Sort Me.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Honestly, I don't believe in changing things. No, I don't have a perfect life, or go around smiling most of the time. I just don't believe changes will make things better. Horrible things happen - people don't have proof of a spiritual God/after-life/whatever, and people do die - and we are bound by the constraints of nature. But maybe that's the best way to be. I can't talk (physically, face to face) to God or perform magic, but there are magics of a different kind. For all the cruelty and wars, there are also people who give. There are people who are ordinary heroes. There are a million kindnesses that occur along with the sorror, and maybe they aren't publicized in the news, but they do happen. Maybe they shine a bit brighter because they aren't as common. So I guess this world isn't so bad. I believe people should choose what they do - whether to make things better or worse, though again, I don't know if you can label "good" or "bad". It's all subjective. I don't think I could judge this world as needing improvement.
What makes a person respectable?
Hmmm. This really made me think. In my eyes, a respectable person never - never - belittles anyone, especially those weaker than them. Showing your own superiority makes you into a third derivative (sorry, physics joke - a.k.a. a jerk). Honestly, you are showing you're the better person by treating other people like PEOPLE. I don't care if they are "stupid" or are "mean" - you can still step up to the task of rising above their level. Like Sirius said (loosely paraphrased), you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat not their equals, but their inferiors.
What do you look for in a friend?
My friends tend to be varied, so I doubt I could name one specific quality. I don't like people who work too hard to keep up an image. I like people who are genuine in what they believe in. For example, I'm pretty anti-religion altogether. But I have friends who are strong Christians, Muslims and Jews. My best friend is Bah'ai, and love people who stick to a faith. Also in a friend, I do like intelligence, creativity and a good sense of humor, but I have friends who don't fit into those catagories necessarily as well. I guess friends aren't qualities to me so much as circumstances we go through together.
What are your hobbies?
I read and write voraciously. Besides that though, I love camping - nature is beautiful, and when you see stars that seem to be impossibly bright, you know that the world is extraordinary. I like scuba diving (I got that lisence before I got my driver's lisence). Probably the thing that I do most is dance - not ballet or anything like that, but just turn up the radio as loud as I can an strut my stuff. Usually, I only do this when I'm alone (and sometimes naked in front of the mirror), but I'm not ashamed of being a bad dancer. It's fun.
Have or would you give time and money to a charity?
I don't donate money to charities. I did when I was younger, but that was before I moved to the Philippines and saw first-hand how deep corruption goes, and how you can never trust how the money you give actually gets to the people who need it. However, I do personally donate food, money, clothes, etc. to people in need in person. I ship about 3 - 4 large boxes to the Philippines every six months to my grandmother, who knows exactly who to give the goods too. So I guess I'm not the most charitable person, but I do drive baskets of food to families in need around Christmas and Thanksgiving.
What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish?
Part of me feels that just living is enough - there aren't any standards that we have to hold ourselves to. But truthfully, everyone has ambitions. I would love to be a successful author or to be a someone who could try to work towards bringing people together - but most of all, I guess that I just want to love people and for them to love me. Not romantic love specifically, but I do believe that the whole reason we have relationships with other people at all is to be remembered. If people remembered me, for whatever reason, that would probably be enough.
Who is your role model?
Yikes, a tough question. I try not to idealize people, but there are plenty who I admire and wouldn't mind being like. I think that a person that I consistantly look up to is actually my 7th grade history teacher. He supported me through a lot of tough times - times when my parents had long given up on me. I won't go into the details, but something quite terrible happened to me and I ended up stopping school in the 8th grade. When I chose to go to boarding school at the age of 13, he kept in close contact, even when he moved to New York and I was in the Philippines (he was my teacher while I lived in England). I guess the real reason I looked up to him was because in essense he became my father, or in better words, a person who taught me what a father should be. He was already considered to be an excellent teacher by many - he left his job at a high-paying private school to work with disabled kids in a public school in the Bronx. But I admired him because even when everyone else - my friends, my family - had dissapeared, he stayed.
What trait most annoys you about other people?
Thinking that you are better than everyone else. Rudeness. Carelessness - and by that I don't mean clumsiness, but acting without care for other people. I also don't like people who thrive on pity - who love the holes they dig for themselves because they are starved for attention. There are so many other better alternatives.
What do you want to do for a living?
I'm a student, but I have worked as a web designer for a small company, and I also have sold several short stories. I aspire to be a writer, but who knows where I'll end up.
If your friend was attacked (by a person, animal, or (in the magic world) beast), what would you do?
It's hard to say. Most likely, I would take steps to ensure that they wouldn't be hurt again. If it was a person, I would want them to have legal actions taken against them. If that were impossible, I wouldn't hesitate to deal out my own punishment, though I don't care much for physical violence. Animals that are dangerous should be kept in places where they won't harm people, and if that's impossible (if the animal is mad or sick), it should be put down. Of course, both of these scenarios are if my friends weren't in the wrong place (in the case of the animal) or doing things that deserved an attack.
Would you ever use an Unforgivable Curse for any reason?
Yes, but only if it were a last resort. I would not ever use the Cruciatus, but I would kill if needed. I would also use the Imperius if I needed to for protection (of myself or others).
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
Creativity, because I never like to give up - there are always alternatives and variables to alter.
Intelligence, because I am greatful for having a mind that's helped me to be the best I can be.
Empathy, because I've been in bad situations, and I do know that they get better.
The ability to listen, because I know that you learn more that way.
The ablility to persuade, because I think words can be much more effective that physical gestures.
What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
I'm very slow to forgive - when I hate someone, it tends to stay that way.
I'm slow to act to defend a friend - I don't like taking sides until I'm sure who was in the wrong.
Promiscuity, because I have this horrible habit of falling in love with all of my friends.
Laziness, because when I'm dispassionate about something, I probably won't do it at all.
I also have a deep weakness for beautiful things, but then, my definition of beauty is subjective.
Define in your own words the following key traits:
Courage: Knowing you are afraid and choosing to keep going despite it.
Loyalty: Absolute faith without physical proof.
Intelligence: The ability to learn (and change).
Ambition: Striving for the best.
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Name: Scela
Age: 19
What house do you think DOESN'T fit you? I couldn't really say. I don't think of myself as much of a Gryffindor, but that's mostly just because I don't think I'm all that brave. They are the movers, and I think I spend too much time thinking.
Where did you find out about us? Searching randomly though lj, I think.