Hello all--
Twenty five year old male college student from the northeastern US here. I've been lurking for a little while and I've finally decided to post. So, a little about myself, eh? This might be a rambling post--forgive me.
(TL;DR version: I'm an empath that has a lot of Machiavellian qualities who loves the Earth and respects individual people, but not humanity on the whole.)
I'm an empath who's always been fascinated with psychology and the basics of what makes people tick, especially people who aren't "normal" (whatever the fuck that means). Normal people are boring. None of my friends are normal. I smoke a lot of weed, I drink a lot and I've experimented with psychedelics, which I believe have contributed to the openness of my mind. I believe that all people are equal and should be treated with basic human respect--no matter their race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, mental abilities, etc. With that said, I have more faith in the Earth and the nature of the Universe than I do in humans. I think most people are dumb, or if not dumb, then at least they're just not trying. Society is geared toward making people complacent and happy with their ignorance. On my more cynical days, I see humanity as a plague on this beautiful and miraculous Earth that we inhabit. It's as if humanity is God's (or whatever's) experiment--a valiant effort, I must say--but an experiment that's doomed to fail. Greed and a loss of touch with nature is ensuring our doom as a race.
OK, less about the way I see the world and more about me. I took the Dirty Dozen test and the results were these: insignificant levels of narcissism and psychopathy and high levels (14/16) of Machiavellianism. This makes sense to me. I'm not egocentric any more than the average person, and I'm not very impulsive. However, I am always thinking about my future and I'll do whatever I can to make myself comfortable. I have abused people's faith in me, I lie, I manipulate. I'm good at weaseling my way out of trouble and I'm a terrific liar. Others seem to like me and trust me, and though I'm not certain, I think it's because I'm attractive ("cute", not "ruggedly handsome" or particularly "manly"), I'm charming, I am very kind, I flatter, I have a big "who, me?" smile, and I appear genuine (whether I'm truly being genuine or not). I gain people's trust easily.
As I said though, I'm an empath. I think that's what separates me from a true Machiavellian type. Generally, I don't step on toes, I treat others with respect and dignity, and I relate well with other people. I wish the best for everybody that I meet.
Anyway, thanks for reading if you read this. Nice to meet you all!
