I'm so sorry, Michael. I left out Marvel because Mr. Terrific had mention the top smartest people quote in Crisis. I also was just attacking Business Weekly's motives. With the Fall of the Hulks storyline, we know have confirmed:Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic) Dr. Doom The Leader Black Panther Dr. Hank Pym (Ant Man) Hank McCoy (The Beast) Bruce Banner […]
Not a problem son. It just irks me when people talk about marijuana usage from a general standpoint. I'll go ahead and say that I smoke cannabis on average of 2 to three times a week. Usually after work to decompress while checking out my business on the internet. During the day I am a RN at a local hospital. Now you want to talk about drug use there. I […]
Well...this site never fails in surprising me man.. LOL.. Wishing you are all doing decently today. Enjoy the day, and always keep smiling. Then stab someone in the chest as you continue to smile. LOL. […]
Dream Seeker: Return of Joshua is a novel written by By Damian Hospital and Tony Vahl in 2007. It is the sequel to their first novel Dream Seeker: The Velvet Mask. What is Return of Joshua? This sci-fi fantasy speculative fiction book is about two friends who execute a plan to change the world via the Second Coming of Christ. It is about an ethical dilemma faced by Dace Senoit, Dream Seeker, with the fate of the world hanging on his decision. It’s about members of the enigmatic group called the Soul Patrol who are set free from the curse that governs their lives. It’s about powerful and timeless Icons who see their power fading in the face of the return of Jesus Christ (Joshua). The Return of Joshua is also the first novel that incorporates the concept of Enneagram Personality Types in a fictional setting.
Yes, Return of Joshua is a book about the Second Coming of Christ. However, Return of Joshua is 100% different than any other Second Coming novelization. One question that comes up: why did the authors choose to use the name Joshua instead of Jesus? Very simple:
“Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Joshua” (which means “Jehovah saves”; Jehovah, of course, is the anglicized representation of “the proper name of God”). Galileans may have spoken Aramaic, but they used Hebrew names for their children. However, by the time the Gospels were written in 60 AD (depending of which source you agree with), Greek had come into general use for literary purposes , thus “Joshua” became “Jesus.” The man-god you call Jesus answered to the name of “Joshua”.
Second Coming Brought to You LIVE
Dream Seeker: The Return of Joshua is loaded with deep thought provoking questions as well:
- When did society begin to lose their fear of Satan? - When did society go soft on the concept of eternal damnation? - Is the loss of fear of religious evil archetypes limited to developed countries in our time? Why or why not? - Which work has more spiritual value: A Course In Miracles or Dante’s Inferno? - Why are nihilists so passionate about denying belief in God? - Do dreams have meaning? - Is energy eternal? - Why do people long for charismatic leaders and messiahs? (Note: Tony Vahl and Damian Hospital predicted the Obama Messiah event.)
William James: “Still smiling in disbelief…I was literally out of breath after reading this story…”Joshua” is Jesus Christ. These chapters introduce His Return. He was interviewed…truthfully, words can’t do this chapter justice, so I’ll shut up now.”
Jill Hoffman: “Refreshingly original…Would be a great TV show. I can’t believe how deep the stories are, and how original the characters are. I can’t recommend this book enough. Price is very affordable, too. Very professional cover and layout. No spelling errors, typos, or grammatical mistakes. Very efficient. A++++”
Gale Peterson: “My favorite is the Realtor who buys, sells and trades realities. This is deep reading.”
Tami Brady from the Velvet Mask’s TCM Reviews: “I thought that this was a great idea that definitely deserved an opportunity but I was a little concerned that the writers couldn’t uphold such originality throughout the entire story. A few hours later, I immerged with the book completely read. I hadn’t taken one break. I hadn’t even taken a sip of water because I was so completely immersed.”
Since the topic of racism will never go away in our lifetime, you may be interested in taking Harvard/Yale/Washington’s IAT Racist Test (actually called the Race Implicit Association Test) which I have linked at the end of this article.
Race (‘Black – White’ IAT). This IAT requires the ability to distinguish faces of European and African origin. It indicates that most Americans have an automatic preference for white over black.
Anyway I point to prehistoric man and the current animal kingdom to see the roots of racism and why people feel more comfortable with their own flock. Living beings trust their own tribe, kind, or group. It’s a survival mechanism born out of fear of other tribes. In other words, I believe racism, discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice are biological and humanity’s true nature. It doesn’t give people an excuse to indulge, but I think it takes effort not to have racist tendencies. It’s the same with unchecked sexual pleasure that leads to cheating on your spouse- we must rise above our evolutionary instincts.
Over time, anthropology, psychology, and sociology provided different reasons for racism. If you throw scientific racism (whites are superior to blacks) and political correctness (blacks and whites are equal in every way) the reasons for racism becomes further muddled.
To me the prison life is a good showcase of human behavior although it is also a great mockery of humanity because it is a mentally unhealthy place to be. But in prison – which is survival of the fittest- humans revert back to their prehistoric selves. Blacks stay with blacks. Latinos stay with Latinos. Asians stay with Asians. In the absence of sexual intercourse with the opposite sex, homosexual behavior is accepted. Might makes right. So much for the condescendingly enlightened Western civilization. The sad part is my high school was just like this, and almost every office in the U.S. is like this.
