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I was reading a report recently that suggested most people felt their sense of importance was greater than their actual importance, and I thought I'd test it.
On IIN, how important do you think you are from a scale of zero to ten?
| 0 | 10 | |
| 1 | 9 | |
| 2 | 13 | |
| 3 | 8 | |
| 4 | 9 | |
| 5 | 9 | |
| 6 | 5 | |
| 7 | 11 | |
| 8 | 6 | |
| 9 | 4 | |
| Ten | 25 |
IIN-wise I'd say 5 is fair. I've probably actually helped only 3 OPs in the time I've been here. The rest was just me being silly. :)
Let's make it 3 then. No, 1. Sounds good.
Oh. Does that mean I'm like a -2?
Yeah but...
"Importance" hasn't been defined. If we're going on making people smile, you're probably a 10 :)
You're much more important than you think. To the group and to me personally.
The Doctor - "In nine hundred years of time and space and I've never met anybody who wasn't important before."
I couldn't call myself a Whovian and not respond with that :)
Seriously though, I think everyone is important. Everyone has the potential to do something important, therefore everyone is important. Some people achieve that potential and become very important. Other people don't, but while they have that potential they're still important too.
I agree. Perhaps even not being one to do anything "important" is also important to have such definitions in the first place. Just a thought. :)
As a fellow Whovian, I will always agree. And I do agree. But I'm going to reframe the question and ask how important people think they are right now on IIN, regardless of potential.
Well that depends on what the purpose of IIN is, and that is different for each user. Important to the site's existence? Important to it being fun? Important to it being useful?
I don't think any of us are important to IIN as single individuals. I don't think IIN would be radically different if one person left, regardless of how active, hilarious or helpful they were, and of course that includes me. Everyone here is great, but the site would be the same place without you, or I, and anyone else. And the reason is exactly because everyone here is great; there's no shortage of good content here. The IINsphere would keep on spinning, and it would get back to as close as it can resemble "normal". On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe a 3?
Which I accept entirely inverts my first answer :P
You have no idea how much I love watching you comment when I'm being anonymous. :)
P.S. I'd vote you a 9.
In the scheme of all things--no one is important.
In the relative sense--I'm about a 1.
I don't know. I think people like me are above seven, but not sure about me as an individual.
I'm not sure what anyone means by important here. Influential? Helpful? Powerful? Necessary? Cleanest mustache? I don't feel right having a discussion about such a vague term if we aren't going to define it first.
That being said, I rate myself as 8 million important points.
Answer it honestly. You're intelligent enough to know what the question means. :)
Jokes aside, I'm actually quite serious about that point. I think it's necessary to define the terms before you can have a substantial discussion about this sort of thing. Otherwise we're all speaking on very vague grounds. Not trying to be a dick; I honestly don't know how I would rate "importance", or what "actual importance" would be.
Maybe I'm just being pedantic. But can someone actually explain what they mean by "important" in this context?
"Define your terms.” - Voltaire
Definitely a 10, I'm a wife, a parent and a guardian of many plants and animals and land and a home, they'd all die without me. Or at the very least, wish they were dead. Those people and things are all 10's to me too. Everyone else is just either in my fucking way or a nobody.
Edit: I take that back, not everyone is a nobody, I like a few people. I just don't have strong attachments to people outside of my kids and husband. If my parents died tomorrow, I wouldn't care. I don't see life as a group thing like most people do I guess.
Sometimes I'm mean here, more like blunt but whatever, and sometimes I try to help nicely, that's just so that the world works smoother, less bullshit.
"I'm a wife, a parent and a guardian of many plants and animals and land and a home, they'd all die without me"
All things you created or acquired for yourself, not anyone or anything else's benefit. They aren't of importance to the world or it's existence..so why are you more important than someone else again? You and your kid will take far more than you will give in your lifetime. Your reasons for feeling important are selfish and self centered.
So? As far as I'm concerned, those are the only things that matter. Why would or should anything else matter? I have those things because I'm important, and I'm important because I have those things.
What's YOUR criteria for importance? I'd love to hear that. Once you have a wife/husband and kids, your ideas will change. If they don't, then you're a scumbag. What are you, 13?
How do I only benefit myself by having a husband and having kids? I gave my kids life. That's not a selfish act. I care for my family and my other charges, how is that selfish? I am respectful to the Earth, that's not selfish.
Humans aren't important in the grand scheme, I agree, but I don't live on the grand scheme.
Selfish? Hardly. If you and me were in a fight to the death, you expect me to lower myself to less than a 10? Ha....OK. You go ahead and stay at your lowly 0 importance and I'll stay at my 10 and you can just let me kill you so you stop annoying me, since that seems to be what you believe. Or is that too selfish too?
Shut up.
No, you just as important as everyone else....fuck all.
You think your more important than others...lol.
According to YOU. But your opinion doesn't matter to me, and I know several people who would beg to differ.
