52. You believe that pondering abstract philosophical questions is a waste of time 

Maybe I’m getting too detailed and broad in my responses, because I feel like I’ve already covered this a few times. But, no I don’t think pondering abstract philosophical questions is a waste of time. 

I feel like there are two basic approaches. The first is working from the specific to a general conclusion. The second is working from a general conclusion and then applying that to the specific. I like trying to understand the general, the philosophical, the abstract.  

Some years ago I was wondering why most Christians were politically conservative. It didn’t seem reasonable that it was just a random fact. There had to be something deeper about the correlation. 

What I found isn’t germane to the statement here, so I won’t cover it, but it turns out there is a fairly straightforward answer as to why this is. 

But there is a fairly large branch of philosophy, epistomology, that can branch off into endless questions about how you can know anything, and that, I think can turn into a useless exercise in advanced navel gazing. So I don’t want to give the impression that I spend time pondering any and all ‘philosophical’ questions.  

Overall, I’d say I’m at a 6 on the scale. 

53. You feel more drawn to places with a busy bustling atmosphere than quiet intimate places 

I generally like quiet places more. That said, I grew up in the city and I don’t want to live outside of it. I mean the city doesn’t have to be as big as LA, it could be a smaller city, but I couldn’t live out in the country. I have family that live in rural areas in Sicily, and the slow pace of life drives me nuts.  

People will stop in the middle of the street when they’re passing someone and just decide to chat. Meanwhile I’m behind them thinking, what the HELL!!! The typical response is what’s your hurry?! But to my mind, it doesn’t matter if there’s no hurry at all, it’s not cool to just block my way. 

But yeah, that slowness just isn’t for me. But…. this concerns more of a city/rural dichotomy.  

When it comes to places I want to go IN the city, I have to admit I’m not the biggest fan of super crowded places. So I’ll go to dinner on Tuesday nights a lot, or earlier, to avoid having to wait in line for a table. If some place is really crowded, I just think, I don’t want it that bad. 

I think I’ll have to call this one a draw, since I clearly don’t want busy, but I don’t want empty either. 

54. You know at first glance how someone is feeling 

I wish. I mean it depends on how much I’m paying attention…. I have my own life and problems… and it also depends on how well people hide their feelings. I’ve noted at a glance that some people are particularly down. I suppose it doesn’t take any special skill to recognize when people are happy, right? 

So the question is likely directed towards emotions that people are probably not wanting to display to the world. I’ve noted that I’m not great at hiding my own emotions. People can generally tell when I’m frustrated with them. Which…. I don’t usually want to give away, but I do anyway.