Being INFJ: Trying not to Make People Jump

When you're INFJ it can be difficult to remember that other people don't see things quite as we do and can be a bit shocked horrified when they find out we know all about them. I mean, we've grown up being able to identify a shit at sight, we can't be expected to understand that not everyone has that.

As I get older I have a better understanding of how our insight affects other people. I once horrified a bloke in a gay sauna by answering his unspoken words. He was genuinely frightened, it was so funny. Bitch I've just sucked you off, of course I can read your thoughts, was not the explanation that would have gone down. I told him it was non verbal communication. Of course regular readers will know that I don't actually adjust my response to people unless I feel like it!

But here are a few things I've learned about non-INFJs:

Many people go through life genuinely surprised at things that happen. Can you believe this? They genuinely don't notice patterns of human behaviour and thought that would tell them what was coming next and so don't see things coming. This one never ceases to amaze me!

Many people don't look into people's thoughts and motivations and just believe what people say. They don't even look at who benefits from things like religion, politics and scams. Incredible, I honestly don't know how they go through life like this. An example would be when the pope says child abuse is terrible, they actually believe that and don't examine the church's complete lack of any action that would stop abuse except when forced. Conversely some people think they are seeing into what is actually happening and end up in totally fictional conspiracy theories. Why the hell would China have created a virus - and how, since the technology to do it doesn't exist.

People don't want to hear the things we know. This is totally sad, because they'll spend fortunes on fake psychics and quacks but what they really want is to have their defenses bolstered.

I have learned with difficulty that there is literally no point with some people, if they learn their lesson for this incarnation it will be the hard way, if at all. That said on other occasions it can be very satisfying to take them to school. For example the practice manager of my GP surgery thinks that my complaint is resolved. But I happen to know that because he isn't actually managing the reception staff the same problem will happen next time I try to make an appointment and he will get the same complaint again.

I am the means the universe has chosen to make him get off his arse. In fact once you've dealt with a few psychopaths the universe starts throwing them at you regularly just because nobody else can even.

Incidentally in a probably unrelated vein I keep thinking how much I like millennials. They have a whole can do and don't give a shit attitude which appeals to me hugely. I particularly like their propensity for rioting. Of course this is not what society wants, and of course I could have told world government that saddling generations with huge debt and no prospect of home ownership, a career or retirement, gives them a whole freedom that earlier generations lacked. But they didn't ask of course.

The illustration is of striking Disney animators in 1941, who knew how to do industrial action.