Many people in today’s era like to give reasons or excuses for racism, because they don’t want to conceive that it is in our genes and our human nature to be racist:
1) We learn it from our parents 2) Portrayals of stereotypes from TV, movies, music create our perceptions 3) Low-self esteem causes us to lash out or blame others to feel superior 4) Ignorance of the way other people live- we don’t like cultures that we don’t understand 5) The attachment people have to label things- we have a longing for the world to be simplified 6) Racial justice- Blacks and Native Americans are allowed to “get revenge” on the white man 7) A bad experience: if a purple man beats you up, all purple men are evil
All of the above reasons may aid in unlocking our racist selves, but they don’t cause it. Racism is biological, just like body odor and facial hair are evolutionary throwbacks to prehistoric times. Thankfully, we can have the ability to learn and educate ourselves to overcome it. We can intermingle and be friends with other races and learn their cultures and world view. We can marry outside of our race. Indeed, in 2010 and beyond it could be argued that the day of the “pureblood” is over, and that is impossible to have “race” anymore. And that is a good thing.
On a final note for this article, I would like to use the Enneagram Personality Types to show how how some people I know view racism. (In my view, healthy people can overcome our racist tendencies). Please note this is totally unscientific and may be a small sample size.
Enneagram Type 1: Generally prefer their own kind because they are influenced by a belief systems and authority figures, which usually promote one culture. Enneagram Type 2: They don’t like labels or being judged, and open-minded about dating other races. However others simply are a product of their childhoods. Enneagram Type 3: Usually think that their race is superior. Enneagram Type 4: Tend to stay with people they see similarities with, whatever that may be. Enneagram Type 5: Well, they can literally be racially blind because they hate rejection or they can come up with weird racist theories out of fear. Enneagram Type 6: Males seem much more open-minded (and some may “switch” racial identity) than females, who tend to distrust much more. Enneagram Type 7: Notoriously racist, sorry. Enneagram Type 8: Don’t get them started. Enneagram Type 9: Very much into stereotypes and very sensitive to race relations and what other people are thinking.
Why is microwaving popcorn considered an art? Why do so many people continue to burn microwave popcorn after the first time they ruined it and created one of the most foul smells? Which personality types are best suited for microwaving popcorn efficiently? Before we that, let’s examine why it is do darn hard for people to microwave popcorn:
Microwave power and settings vary. So your microwave at work may be underpowered compared to your microwave at home.
There are many different brands of popcorn, and they have different instructions. For example, some bags give ranges like “1:30 to 2:00″ or “press the PopCorn button”. That being said, every popcorn bag has the instructions BEGGING you to stay nearby and listen to the pops to avoid overcooking.
Contrary to popular belief, cooking popcorn in the microwave is not hard, folks. So let’s analyze the reasons why humanity has a less than perfect microwave popcorn success rate:
We are “too busy” and multi-task everything. So we put the bag of popcorn in the microwave, hit “2:00″, and have the confidence that we will hear the pops while we perform another task. Other tasks include: taking a dump, feeding the kids, watching TV, surfing the web, writing an e-mail, blog post, or comment, talking to someone on the phone, walking your dog, or something else like that.
We live in an ADD society. Now, I may not even believe that Attention Deficit Disorder exists in the sense that it is a disease that needs to be treated with medication, but I know as a society we suffer it. After all, we can’t even stand in front of a microwave for 1:30. Many people actually forget the popcorn is in the microwave!
Now, let’s examine this microwave popcorn burning phenomena by Average Enneagram Personality Type:
Enneagram Type 1 (Reformer): Would rather undercook than overcook; does not burn. Enneagram Type 2 (Helper): Totally forgets how to use this modern technology. Enneagram Type 3 (Achiever): Enneagram Type Threes don’t burn popcorn. Enneagram Type 4 (Individualist): Type Fours “get burned” once and vow never to get burned again. However, they may get hung up if they don’t read the instructions for a new brand. Also, if they are feeling rather self-absorbed, they will “forget”, and then create a blog called “I Burn Popcorn” and relish in it. Enneagram Type 5 (Investigator): Distracted by something else, maybe their non-stop internal monologue, they have been known to stink up their apartments by burning it, Enneagram Type 6 (Loyalist): Enneagram Type Sixes have the world record for burning popcorn in the microwave since the machine requires their full attention, and focus is very important to Sixes. Enneagram Type 7 (Enthusiast): This is where we see personality differences between men and women; Type 7 men know what to do; Type 7 female will mess it up because they were distracted by a shiny object. Enneagram Type 8 (The Boss): Although you would think an Enneagram Type Eight dominate the microwave popcorn efficiency scale, they at first suck at this technology. After they eventually find out how to use it, they will be proficient at it, and be sure to yell at you and treat you like a kid for not understanding the nuances of microwaving popcorn. Enneagram Type 9 (The Peacemaker): Enneagram Type Nines have been known to almost burn down offices and houses because of their lack of instincts/awareness. You see, everything is an emotional struggle for them. Heaven help them if there’s a lot of stuff going on in their lives. Add laziness to the equation for some Nines, and the microwave will explode.
My personal experiences and thoughts on Enneagram Type 3′s:
Most Type 3′s I’ve met have an abundance of manic energy, and are concerned about their image and bank accounts. Their emotions are fake. There’s not a whole lot genuine things about them. They are cocky, arrogant, condensing, and believe in the “by any means necessary” dogma.
That’s not to say they are like that all the time or are one-dimensional: sometimes when they CRASH they will confess their doubts and insecurities to someone they trust, but ultimately even that act is one motivated in manipulation and being in charge. That being said, Threes are necessary and very influential in all of our lives.
Healthy Threes have the ability to focus all of that motivation into some of the greatest achievements in human history. They are natural born leaders and achievers, the cream of the crop, the antithesis of a slacker. Even if they don’t create a new paradigm or make an impact on history, they are the master planners and big-wigs in any industry. Unlike Type 8′s (The Leader and Challenger) Type 3′s are usually less direct and use well-thought out strategies to become CEOs or Presidents, while Type 8′s are based on animal instincts and the pragmatic cleverness to keep everything simple. Type 3′s are not simple. Everything they do is part of some greater plan.
In many ways, we as United States citizens are all expected to emulate Type 3′s. We are expected to work overtime, to have hobbies that generate passive incomes or to network “friends”, to have a big house and 2.5 children and a dog, to be married, and to have opinions (and plans) about the world around us. Type 3′s are all about self-improvement, but unlike Type Fours, they create false images, feelings, and treat everyone like foot soldiers in their war on some industry.
Indeed, to be partners with a Type 3 in business means that all of your “enemies” will be crushed, heavy amounts of cash will flow, and you must be the best you can be…until the Type 3 switches projects and industries after burning out or burning bridges. The U.S. military is a Type 3.
Type 3′s have the weight of the world on their shoulders and they thrive on it because their true identity is hidden underneath their illusions. They build their huge egos to protect them from everything; they feel they are supermen or symbols.
I’ve never met a truly healthy Three in real life. I’ve read about them in history books or read about fictional healthy Three’s like Captain America, Superman, or Lt Commander Data. Instead I have been exposed to average or unhealthy Threes in real life. Take a look at some famous Type 3′s and see the pattern: Vince McMahon, Jr., Hulk Hogan, Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod), Roger Clemens, Adolf Hitler, and Hillary Clinton. They all were concerned about their IMAGE and ACHIEVEMENT in sports or politics. They had to be the BEST. It didn’t matter how that was achieved. They make deals with the devil to achieve their dreams. The lies, the illegal activity, the false faces- none of that matters because they believe THEIR needs outweigh YOUR needs, and that you lack the mental capacity to see the big picture.
From the romantic side of things, Type 3′s are very attractive because they show off their power and materialism. Some are downright charming and act personable, but note my choice of words- “act”. EVERYTHING is an act. For many in life, trying to get to the “real Three” is like Ahab and the White Whale, but that won’t stop them. Some people in relationships always try to reform and see the good side of their partner. Good luck with Type Threes. Yes, all personality types cheat on their mate. But the Enneagram Type 3 can be deceitful and lie without losing any sleep over it. The deceit comes naturally and quickly. They lie about their past jobs achievements if their resumes were a little light. Does an Enneagram Type 3 flirt? You betcha!
It’s a fact that Enneagram Type Fours and Enneagram Type Three don’t get a long because a Type 4 can detect the emotional ingenuity INSTANTLY. Granted, there have been and always will be Type 3 and Type 4 partnerships, but they are generally based on a focused goal to achieve something.
I admit that I have an inside track on an Enneagram Three. He is a close relative, that’s all I can say about who he is. What I have learned from him is to display confidence when I go on job interviews, to project my voice, to smile, and to dress well. All of those things have meaning in a society such as ours. But when it comes from being an attentive husband or dad or relative, that’s where this guy falls short. His whole life is dedicated to working tirelessly to support an extravagant lifestyle and to be accepted by his peers or by his perceived authority figures. What is love to him? This person has reinvented himself dozens of times in his life- switching careers, religions, physical looks, etc. Each time he did it, I was supposed to forget about the previous identities and they were not allowed to be mentioned again. He only deals with people whom he perceives to have some sort of utility to his grand scheme. The last time I ever had a meaningful conversation with him was about him purchasing stocks.
Again, that’s not to say all Threes are evil. They have their uses- they take charge in social situations and can give you a natural high- in small doses. The bottom line is that if you take it to another level, let it be marriage or business partner or work relationship- you will get burned. Threes idealize women and compare them to their mother, whom they see as a saint or martyr. Female Threes do the same with their dads. They have the potential to be heroes or world builders, but also have the potential to be villains and world destroyers. Threes have dreams and when they are not realized they becomes self-destructive or will destroy you.
If there is one rule of thumb with Enneagram Type 3′s: Never trust them completely.
The Three, also called The Achiever, is adaptable, ambitious, image-conscious, and hostile.
Key motivations: Want to feel valuable. To be affirmed. To have attention and distinguish themselves. To impress and to be admired.
Healthy Threes: Self-assured and energetic. High self-esteem. They believe in themselves and their own value. Adaptable, well-adjusted, attractive, and popular. Realistic. Ambitious to improve themselves. To “be all they can be”. Outstanding. The human ideal, embodiment of ideal qualities. High-spirited, goal-orientated, persistent. Effective and industrious. Authentic. Genuine. Modest. Benevolent. Childlike innocent. Inner-directed. Well-known “Healthy Threes” -Christopher Reeve, Tony Robbins, New York Yankees franchise.
Average Threes: Highly concerned with performance, doing the job well, being superior, and rising above others in status. Compare themselves with others in search of success. Driven for career advancement, and being a “winner”. Value social climbing. Highly concerned about the way they are perceived. Present themselves according to expectations of others, and what they need to do in order to be successful. Efficient and pragmatic, yet lose touch with their own feelings beneath a smooth facade. Problems with intimacy. Desire to impress others with their superiority. Constantly promote themselves, making them sound better than what they really are. Delusions of grandiosity. Seductive and exhibitionistic. Arrogant and resentful against those who are jealous of their success.
Unhealthy Threes: Fearing failure and humiliation, they misrepresent themselves, changing the truth. Modify the reality of their accomplishments. Unprincipled. Will do “whatever it takes” to preserve the illusions of their success. Envious of the success of others. Exploitative, opportunistic, yet so deceptive so their wrongdoing and mistakes will not be exposed. Liar. Extreme hostility. Delusional. Betrayer and sabotage. Murderer. Obsessive to destroy what they cannot triumph over.
