Kokology Questions

[Silmarillion]

PLANTING THE SEEDS


The human spirit loves a challenge.  This desire to overcome may be the secret to our success as a species.  Every human science was born through hard study and failed experiments; and every human personality is the product of an innate drie to create something unique from one's raw individual experience.  The need to be challenged is so strong in us that we sometimes make things more difficult than they need to be, just so we can rise to the occasion and overcome the obstacles we have ourselves created.

You are an eminent scientist who has been working to develop a new species of plant.  You have spent years in your laboratory experimenting, and now your efforts have begun to show results.  As the ultimate test of hardiness of your creation, you plant 100 seeds of the new strain in an inhospitable desert location.

How many of those 100 seeds sprout? (number from 0 to 100)

[Nightcrawler]

I'll go with 92.  Is that good?? What, you wanted all 100?  I'm not a miracle worker damn it, I'm a botanist!!!

[Kothoses the Tyrant]

73

heh and they were all different colours and shapes and sizes.  

(or is that my unused condom collection? j/k)

[Silmarillion]

Ooops, forgot to put my answer:  69  

j/k

86

[Demiurgos]

With my "green thumb"? 4!

[Zoras]

I came up with 67 as my first thought. Oddly, none of my favorite numbers (4,5 and 9) came up as I thought about it.

[Silmarillion]

Analysis of Planting the Seeds

The number you gave as an answer correlates to your self confidence level.  In this story, the scientist stands for feelings of confidence and even pride.  On the other hand, the hostile desert sands represent a difficult challenge or test and therefore elicit feelings of doubt and uncertainty.  People who answered with higher numbers felt greater affinity with the scientist and have high confidence levels.  Those who answered with lower numbers felt the challenge was too great and have correspondingly lower self confidence.

SCALE

99-100.  It's an understatement to say you're self confident; maybe a better word would be 'vain'.  Sure, it's important to believe in yourself, but you tend to dismiss the challenges of the rest of the world.  Don't forget that one of the truest signs of strength is accepting one's own weaknesses.

81-98.  You radiate confidence in yourself and your own capabilities, but somehow it doesn't come across as arrogance.  Those around you generally feel it as a sense of cool certainty, making you a natural leader wherever you go.

61-80.  Maybe you're best described as a cautious optimist, hoping for the best but always prepared for the worst.  That realistic philosophy keeps you grounded when others might lose their heads in the clouds.

41-60.  Your confidence is in the average range--neither too cocky nor too unsure.  Maybe you're still finding our what it is you're best at, or maybe you just have a healthy respect for the difficulties that stand before you.  Believe in yourself and the world will follow suit.

21-40.  While you don't doubt yourself entirely, you tend to overestimate the challenges confronting you.  You may excuse this tendency as a simple resignation to the facts, but your pessimistic outlook affects the way other people see you.  The only way for you to inspire confidence in others is first to have it in yourself.

1-20.  It's one thing to be humble, but you need to focus on developing a better sense of your own value.  There's nothing wrong with believing you can achieve great things, and with a little hard work, you can.  The only thing holding you back, is you.

0.  What looks like an utter lack of confidence is actually a sign of perfectionist pride.  You can't tolerate the thought of being proven wrong or even making a mistake, so you pretend that everything is too difficult for you.  If you don't learn to face those fears you may fool the world into thinking you're just a ne'er-do-well, but you'll always know that you never even tried.

[Silmarillion]

The Stolen Berries


Everyone likes a nice person, and most of us try to be good in our own lives.  Why is it, then, that there are so few people in the world who are good all the time?  As hard as you may try, there are always those rotten days and bad moments of weakness where it just feels better to be bad.  Whether that takes the form of driving too fast on the highway, cheating on a test, or "liberating" a box of pens from the office, we've all done things we can't be proud of or justify.  The key to becoming a truly good person is in accepting the bad parts of your own personality and admitting you're not perfect, not in trying to act like a saint while the devil on your shoulder whispers in your ear.  We all succumb to temptation sometimes.  But in the next scenario, you might just get caught...

1.  On a stroll through the countryside, you come across a field of delicious looking strawberries.  Your stomach starts to rumble, and there's no one else around.  Only a fence stands between you and free lunch.  How high is that fence?


2.  You sneak into the garden and begin to help yourself to the fruit.  How many berries do you eat?


3.  Suddenly the farmer whose berries you're stealing appears out of nowhere and starts yelling at you.  What do you say in your defense?

4.  After all is said and done, how did the berries taste?  And looking back, how did you feel after your berry-stealing adventure was over?




My answers:

1.  I'm imagining a wooden fence, like ones around ranches and farms.  About 4 feet in height, with posts like this:  |=| , so it's easy to go over, or under.

2.  I know I would tell myself just one, but knowing myself, more than likely I would grab a handful to take with me.

3.  Yikes!  I would apologize.  Tell him that they just looked so delicious I couldn't help myself.  And probably offer to pay him for them.