There are several people everywhere who beg to differ with anyone about anything. So no, stupid ass. More people in the world think you're unimportant than those who do, so by your own logic you agree with me. And by any logic you aren't important as the world doesn't benefit from having you or the things you take care of in it. If you or me or any of us were gone, it wouldn't have a negative outcome except for removing the carbon footprint we create. And that ofcourse being a good thing. You are only important to the things you create for yourself...self centered, self importance you feel because you got knocked up or because you bought a pet or a house...those things only matter to you, therefore you feel more important than you are! Just like the question says fuckface.
You're a straight up dumbass, tommy is right on what hes saying. YOU are not more important then anyone else, the same goes for your husband and your kids, it amazes me how such little ingrates are allowed to even breed in the first place.
Plus you are funny and have self-awareness enough to be self-deprecating. I'd vote you a ten. :)
I didn't realise humans were important at all in the grand scheme of things.
Oh I didn't realize you changed the question to just be about IIN. Heh, idk then, I make tons of polls and stories that people laugh their asses off at so I guess that's valuable. I do try to help when I can, and sometimes helping is calling someone a moron as far as I'm concerned.
I initially was going to vote "1" on importance, but changed it to "2". I'll tell you why. I am the first human to understand the basic and actual nature of the Universe.
I have been informed that (some) humans, as a specie, are just now beginning to understand this, and in a scale of technologically advanced civilisations throughout our Local Cluster, I have just reached "2", on a scale of 0 to 100 (Sentient and Ethical creatures).
Please change my vote back to "1".
If you're the "first human to understand the basic and actual nature of the universe", doesn't that, sort of... divide you from the rest of us?
Someone must be first to make a discovery.
Discoveries contribute to society.
Soon, many others will know.
Only idiots, naysayers, stubborn and greedy, backwards thinking people will be divided, by their own selfish devices.
I am not trying to create divisions in society, I am trying to heal the divisions in society that exist today, for the betterment of all (including you).
I know I'm the OP and you don't know who I am, and to be honest it doesn't matter, but I do love you sometimes. :)
I'm pretty sure IIN could do without me. I'm just one person. I don't know, I'd say I'm a 5. Its always the middle person to be ignored and unnneeded, like muahhh!? *with exageration and a kissing action as I say it*
I agree w/ anonymous. I've only been here for 1 day lol. So you're no longer the new kid on the block. :P we can be friends lol.
Aww, don't say that. You've only been here a couple of weeks and I've noticed you lots of times. You're becoming part of it now. You're one of us! :D
I thought about it after reading Dad's post. I can't have kids (FML) so in a "Godly" way I'm actually completely useless. Lol, oh well.
In reference to disthing:
To myself: 7
To my mother: 9 (I pay most of her bills LMAO)
To my children: 0, hehe.
To my job: 2 - I could easily be replaced with someone that isn't sitting at their desk on IIN instead of doing their job :X
To my the world: 0
To the universe: 0
The average of this is 3. (Thanks to having a useless mother)
I don't understand your comment exactly?
Plus you also stated: "To my children: 0, hehe." Which is a contradiction isn't it?
Anyway, my main point is that YOU (and everyone) is the most important thing ever. Ever ever ever.
You may learn this when you are scrounging past others when a big explosion happens or something.
Yes its true that people will selflessly sacrifice their own life for others. Even people they don't know. A perfect example may be a fireman running into a burning house to save the occupants. BUT that's only because they know that everyone is just as important (being most important) to everyone else. ie you could be saved too!.
By the way the 'Godly' point. I'd say the believers should be the first to go to war and fight (and be killed) since they THINK they are going to a better place anyhow. Its a shame they can't commit suicide, I wish the church would.
What I meant by that was my "future children" which will never exist so I mean absolutely nothing to non-existent children. And if people were put on earth to procreate, I'm pretty darn useless.
Funny about the church thing. If they weren't so relentless with their preaches and attempts to get you to "find Jesus and save your souls" they wouldn't be so bad.
Oh, I can't argue with that, there's just nothing else to say. Its like what you've written is the end of the book.
Oh wait, that procreate point. No I don't feel that's the reason we are here. Nor obviously makes you better or worse of a person for it.
All I was saying is you can be one down from your own kids, if you have or going to have any. IF there are no children involved (to die for, that type of thing) then you are on top of the list as most important.
Therefore making you the opposite of useless (oh wait, useful) :)
I suppose. I wish I could have children, though. Every time I see one, my heart tears to pieces. I just feel useless...well, hopeless is a better word I guess. Thanks for putting it that way. :)
Whilst my kids were growing up (to their now teenage years) they had many friends that would come and go. Some staying the night and we even went on holidays (well a 4 day camping trip) with one of those 'best friends' once.
I noticed that the 'friends' do become part of the family a bit. ie I fed them, and even helped them if they fell (that sought of thing)
The point is, that if you really want to have kids but can't, then there is still the option of adoption and believing that child is yours to love and hold, care for and guide. The child would also honestly feel you are the parent, since you would be!
So all is not lost for people who have physical (?) issues that they cannot have a child.
I'm not sure if that's an avenue for you or not? Or even 'one day'?
The other option is becoming a coach or child care worker or helper or something else that allows you to help guide and basically bring up a child in some description or another.
I wonder if any of these things have crossed your mind?
Even sponsoring a 3rd world child, then hopefully visiting his/her community one day?
Basically after you have a child you cannot imagine life without them.
My only concern is they keep getting older!
All I do is work in an office. The fact that I live in Hawaii makes it a 1. LOL.
For future reference, when you conduct social science research, do not mention an anticipated result due to psychological inaccuracies.
4.
Outside of my girlfriend's perspective, I find myself much less useful than average.
Obviously that 'report' doesn't seem to work on this site, as '2' is presently the most voted number!!
I actually find it very depressing that people find themselves so useless here.
In my view I'd say 9 because MOST important would be your own kids even if they are not born yet (and possibly your partner not sure about that exactly though).
Why on Earth would people vote so poorly. Is this site depressants unite or something?
Didn't your parents ever tell you that you're the most important thing in the world?
I wonder who these people think who are in fact important above them? Everyone bar say 1 ?
Oh dear, you guys need a hug.
No I'm not gay, and I meant girls!)
Ha this made me laugh.
I think this site attracts a lot of people with low self-esteem. Also it's fashionable to be mind-numbingly humble when talking about yourself, even if it disguises the hidden Narcissus in everyone.
I think people would rather underestimate themselves and risk having people disagree by massaging their ego-prostate than overestimate themselves and risk having people disagree by belittling them :D
Another point which I made below is that this question doesn't define importance or to whom we're supposed to consider our importance to. To the world? To our parents? To ourselves? To our children? To the universe? So I think a lot of people here have assumed it's importance on a global scale, to everything, which makes a low rating understandable.
I personally think I rank 10 in importance, to myself. I am the most important thing to me, because without me I'd have nothing, because there would be no I to have.
"most people felt their sense of importance was greater than their actual importance"
This is the part I have a problem with. Importance is entirely subjective. It's not something that can be objectively measured. That means there's nothing you can judge a personal ranking against.
I could put 10, because I think I'm very important to my mum. If my mum said I'm actually only a 5 (bitch!) then perhaps you could say I think I'm more important to my mum than I actually am. But if I put a 10 because I believe I'm important in many ways, not only to other people, but to the world, or to God, or to myself, how are you supposed to prove me wrong? How can you judge how accurate my self-assessment is?
So unfortunately I think whatever report you read is, in all likelihood, bullshit, the kind of rubbish you find in cheap style magazines.
I don't really think I'm that important, I guess it depends on the person's self-esteem.
2 or 3. This sight went along just fine before I got here, and it would go along perfectly fine if I left!
I like you a lot, you're way more than a 2-3 to me!! Your username alone garners you at least a 7.
Don't say that. I'm pretty sure you make quite a bit of people laugh and smile on here. You sure make me laugh and smile. Which it makes my day better at times. :)
This is quite an interesting poll, I must say. Pretty funny to see how people rate themselves.
Anyways, i'd give myself something like a 0 or a 2. If that makes sense.
10. If I had the choice to kill myself or everyone else on the planet I would choose the latter.
Hmm I'm not sure. I'd like to hope I'm at least a 5, although I feel cocky for thinking I could be a five. I definitely think that people believe they're more important then they actually are though, a poll about intelligence here showed me that.
Impotent? Who told? I guess that makes me a 3.5 but if I could get it up I'd be at least a 5 maybe a 6. If its cold then I'm only a 2.
I put a 7 because I know for sure I'm not the most important person ever but I do help people as much as I can; when I can. I'm talking about wherever though; like on here, other websites and in real life.
I'll also be helping out "more" with an alliance for children and adults that have the same disorder as me. This won't happen until I figure out what I want to do with myself job/house wise in a year or so though.
Plus I have to agree with dom180.
I'm not sure if you were talking about the help just on this site in general. On this site at the moment maybe a 2-3.
I put myself as a 4. Probably 4/10 of my posts are helpful on average so yeah!
Thank you for the honest reply. I think you are more useful than you think you are, but I guess that wasn't what I asked. You are, though.
Awe thanks anonymous peep. If I knew who you were I'd give you a hug...maybe. Hugs are a big step for me.
And I'd accept it. I've always liked you. But I'll only ever say that anonymously. :P
That's because OP is soooo overrated that the numbers would break the comment box, right OP? LOL :P
I actually don't know the answer. I feel like I'm a part of things here and that most people know me, some even like me. But I don't know how important I actually am. It doesn't actually cross my mind much.
On a scale, I'd put myself as an 8. I'm not cocky, I just feel that I have some sort of value on this site, chances are though that I am like those people you mentioned in the first paragraph.