Please read my article on Enneagram Type Ones if you are unfamiliar with that Enneagram personality types. The following are brief sketches of real Ones that I have known personally..their names have been changed, but we can use their life stories to better understand the Type Ones and ourselves. Note the One patterns and motivations. If you are a Type One perhaps you can use these people’s stories to better understand yourself.
Barbara- Latin female early 30′s from a Latin American country who came to the U.S. when she was a girl. Divorced from a common law marriage. Two kids. Animal lover. Strict vegan (vegetarian). Very thin. Holistic remedies- anti-medicine, anti-toothpaste, anti-deodorant. Eco-friendly: conserves energy, 100% green, won’t flush toilet if just urine. Raised from strict Catholic upbringing, dabbled between atheism and Jesus, but maintained her moral belief code.
Victim of spousal abuse (physical and mental). Self-esteem zero. Very fearful. Drama queen. Bi-sexual, and feels more comfortable being a lesbian. Relationships with men have been HOT and COLD and co-dependent. Longs for male romance but pushes away. Financial: poor, always needs roommates. Work: steady- works for local government (health field) and knows all the free programs to help her. Doesn’t like being judged by her parents, but freely judges others. Enjoys asking personal questions to total strangers, and is probably too trusting. Dark humor. Bites nails. Wants sympathy for being a martyr. Possibly manic-depressive.
Low creative output, but very active and book-learned. Will refuse to lose a debate, and will argue non-stop, to the point of labeling others and not speaking to them. Big time critic.
Paula: White female in her 80′s. A widow with a grown son and grandchildren. She had lost another son when he was young. Very strict diet to the point of being too limiting: she says she can’t eat bananas, bread, and other regular and generally nutritious items; her doctors agreed with her and put her on this diet. She is sickly thin. Very traditional with her Jewish upbringing- observes the holidays, but does not go to temple. No drugs, no cheating, law abiding, 100% straight-laced.
Was divorced back in the day because her husband was a traveling gambler. Survived the Great Depression, but was indoctrinated to save money. All of her friends can’t believe how frugal she is. She and her husband had amassed tens of thousands (if not more) of dollars, but she refused to spend it, and refused to buy “luxury” items, such as new glasses or a better hearing aid for her late husband or new clothes. She’s been known to haggle with coupons, and will divide tip and tax if eating out with members of his volunteer organization. A martyr but wants no sympathy.
Criticizes friends, second-guesses their decisions, and applies her Spock-like unemotional logic to her friends that would rather be supported emotionally. Gets along with younger people she trusts. Clean freak and afraid of germs- very uncomfortable to sit down on her couch if you are a visitor. Mets fan since Day One. Financial: Filthy rich but won’t spend a dime. Work: Retired teacher, worked her entire life. Possibly obsessive compulsive.
Jon (with 9 wing): Latin male in his early 50′s who was raised in a Latin American country and came here as a boy. Divorced and re-married. One child under new marriage, and one step-child. Loved them to death. Came from a very strict upbringing, and complied with obeying authority with no questions asked. No drugs, no crimes. His appearance and macho behavior betray a lack of confidence on the inside when it comes to the English language and having enough knowledge or skills when it comes to certain things.
100% active in sports and athletics. Can beat people half his age. Opened his heart to Jesus thanks to his new wife when he was around 40+. His spiritual side is always there and he is like a pastor, but he is able to turn off his emotions at work or with personal relationships. Known be a real hardass. Very frugal, but winds up spending a bunch of money but has no choice since he lives with a big family, with mostly females. No choice.
Master of words of wisdom, proper procedures, logic, the right way, and cliches, but sometimes becomes hypocritical and frustrated when he can’t apply them in real life. Generally does not lose his temper and is extremely patient. Realizes that he is not perfect and tries to grow, although he doesn’t tell people this. Actually very self-aware, but only expresses his self-critiques, doubts, and fears to his wife.
Old school belief systems and has high standards, and a clear view of right vs wrong. Finance: Upper middle-class but with tons of debt and expenses with such a large family. Work: Extremely stable production manager in California. It could be argued he’s a workaholic. Does not miss work unless extremely ill or his wife wants to go on vacation.
Abused and killed animals as a kid, sees animals as being made for man with no souls. Sensitive to criticism and is highly competitive, but won’t admit it to anyone; he loves to dish out criticism as well. Bites his nails, and is very self-conscious, if not vain. Hates dirt and filth.
Always strives for the ideal and perfection, and never gives up. Sometimes falls into standard human temptations and negative emotions, in which he uses the Bible to get the answers he needs to become a better person. One of the most healthy Ones I had the privileged of knowing.
Cynthia: White female in her 60′s. Born in the mid-west from a strict family who forced her to go to church, she embraced it and has followed all the religious rules to this day. Obeys and respects all authority, and doesn’t approve of expressions of individuality (such as athletes making so much money). Married and loyal. Gives to charity, community service, and goes above-and-beyond when it comes to helping those in need. Very trusting, if not naive. Weird sense of humor. Top notch human being, and great hostess.
Very thin but enjoys cooking recipes. Adopted a child when she was younger, but the kid rebelled against her and her husband, and she was unable to reform him- even after dozens of chances he continued to break the law and rebel against all authority and use people for his selfish needs.
Clean freak- possibly obsessive compulsive, especially with correcting spelling and grammar. Very active and friendly. Financial: Lower upper middle class. Work: Retired teacher.
Nancy- White female in her early 50′s. Was adopted by a rich family, and enjoyed being an American Princess. Very into the material world. Loves photography and art. A post-modern college graduate. There’s no spiritual bone in her body- everything is about money, money, money. Known to hurl cutting insults at people, without realizing or caring…or apologizing. Very outspoken and critical. Highly competitive with her sister and anyone else in her tax bracket or higher. Legalistic. On the other side of the coin, she can be very personable and caring, and is a hard worker and fantastic hostess. Finance: Upper class, always was dependent on super rich parents. Puts pressure on her husband to generate high income. Work: School teacher.
Married with one child, who is spoiled just like she was/is. Loves to cook and eventually gained weight as she aged, due to stress (father sick, marriage, child, health). Very patient and puts up with a lot of crap from her husband and kid.
Sameer- Male in his 30′s. Born in India, raised in New Jersey. Very competitive, nerdy, geeky, and with a black humor. Very reliable and consistent. Later became a workaholic in an engineering business. Extremely productive. Stays active and busy, and has side-hobbies. Generally shy and reserved, but opinionated if you ask him something. Can be sarcastic. Married his first “girlfriend”, who was the opposite of him. Was it love or lust? We may never know for sure, since it’s a taboo topic and he’s not very expressive to acquaintances. Has a child, whom he loves. Has a system of morality that has steered him free from crime, and can rationalize things to fit his world view. Has a very small circle of friends, as his life revolves around work and his kid. Falls a sleep a lot. Financial: Solid and stable middle class, although like many of the Ones in this case study, it’s never enough. Work: His life.
Valeria: Deceased female who immigrated from Europe to the U.S. when she was a teenager. Married young, was 100% loyal, drug free, crime-free, and was never educated. She was a strict parent, and obeyed her husband. Enjoyed being a house-wife but worked in a factory when needed during the Depression and whenever her husband asked her to. Protective of her family, but did not express love in a motherly way, and was known to be frugal, highly offensive, and outspoken. Not friendly, but loved to socialize. Liked community center and staying busy. Afraid of animals. Highly superstitious- almost like a gypsy. Loved to cook and was thin. Extremely active, always walked miles every day. Finance: Poverty level, did not like to spend money she had, and made due with what she had. Work: Domestic.
Melissa (with 2 wing): Female in her 20′s, born and raised in Long Island, with parents that were Jewish and Christian. Parents were both in 2nd marriages, and there was a lot of Jerry Springer drama going on as a kid. Used to quote the Bible, and judged others but she was a party girl- sex, drugs, and techno music- all staring as a teenager. Really came off as two-faced, and she was- literally; all of her life she had 1 vs 2 conflicts- logic vs emotion; rules vs feelings.
Had an abusive boyfriend who sold cocaine. She was not educated, self-critical, had zero self-esteem, but attacked others to build herself up. Dressed like a slut for attention and knew how to manipulate base men. Tried to reform bad boys and pull good boys down. Never married but had long engagements (during which she would cheat, but deny it to everyone except her party girlfriends). Did not get along with other women- cat fight. Tattle-tail, liar, thief, backstabber, jealous, scheming, flirtatious. Hated “getting caught”. Tried to be a “good person” on the surface, but was riddled with bad karma. Enjoyed being independent but always wound up asking Daddy for money. Unable to take care of a pet. Actually matured as she got older, calmed down a bit, forgave some of her “sins”, tried to move forward, and heal broken friendships. She gained a ton of weight. Financial: Lower class, but her father has cash. Work: Odd jobs, limited by poor educational background and social issues.
“I could’ve turned everything into a crime scene, like O.J., cutting everybody’s throat. You see a 19 year old boy driving your Escalade, sleeping in your bed, with your wife. I mean, I totally understand O.J.” – Hulk Hogan interview Rolling Stone Magazine
Followers of the DailySkew and the Enneagram already know that both Hulk Hogan and O.J. Simpson are Enneagram Type 3′s.
The difference between them: Hogan loves himself too much to go to prison. Hogan will do or say anything for publicity. Even though his divorce with Linda has been covered by the tabloids and both of their lawyers are fighting each other, and Hogan’s assets were made public, I still think it’s all a work to avoid getting sued for the Nick Hogan situation.
Terry Bollea (Hogan) has been through so much on paper these last few years (his wrestling career is over and Vince McMahon “won” their rivalry, his TV and movie projects bombed, his daughter’s music career stalled, his son recklessly put his best friend in a coma, he gets ridiculed in the MEDIA all the time, and he was involved in one of the ugliest public divorces, and his wife is with a teenager) that a normal guy would probably avoid the spotlight and maybe even think about suicide.
Instead, Hogan deals with all of these problems by doing what he does best: make money on his name on B-TV shows and cries to the MEDIA about his cheating wife (meanwhile, he cheated on his wife for years while WWF champion).
For the record, I was a Hulkamaniac in the 1980′s and think he would be one of the coolest guys to hang and bang with. I would go as far and say that he was the most popular professional wrestler of all time, and drew the most money.
Maybe one day, Bollea will look in the mirror and realize the illusion he created for himself wasn’t real.
Dream Seeker: The Velvet Mask and Dream Seeker: The Return of Joshua are two fictional novels that reference dream interpretation and Enneagram personalities. Tony Vahl and Damian Hospital created the Dream Seeker Universe to express their views on the human condition and psychology.
For example, the protagonist, Dace Senoit, is a young Enneagream Type 9: shy yet charismatic. The antagonist is The Realtor, an unhealthy Enneagram Type 3, who will stop at nothing from controlling reality.
