The INTJ Perspective: Objective and Willful

Hey, everyone.

There is no Truth

So, I read a rather annoying article on Medium that was the catalyst for this post. Basically, the writer claimed that perspective is reality and that everything is subjective. And as an INTJ, this simply won't do. It really irritated me. It's one thing to say "perspective is reality" and defend that in a light sense like when people say "whether you believe you can or can't, you're right," but when you claim that there is no Truth, which the article did, I can't let that sh*t slide.

I know for a fact there is Truth. For instance, we know objectively that 2+2=4. This is not subjective; 2+2=4 is not dependent on anyone's feelings, beliefs, opinions, or manias. 2+2 will always equal 4 regardless of what happens and is said. It is a fact, it is Truth. Another fact is that when I throw something into the air, it will come back down. Despite the fact that we still call gravity a theory--and yes, I know that a scientific theory is very different from a regular theory--we can see gravity in action and predict how it affects objects, even in deep space from lightyears away. So, that is Truth.

But all this talk about perspective gave me an idea--what is the INTJ's perspective? Is it pessimistic? Is it optimistic? Realistic? Or something altogether different? Well, it's a rather interesting concept to consider, especially when you remember that our primary function is Introverted Intuition and our auxiliary function is Extraverted Thinking. How do these two affect our thinking? Let's examine this.

Pessimistic versus Optimistic

Many people feel INTJs are pessimistic. INTJs however would argue that they are not pessimistic but realistic. For instance, when my family went to go see Soylo: A Soy Wars Story and they all liked it but I didn't, I was very quick to point out the movie's flaws and that it was failing commercially quite badly. My mother said that it might do well worldwide and I was quick to point out that it was failing worse overseas than it was in the US. My brother suddenly jumped on me for being so quick to shoot it down as if I derived some sort of pleasure from being the bearer of bad news, especially since I didn't like the movie and they did. My retort was that I was just reporting the facts and trying to save them from the embarrassment of being wrong, which they didn't appreciate. (Apparently, I'm the only one who thinks it's embarrassing to be wrong.) But I maintain that I was merely reporting on the facts--I was being a realist. (And I maintain that Soylo sucks.)

However, for a lot of people, reality isn't good enough. Being an Intuitive type, I'm inclined to agree. There have been plenty of times when I've been bitch-slapped by reality and I was quite unhappy about it. So, what do I do then? Do I accept reality? Well, sort of, but not really. That is to say, I only accept reality when it coincides with my plan, but I'm always pushing to accomplish my plan. I'm a big believer in having my cake and eating it too. Some people might think that positive or optimistic, sort of like expecting the worst, but always hope for the best. But, hoping for the best isn't good enough for an INTJ. If it was, we wouldn't have a plan, therefore I can't say that INTJs are optimistic. Ergo, what is the INTJ's perspective?

Deterministic and Realistic

The INTJ worldview is actually a double-pronged approach. While we act within the confines of reality, and even accept some of its limits, we always try to force our way. Everything we try to accomplish, we do through force of will. To put it another way, we're determined, hence why I call it deterministic (which is not to be confused with the philosophical theory of determinism). However, no matter how determined we are, we are still realistic. It also doesn't help that INTJs are often prone to sudden and unsubstantiated insights, and later those insights turn out to be correct. Hence, why wouldn't our determined POV not be right?

***

Well, I hope you found that interesting. Sorry it was so short. I'm not sure if I thought I was going to write more or not, but I did think it was going to be a little more insightful than that. And if you want all the INTJ insights I can possibly give you, please join my mailing list, or really show me that you appreciate my insights and please consider supporting me on Patreon. Even $1 a month will prove your appreciation.

For next week, I'm not sure what I'll do. I have about six ideas up my sleeve that I can write about, I just don't know which one seems the next most interesting. I could write about what INTJs treasure most, speculate on whether or not INTJs are good people or have issues with sex, or I could look at how it is that I'm so religious despite being an INTJ. We'll see. But, until then...

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

Amazon: My Author Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch

Instagram: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar