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Identities.

My identity is the accumulation of a unique set of characteristics.

Here is my best attempt at defining a few of these characteristics. Just like with Internal Family Systems (IFS), I consist of many different parts. How I show up will differ significantly per situation. Overall, I bring a calm and grounded perspective to life. It's my greatest strength. I'm confident I will be able to thrive in a zombie apocalypse and enjoy the myriad new challenges that come with this hypothetical situation. It's also my greatest weakness, with me being less swayed by the immediate moment than others around me. Without further preamble, here are some of my identities.

Critical Rationalist.

As persons, we make conjectures (hypotheses) and try to find refutations for them. If we don't, then we use this as our current best explanation of 'everything'. How we come up with these hypotheses is quite a mystery (call it 'creativity', but note it's completely different from how current 2023 AI systems 'think'). Our knowledge grows by coming up with hypotheses which become better at describing reality, but they will always be flawed (i.e. there is infinite growth possible). In other words, "knowledge is tentative solutions to problems, it grows by correcting errors." (see more in this thread).

Effective Altruist.

The goal of Effective Altruism is doing as much good as possible for the world. It’s a personal commitment to improving the lives of others. And it’s a global movement of other altruists who are also doing good. To me, Effective Altruism (EA) is both deeply emotional and rational. The ‘why’ comes from your heart. The ‘how’ comes from thoroughly and fairly evaluating what action the most good. My commitment is to give to an effective charity (10% of income), be conscious about my personal impact (habits), my kidney donation, and the promotion of EA ideas. (see more on my EA page).

Athletic.

When I was a kid I did judo for quite a few years. There was a stint of kickboxing. But my real love is for the gym. Since I turned 14, with more and less active periods, I've been going to the gym regularly. During these nearly two decades I've mostly worked out (bodybuilding/powerbuilding), but have also done a few years of CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting. I've also ran the Rotterdam Marathon twice and have done three obstacle marathons. In a perfect week, I do sports six times a week with a healthy mix of weightlifting and cardio.

I(e)NTJ

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) might not be the best (personality) test out there, but I did find a lot of value from it when doing a board year, so here is a description of mine. Note, I lean towards introvert but fall near the middle on the first scale (as most of us do on all scales as they are rated on a normal scale).

"People with this personality type tend to be independent and self-confident individuals. They are known for their strong-willed and determined nature, and their ability to think strategically and analytically. INTJs have a keen interest in understanding and improving systems. They tend to be highly intelligent and logical, making them well suited for careers that involve problem-solving, such as science, engineering, or business management. They are often seen as natural leaders, able to grasp complex concepts and develop long-term plans. However, INTJs can also be resistant to change and may appear cold or aloof to others. They may be perceived as arrogant, but this is often due to their high level of confidence in their own abilities. INTJs are not easily swayed by the opinions of others, they trust their own intuition and decision making."

Direct.

I would chalk half of this to being Dutch, and half to myself. There is a difference between an ask and guess culture. The latter being more subtle and indirect. I thrive better in ask culture, being comfortable both with asking for what I want, and for saying no when I wouldn't want to honour an ask.

Structured.

I have an ideal week planned on my Google Calendar. I plan out each day with the Time Block Planner (from Cal Newport). I plan my goals every three months. Though, don't be mistaken. Most days my planning still gets tangled by what comes up, tasks taking longer than expected, or even (sometimes) a spontanious evening plan.

Teacher / Student.

As a kid in high school I enjoyed teaching other children the schoolwork. I sold summaries to fellow psychology students. And I've been writing here since 2012. Now with Blossom, I'm teaching what I'm learning and teaching about psychedelics. If I would flip it around, it also means I'm a life-long student. I enjoy reading books on diverse topics and learning from others too.

Social Butterfly.

I move in a variety of social groups. I enjoy getting to know new people, though this has slowed down somewhat in the last few years.

Gamer.

From boardgames to FPS, I enjoy the occasional game. As a kid, I used to game for hours on end. Nowadays I don't make much time for videogames, but play multiple boardgames per month.

Lover and Friend.

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention that I'm a lover and friend. I enjoy living live together with a partner and having fun together. And learn from her identities, both in the overlaps and differences.