enough to follow his good friends line of reasoning.  Watson essentially serves as solid and consistent moral and physical support for his dear friend Sherlock Holmes.  Extremely dependable, highly attentive, and overwhelmingly patient serving as a great source of strength and stability for Holmes Doctor John Watson is undoubtedly an Inspector Guardian.  Indeed Watson puts up with quite a bit from his dear friend Sherlock Holmes, but offers thoroughness, detail, legality, and order to compliment the innovative talents of his esteemed colleague.

Guardians are comfortable with the Rationals’ skeptical attitude and obsession with their work, which seem very much like their own pessimism and sense of duty; they often admire the NTs ingenuity, which is such a reach from their own reliance on by-the-book routine.    Please Understand Me II, p. 227-228

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows can be seen at a theater near you.

Quote1.png When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.Quote2.png

Sherlock Holmes

Quote1.png Holmes was a man of habits… and I had become one of them… a comrade… upon whose nerve he could place some reliance… a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him… If I irritated him by a certain methodical slowness in my mentality, that irritation served only to make his own flame-like intuitions and impressions flash up the more vividly and swiftly. Such was my humble role in our alliance.Quote2.png

Doctor Watson

The Search and the Re-search

“I didn’t have a sense of purpose.”

“You might as well live a lot, really hard, and not give a shit, because you can always walk through that door. So I started to live as if I could die any day.” [Our emphasis, not hers]

But she couldn’t.

She couldn’t live as if she had no purpose. It wasn’t in her nature.

So she had started her search, not knowing why or how, or even where. She didn’t even know that she was searching.

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Creative Ecstasy

Be Beautiful, Brilliant, and Bold

Frequenzsprungverfahren

“I’m a sworn enemy of the convention.  I despise the conventional in anything, even the arts”

Hedwig Kiesler, was declared the “most beautiful women in the world,” but she quickly got bored of the sobriquet.  She did not play the Hollywood game.  She spent many of her evenings creating.  But few would know, what she was creating for it was classified as secret for 40 years.

“Any girl can be glamorous — all you have to do is stand still and look stupid”

Six different husbands.  All married her for different reasons.  But not any like her father.  He loved his daughter for her intelligence, not for her beauty.  It was he, who encouraged her to ask how things work, which gave her a supreme self confidence even by the tender age of 15.  “I must make my own decisions.  Mould my own character, think my own thoughts.”

Continue reading Creative Ecstasy