The Bluetooth test: “when you’re given the smallest amount of power, do you use it to make things nice for everybody, or just yourself?”
The Circle of Hell test: “when you see someone writhing in social damnation, do you grab their hand, or do you let ’em burn?”
The Gottman test: “do you expect to influence others, but refuse to be influenced yourself?”
The codependent problems test: “do you actually want to solve your problem, or are you secretly depending on its continued existence? If you showed up to fight the dragon and found it already slain, would you be elated or disappointed?”
The match your freak test: “If I’m a little bit weird, will you be a little bit weird too?”
The pointless status test: “whenever there’s some way you could consider myself better than other people, no matter how stupid or arbitrary it is, do you feel compelled to compete?”
The too busy to care test: “Are you too busy to care about the other people in your life?”
(Adam is an engaging writer who often leaves me feeling enriched, but his meandering style sometimes makes me lose track of what he’s talking about, which is why I pulled them out here)
I appreciated this quote from him too:
… becoming kinder and gentler is mainly the act of noticing—realizing that some small decision has moral weight, acting accordingly, and repeating that pattern over and over again.
Adam’s tests, quoted:
The Bluetooth test: “when you’re given the smallest amount of power, do you use it to make things nice for everybody, or just yourself?”
The Circle of Hell test: “when you see someone writhing in social damnation, do you grab their hand, or do you let ’em burn?”
The Gottman test: “do you expect to influence others, but refuse to be influenced yourself?”
The codependent problems test: “do you actually want to solve your problem, or are you secretly depending on its continued existence? If you showed up to fight the dragon and found it already slain, would you be elated or disappointed?”
The match your freak test: “If I’m a little bit weird, will you be a little bit weird too?”
The pointless status test: “whenever there’s some way you could consider myself better than other people, no matter how stupid or arbitrary it is, do you feel compelled to compete?”
The too busy to care test: “Are you too busy to care about the other people in your life?”
(Adam is an engaging writer who often leaves me feeling enriched, but his meandering style sometimes makes me lose track of what he’s talking about, which is why I pulled them out here)
I appreciated this quote from him too:
Thanks, Mo. In retrospect, I suppose I should have copied over the tests to make them easier for people to see. Thanks for doing that!
Thank you!