From the dream interpretation standpoint, Dace Senoit inspires people by helping them remember a long-lost dream.
One of my super-abilities is to remember (when I need to recall the memory) all the scenes in my life. As a child I really displayed an uncanny awareness to listen to adults speak while I read my comic books, watched TV, played with my toys, or pretended to sleep.
You see, adults don’t think that kids remember or understand things when not directly spoken to. But I did. And I know my niece Jola Besana does. Most of my friends or family don’t really dwell or spend time reminiscing about the past, so they don’t even know if they have detailed memories or not. But I do.
I have two theories that I want to put out here, I don’t know if there’s a name for them or how much research has been done on in this in Psychology, but I want to make a record of it. It’s nothing new or unique, per se, but since I recall how it is to see the world as I child, I think it’s important.
First of all, I come from a single-parent household, and lived with my mother and grandparents. My mother was very dominant when I was a kid, although she doesn’t see it that way today. By dominant I mean actively protective of me, she took charge, and challenged anyone who dared mess with her little boy (me).
The first phenomena I want to describe occurred when I would go along with something I didn’t really want to, just to please her.
I guess because I loved my mother so much as a kid that I really became in tune with her feelings, and although she never had any rules for me and never disciplined me, I would actually say and do things that I knew would make her happy, even though I didn’t really believe in them.
Now, bear with me here, because it’s not a simple as it sounds. I will use examples to illustrate this:
When I was perhaps 6-8 years young, I had heard my mother talking to my grandmother about how a close family friend wanted me to go to Little League, and that he would pay for everything. I perceived my mother’s voice to be cautious and not sold on the idea because she didn’t want other kids to make fun of me if I failed, or for me to be under pressure to compete at that type of level.
I even recall being in our friend’s car and he asked my mother about it in front of me, she answered first- that I probably wouldn’t like it. But he wanted me to speak up. I, of course, said no. When he asked me “Why?” I said something about focusing on schoolwork or how I liked my regular day camp that has more activities than just baseball.
I have to pat myself on the back now for coming up with those reasons on the spot like that. Fast forward to 2008, and my mom says that it was my decision alone. I don’t blame her for that; how could she have known my “super-powers”?
Another example is ordering from a menu at restaurants. My mom would give me the menu, and I’d pick something, but I’d sense that she wanted to order it for me because I was generally shy, and she didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable speaking to a stranger. So I let her order for me all the time so she would smile, and make small talk with the waitress about what I want. To this day, she sees that as me never wanting to order because I was too shy.
When I was 8, a family friend gave me an illustrated encyclopedia, and my mom read it and saw the word “abortion”. She said she doesn’t want me to know what that is yet, since I was too young. He disagreed, and said that it was just science. The joke was on them; I had already known about abortions from 60 Minutes. But when they asked me if I knew what an abortion was, and I said, “no”.
In other words, I silently created and defended all of her preconceived expectations, as early as 5 years young.
When I was 6 or 7, my mom was going through an agnostic phase, and Jesus wasn’t discussed at the table (she has since followed Jesus), so when we were over her best friend’s house, and a giant portrait of Jesus was looking down upon us, my mom asked me, “Son, do you know who that is?” “Moses,” I replied quickly, even though I knew darn well who it was. My mom’s friend was shocked. “Try again,” she asked. “Noah?”, I lied. They both laughed. “Hmmm…I’m not sure,” I feigned ignorance to please meet my mother’s expectations. They explained to me that the painting was of JESUS. Duh. To this day, my mom will swear I didn’t know who Jesus was until then.
But those are all minor things. The only major thing that really affected me was when my mom really didn’t want me to have glasses because she was afraid other kids would call me “four eyes”, and I heard her say that my looks would be lessened. So I would have my classmates whisper the eye chart answers to me from 4th grade to 7th grade, before my Math grades finally plummeted to the point of being a D-Student (I couldn’t see the blackboard and was lost in Math) before I got first glasses and finally saw the world.
It’s not like I was abused, disciplined, or forced to say or do anything I didn’t want to. I was spoiled and loved, seen as a treasure. So I guess I must have felt one small gesture of love would be for me to go along with her lead based on her feelings.
The second phenomena, which both myself and Tony Vahl have already discussed about is how an emotionally dominant mother may inadvertently create a sensitive and “nice” child.
For example, my mother would start fights with people if she felt I was being slighted by them. Case in point: we had a friend who was going on a pro-wrestling cruise to meet wrestlers like Sting, Lex Luger, and other WCW stars. I was pretty happy for our friend doing that, but my mom told me he sucked for not inviting me. She called him up, and pretty much cursed him out, kind of putting me on the spot. I really didn’t give a hoot, but she made it an issue.
There were other times my mom would be my “official” spokesperson, even though I totally didn’t care about whatever issue she was ranting about. She used to try and sneak me on the public bus for free even though I was over 5, and yell at the bus driver when he said I was older. We once got kicked off. Another time I vomited due to motion sickness, and she demanded the bus stop, but the driver refused under regulations. That was a huge fight as well. I kinda felt guilty for being in the middle of it.
Unlike the first phenomena I described, I would say something like, “Mom, it’s okay. I don’t care”- but that never seemed to work, so I just let her go at it.
I hope this post can give insight into how some children perceive things growing up. I’m not making any judgments or saying what’s “good” or “bad” or “right” or “wrong”. I’m just telling you one child’s viewpoint. I’m sure there are more of me out there right now.
Part Two of Damian Hospital’s Ennegram workshop lecture. Click here for Type One.
The Two, also called The Helper, is caring, generous, possessive, and manipulative.
