The truth about Altruism
Every selfless act has a selfish intent. It is that simple; humans are genetically engineered to focus on the preservation of self and immediate lineage. Altruism, or the act of random kindness, is an evolved survival tactic that has been proven by George Price’s Theorem.
That is all.
Meaningful Work
How does the nature of genetic evolution in social behavior translate to having meaningful work? And what if you were forced to downgrade your lifestyle in order to do so? The attainment of that which is worthwhile is subjective; it is largely dependent upon what you determine as meaningful work.
What are you willing to sacrifice, and whether or not you can fulfill your need to do something greater than yourself outside of your career? Philanthropy would be a serviceable option. An avenue to pursue where your monetary resources can be utilized for the benefit of society (or on the much smaller scale of community) while understand that the career you are in is a means to an end.
And the removal of INTJs in society
I have only outlined two INTJs whose contributions to society were invaluable.
Nikola Tesla:
- Alternating Current
- Induction Motor
- Various other convenient inventions
If we just remove Nikola Tesla we can eliminate alternating current which would potentially leave us with an inefficient variant of direct power. We can safely assume, as well, that the induction motor would either not have been built, or built poorly, and not have survived to become the basis for Tesla Motors. Ironically enough, the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, is an INTJ.
Isaac Newton:
- Laws of Motion
- Calculus
- Refraction of Light
- Improved Telescope
Isaac Newton is the driving force behind how the modern civilization, in terms of physics and mathematics, understands the world. There are countless pioneers in both subjects, in both generations, but without the steadying influence of Newton or Tesla our world would be lagging behind.
Of course, it is all relative. If Newton or Tesla did not exist then we would be blissfully ignorant of the progress that could have been accomplished. The general theme for INTJs are the ability to balance incremental thinking with a long-term view of how society should be like, and strive towards the betterment of civilization, at all costs. It does not always work out, but when it does amazing things happen.
This is not to assume that their particular contributions to society would have come from someone else, but it is the eventuality of such occurrences.
Eventually is the key term of which the actual time it would of taken to be created is speculative. Newton did not create Calculus alone, but rather was able to take an idea then improve it, for lack of a better phrase.
On a long enough time line, the induction motor, and alternating current probably would have been created out of sheer necessity for an efficiently sustainable future. Although, I doubt either invention, and or improvement, would have been as well made and implemented as it were without some INTJ influence. I am not crediting INTJs with the singular advancement of civilization, but our presence – while admittedly marginal – in the grand scheme was beneficial for society.
Both of these brilliant minds were ahead of their time, and understood that in order to create something that lasts for centuries – as I noted earlier – must be coupled with a forward-thinking mentality. Tesla may have been contracted under Benjamin Franklin to improve upon direct current, but that could of resulted in a simple DC variant. Tesla, rather, understood that there is an infinitely better process that can be achieved without sacrificing the potency of energy.
~ By no means is this all-inclusive, but it is an interesting thought, none the less.
Intp x Intj 