If I only...

I could while away the hours,

Conferrin' with the flowers,

Consultin' with the rain;

And my head I'd be scratchin'

While my thoughts were busy hatchin',

If I only had a brain.

I'd unravel any riddle

For any individd-el

In trouble or in pain.

With the thoughts I'd be thinkin',

I could be another Lincoln,

If I only had a brain.

Oh, I could tell you why the ocean's near the shore.

I could think of things I never thunk before,

And then I'd sit and think some more.

I would not be just a nothin',

My head all full of stuffin',

My heart all full of pain.

Perhaps I deserve you

And be even worthy erve you,

If I only had a brain.

Can you hear me now?

The most effective messages are those that engage the most senses. Face-to-face is always the most effective channel of communication, capable of engaging any and all of the five senses directly. The internet, mobile phones, and 'txting' have encouraged us to develop immediacy as our priority for communication. So, we have followed the self-set mandate and, with each new development of communications, increase our immediacy, our accessibility -- the instant gratification of communicating. However, we have decreased our attentiveness. We have filled the world with electronic white noise. We have made it so we can talk with anyone at any-time. But with all this adulterating it, do we still communicate?

Personality Quiz, Question #2

Once again, I earlier took a personality quiz and posted my results here. Now, as promised, I continue my analysis of the questions one-by-one.

Question #2 asks us,
What do you see near your feet?

a. A mirror
b. A ring
c. A bottle

Result is,
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

a. You are not looking merely for a girl/boyfriend - you are looking for your life partner. Perhaps you should be more open-minded about who you spend time with. The person you are looking for might hide their charm under their exterior.

If we see a mirror near our feet, its reflection is of significance -- apparently. But we need to see more from it, see more than self and the parallel we wish in others. I can see this, but I think it is a stretch of a deduction.

b. You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

A ring equals a romantic at heart. This is less of a stretch.

c. You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Finally, this is the answer I picked and result I received. The bottle equals a look for a practical girlfriend or boyfriend. I can see it, again again. A bottle is practical, utilitarian. It fails to account for the romanticism of a bottle, the mystery of its contents, the possibility of Message-in-a-Bottle.

I put psychoanalyst face onto myself for this round. I still say the result is a stretch from the question. I am in better mood today writing this one, though, so I'll call their deduction specific game enough. How is it, though, that the object we picture at our feet is that which relates to romantic interest? That seems degrading.

I could see Question #1's relation of environment to psychological atmosphere better.

Pax.

Personality Quiz, Question #1

Last Thursday, I took a fascinating nine-question personality quiz, and I posted here my results and link to the quiz. I promised analysis and thoughts on the quiz and on my results. This I intend to fulfill one question at a time -- as questions and result sections are one-for-one.

Question #1.
Imagine that you are walking along a path. What do you see around you?

a. Forest, so much forest that you can hardly see the sky.
b. A yellow corn field against a brilliant blue sky.
c. Softly sloping green hills, with a view of mountains in the distance.

This question yields the result "Your view on yourself:", according to the respective answer you gave.

If you answered "a. Forest...":
Other people find you very interesting, but you are really hiding your true self. Your friends love you because you are a good listener. They'll probably still love you if you learn to be yourself with them.

This is the answer I gave. So, if the environment in which you instinctively picture yourself is a forest, you are psychologically hiding.

If you answered "b. A yellow corn field...":
You are intelligent, honest and sweet. You are friendly to everybody and don't like conflict. Because you're so cheerful and fun people are naturally attracted to you and like to talk to you.

A corn field as first pictured environment leads the test to the deduction that you have an open and sunny personality.

If you answered "c. Softly sloping green hills...":
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

Finally, hills mean that you are an earthy and practical individual.

The quiz gives good broad-stroke answers to please its consumers. Could I afford to be a more open individual? Yes, I could, but this is true of most. I do not in the present "hide my true self". I do try to be a good listener, though. Parts of other answers fit me well, though, as well. From "b", I am intelligent and have intellectual potential. I like to be friendly to everybody. I try to be optimistic and engage others. From "c", I do "listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision".

My final say on Question #1, it is a good appeal because it subscribes to a fortune-teller syndrome. What does it means that I pick a forest over a corn field and hills? It means that I like walking in a forest more than corn fields or hills.

Join us next time to see Aaron ponder Question #2.

Personality Quiz

I was reading a friend’s blog today and stumbled across a personality quiz, which she claimed was incredibly accurate. I took said quiz, and though I am too much cynic to consider it dead on, I found it fascinating. My results are as follow. (Numbering is by me, to facilitate question-by-question analysis in a series of short posts to follow.)

1. Your view on yourself:

Other people find you very interesting, but you are really hiding your true self. Your friends love you because you are a good listener. They'll probably still love you if you learn to be yourself with them.

(My analysis post on question/result #1.)

2. The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

(My analysis post on question/result #2.)

3. Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

4. The seriousness of your love:

Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.

5. Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

6. The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

7. How do you view success:

You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

8. What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.

9. Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

New Year, 2011

“Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.” ~Mark Twain

I wish you all an Elysian new year!

This year, I resolve to continue smoking cigars and to drink more bourbon, in honour of honourable Mark Twain.