Key motivations: Want to be loved, to express their feelings towards others. To be needed and appreciated. To vindicate claims about themselves.
Healthy Twos: Compassionate, with empathy, feeling with and for others. Caring and concerned about their needs. Outgoing, passionate. Offer friendship and kindness. Thoughtful, warm hearted, giving. Able to see the good on others. Dedicated and supportive of people. Nurturing and giving. Radiantly joyous.
Average Twos: “People pleasers” with the intention to get closer to others. Overly friendly, emotionally demonstrative, seductive, flattering. Talkative, especially about love and relationships. Intrusive, and overly intimate. Hovering, meddling, and controlling in the name of love. Want others to depend on them. Give, but expect in return. Mixed signals. Possessive. Overly caring, wearing everyone out. Increasingly self-important. Seek specific forms of repayment. Overate their efforts. Feel indispensable.
Unhealthy Twos: Manipulative and self-serving, instilling guilt by making others feel indebted to them. Abuse food and medication to get sympathy. Undermine people by making belittling and disparaging remarks. Self-deceptive about their true motives, and how selfish and aggressive their behavior is. Feel entitled to get anything they want from others by acting domineering and coercive. Leads to chronic health problems and fall apart to burden others.
Damian Hospital’s personal experience with Twos:
Where do I begin? Most people have close female relatives that are Twos, and I am no different. Indeed, the average female in our society is often expected to be a Type Two- which is being a loving mother, hostess, and someone that values feelings and emotions. Tony Vahl and I believe that the personification of Mother Earth is a Type Two. There is no question that Type Two’s are the embodiment of the social norm for a female, cliched or not.
Female Twos (especially from previous generations) have a habit of worrying and nagging and babying. They hate being alone, and need to have a role as a nurturer- from being a parent, to raising animals, gardening, or being a babysitter. Younger Twos would never admit to worrying or nagging.
Many Twos are wanna-be Fours, and they are attracted to the non-mainstream, rebels, artists, and creativity. They hate to judge others (and hate to be judged). Although they worship anti-authority, they are generally too inhibited, shy, or self-conscious to deal with the independent spirit and conflict that Fours deal with. Twos like to host, make meals, make you laugh, and to have FUN, while Fours may do those things, too, they have a deeper edge.
Twos generally idealize their mates, and expect unconditional attention and love in return. Because of this impractical desire, their relationships are drama-filled, and can go downhill pretty fast. Twos are emotional and irrational in average or unhealthy relationships.
Twos battle self-esteem issues and are awfully sensitive. They need a pat on the back, and if they feel that they are being used, you will feel their wrath. They are helpful, yes, but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
The Twos I know have issues with technical things and memory. The left brain/right brain myth seems true with Twos. They loves dreams, music, songs, cartoons, movies, TV, and other forms of entertainment.
Occupation-wise, Twos excel at care giving, reception desk, medical, dental, massage, physical therapy, and try to avoid high-stressful technical positions and professional cutthroat jobs. Average Twos value their happiness and fun times so much that they don’t like to sacrifice their recreational activities and hobbies.
There may not be an Enneagram Type wing as different as a “straight Two” and a Two with a Three Wing (2w3). The 3 wing brings out the motivational skills and drive from the Two. 2w3 can turn off the emotions and can be thick-skinned, while 2′s take everything personally. 2w3 are more outgoing and talkative (which says a lot). They must be surrounded by friends for self-worth, and they love gossip, scandals, etc. 2w3′s have a more confident exterior, but know there role as a helper. They are the masters of stroking egos for something in return, while the straight is more relaxed in the business world.
Neither type likes rules and regulations, and want exceptions as a reward for their being a “good person who makes sacrifices”, although an old fashioned 2w3 will serve her boss with no questions asked if she is treated well. 2w3′s are tough, and can be mistaken for 8′s. 2w3′s place a high value on materialism and image.
All Twos like to live free, and based on the setting can be hippies, earth-mothers, biker chicks, New Age, groupies, worshipful of celebrities, , etc.
Now…regarding male Twos: they really stand out since they are more in touch with emotions and being sensitive; John Wayne they are NOT. Although sexual orientation has nothing to do with the Enneagram, many male Twos can be mistakenly judged as being gay based on some stereotypes people have about “gay mannerisms” or “gay hobbies” (like a man taking care of plants or going out of his way to cook meals or wear bracelets or have cats as pets).
Most male Twos love being sidekicks and part of the crowd. They also have relationship issues because they see themselves as being walked all over and being a victim in a dominate relationship. Like all Twos, they insist on being repaid for their niceness.
Male 2w3′s, like their female counterparts, seem to have a split personality, and can be seen as phony.
All types of Twos can be seen as child-like, simplistic, and never act their age, from a 55-year old women dating a 25-year old, to a 70-year old salesman in a sports car.
That being said, they are very inspiring and even average Twos will make you feel happy, take care of you, have compassion, and bring a different perspective to the table. In a world where everyone cares about the bottom dollar, Twos care about putting smiles on faces.
The most healthy Two I personally had the honor of meeting is named Fred Hinde. He has an unconditional love, understanding, and compassion for all of humanity, yet is still one of the most masculine and intelligent men you’d ever meet. He knew about the power of forgiveness, and never asked for anything in return. Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery
Part One of Damian Hospital’s Ennegram workshop lecture:
The One, also called The Reformer, is principled, orderly, perfectionistic, and self-righteous.
Key motivations: Want to be correct; to have balance and integrity. To improve others. To be beyond criticism.
Healthy Ones: Strong personal convictions, an intense sense of what is right and wrong, possessing personal and moral values. Highly principled, with a strive to be fair, objective, and ethical. This sense of responsibility and personal integrity, and having a higher purpose often make them teachers and witnesses to the Truth. Well known “Healthy Ones” – Jesus and Buddha.
Average Ones: Dissatisfied with reality, they are high-minded idealists, feeling it is up to them to reform or improve everything. Very critical. Afraid of making mistakes; everything must be consistent with their ideals. Organized and orderly, yet impersonal, rigid, emotionally constricted, and keep their feelings and impulses in check. “Anal compulsive”, punctual, and workaholic traits displayed. Picky, judgmental, critical of self and others, opinionated about everything. Correcting people and badgering them to “do the right thing” as they see it, of course. Impatient. Not satisfied with anything unless it is done according to their methods. Angry and scolding.
Unhealthy Ones: Intolerant, inflexible. They alone “know the Truth”. Everyone else is wrong. Severe judgments against others, while rationalizing their actions. Obsessive about imperfections and wrongdoing of others. Act in contradictory ways; hypercritical, taking actions that go against what they preach. Become cruel in order to rid themselves of whatever they believe is disturbing them. Severe depression, nervous breakdowns, and suicide attempts likely.
Damian Hospital’s personal experience with Ones:
Ones teach. It doesn’t mater what occupation they happen to be in, they will lecture, strive for perfection, preach idealism, need to be right, and will be relatively strict to underlings, while obedient to authority. Think Mr. Spock. Ones bring a lot to the table when it comes to planning and procedures, although they tend to underestimate the emotional aspect of things. Healthy ones truly understand (not just by using words, but truly realize it) that feelings and the human element are part of every equation, and place value on them.
Ones are pretty easy to spot in real life: they are the strict school teacher, the old neighbor who still thinks it’s the Depression and saves pennies even though she has hundreds of thousands in the bank, cops, and the no-nonsense production manager.
My experiences show that although Ones seem to be big time authority figures, they need to have authority in their life to show the way, let it be a Big Boss, Bible, law book, or philosophy. For example, I knew a female One that was not only a die-hard vegan but was also extremely principled with other philosophies to the point of being anti-social (did not believe in toothpaste, deodorant or flushing the toilet more than twice a day). Ones secretly are afraid to be evil and wrong and fear punishment- from God, police, government, school principal, president, commissioner, spouse, karma, or parents.
A typical One culture would be the Spanish: when they were conquering the world they used strict, brutal, and punishing measures to enforce Catholicism.
Unlike some personality types that like to procrastinate and surf the web when they get home from work or have the weekends, Ones are productive all the time, let it be fixing up their house, traveling, doing religious work, or focusing on family activity activities. It is rare to catch a One doing nothing in his or her free time.
Ones can have quirky senses of humor; it is mostly black humor. They laugh at the morbid, and don’t show their sensitive side when it comes to tragedy.
Ones like to reform systems and people, including themselves. Mosts One I know claim to be in better shape now than 10+ years ago. Younger Ones, especially if lonely or without a support system, tend to fall to temptation, and carry the guilt with them until they internally reform.
A One feels that keep his or her emotions in check is the key to clarity. If you can antagonize a One to actually get into a shouting match, you must have really hit a hot button. You see, a One may trick you into thinking he or she doesn’t feel, but they do, just like Mr. Spock secretly did.
With all the talk about following rules and having discipline, you may think I’m blowing spoke, since they don’t sound human. And the truth is that Ones may still have secret vices or show laziness when no one’s looking. They lie and cheat just like everyone else.
Since I was born a Type 4 [my environment caused me to shift to a 4w5], my spiritual growth progresses to that of a healthy One. Since Fours tend to be prone to look at things creatively and subjectively, they can learn a lot from the lack of personalization from Ones. However, I notice that many many Fours don’t want to listen to criticism of any kind, especially from a seemingly ruthless One. Ones are the masters of preaching, “Don’t take it personally.”
I’ve learned a lot about Ones since Tony Vahl and I found out about the Enneagram in 1999. Ones’ opinions have value because they are theoretical, and know the proper way of doing things, i.e. the difference between right and wrong. The problem occurs when they become fixated on a small imperfection, and lose sight.
If you had the honor of meeting a healthy One, you would see how truly and genuinely righteous and principled the person is, and what an objective reality they see. Their clarity could help you solve many of your problems.
However, if you had the misfortune of getting saddled with an average or unhealthy One as an authority figure, it’s more than likely your life would become a living hell. Those types of Ones don’t make EXCEPTIONS, like a typical law enforcement officer or the personification of The Law. If you have such a One as a middle manager at work or parent, don’t ever expect a pat on the back.
If you want pointers, a One has to trust you to respect you, and to give you some slack. Ones generally have preconceived notions of you because they believe they have a “right” world view. So you really have to prove yourself to them with all of their tests and comments. You have to accept a lot and be patient. However, if you ever want to advance the relationship, you also have to show some fire and spirit to prove your opinion, otherwise they will abuse you. Just don’t go too overboard because they’ll probably fire you, or if a family member, not speak to you anymore.
Female Ones are very picky and are always looking for the Perfect Man (HIGH standards). They tend to devour dozens of imperfect men, and get bogged down in bad relationships, in hopes of “reforming”. It seems to be that female Ones are harder on their children than male Ones. The female Ones I knew are more prone to depression than male Ones.
In terms of “heroes” and “villains” or “allies” and “enemies”, Ones have a tendency to be on the bad side of the line since THEY DON’T GIVE YOU A BREAK IN SOCIETY, but the truly good ones stand out, and stand the test of time and history!