4.   Mmmm....They tasted so GOOD!  Juicy, sweet, and delicious. *makes mental note to walk by this farm more often*  ROFL

How would I feel?  I'd feel better if I hadn't gotten caught, that's for sure!  I would feel a 'little' guilty, but overall....it was fun, and I'd be excited and probably laugh about it later while telling the tale to someone, chalk it up to another adventure.

[Zoras]

Cautious Optimist. That's me alright!

Now to the Berries:

1. I'm also imagining a old-style wooden fence, perhaps about 3 - 4 feet high.  Easily vaulted, but doing so would make you easily noticeable.

2. I eat at least 10! I LOVE strawberries.

3. "My apologies, sir. I was just trying those strawberries to see if they were as sweet as they looked. I think you'll get a lot for this batch."

Actually... the above probably wouldn't happen. I'd be more likely to apologise and offer to pay for the berries.

4. Sweet, but with just that hint of sourness that I like. Still, I wouldn't feel entirely comfortable, and I'd probably end up leaving a small token for the farmer. Maybe some coins where the berries were.

[Falkirk]

The Stolen Berries

1. The fence is about four feet high, and easy to get through.

2. I'd eat about a dozen.

3. I'd tell him I was very hungry, and offer to pay for the berries. I'd also compliment him on how delicious his berries were.

4. The berries were sweet and juicy. I'd feel happy about the adventure.

[Nightcrawler]

Well that seed one seems pretty accurate I think.  Now on to the new one...

1.  On a stroll through the countryside, you come across a field of delicious looking strawberries.  Your stomach starts to rumble, and there's no one else around.  Only a fence stands between you and free lunch.  How high is that fence?

Just the size that would keep small animals out, so like 2 feet maybe.


2.  You sneak into the garden and begin to help yourself to the fruit.  How many berries do you eat?

Well if I'd try any I'd take a little bite of one and if it was good I'd probably just eat that one.  If we were talking raspberries that'd be a whole different story though.


3.  Suddenly the farmer whose berries you're stealing appears out of nowhere and starts yelling at you.  What do you say in your defense?

Hey, neat trick!  Do it again!  (appearing out of nowhere)

4.  After all is said and done, how did the berries taste?  And looking back, how did you feel after your berry-stealing adventure was over?

Not all that great.  Strawberries are ok, but nothing special plus I pissed a decent guy off and that's just not cool.

[Mad_Wanderer]

I would want them all to bloom.
So i would expect 90 or more to flower
But i'd probably manage 20/30%

----------------------------------------------------

A small, wire fence, easy to climb over.
I eat 6/7 berries.

I'd say "sorry, they looked so nice and i was hungry. How much do you want for them ?"

The berried tasted too sweet but they left a bitter taste in the mouth that lingered.

Slightly ashamed, but happy that the matter is resolved.

[Silmarillion]

Sorry for the delay to putting this up, I was out of town for a wedding.

Analysis of The Stolen Berries


1.  The height of the fence you imagined around the field is a measure of your own level of self control and resistance to sexual temptation.  The higher the fence, the greater your own defenses.  People who imagined a total enclosure exercise admirable restraint.  Those of you who said it was only a string tied to a beanpole about knee height run a higher than average risk of getting burned by the flames of love.

2.  The number of berries you said you would steal is the number of people you can believe yourself in love (or lust) with at any given time.  If you said you'd quit eating after just one, you're likely faithful in your love life as well (or at least a devoted serial monogamist).  Those of you who got into the double digits need to think seriously about applying the brakes on your libido.  Nobody can keep that pace up forever.

3. The excuses you made to the farmer represent the way you'd defend yourself if you got caught having an affair.  What was your excuse?

"I'm so sorry.  I promise I'll never do it again."  

Sometimes a full confession and a promise to behave is the best way to get yourself off the hook.

"They looked so good, I just couldn't help myself."

Well, actually, you did help yourself--to somebody else's berries.  But honesty is the best policy.  After all, it worked for George Washington, didn't it?  If you keep it up, maybe someday you could be president, too.

"Hey those berries were great!  Do you mind if I have a couple more?"

Farmers have shotguns, spouses have lawyers.  Fortunately, you still have a chance to reconsider your choice of words.


4.  The way you described the experience and the taste of the berries gives an indication of how you imagine yourself feeling when looking back on a past affair.

"Actually, they didn't taste as good as they looked.  The whole thing wasn't really worth it."

All too true for most affairs.  Chalk it up to experience and put it behind you.

"So sweet!  So juicy and delicious!  I've never tasted anything like it!"

Uh...let's just say you're addicted to love.

"The berries were nothing special, but all in all it was kind of fun."

Statistically speaking, you're in the high risk group for repeat offenders.

[Silmarillion]

You Be the Judge


The bang of the gavel, the slick attorneys matching wits, the hush that descends as the verdict is read--there are few movie settings more dramatic than a courtroom.  It's a suspense filled battle of intellects in which the line between right and wrong is often blurred and the link between law and justice can get lost in the scuffle.

If you were an actor playing in a courtroom drama, which of the following characters would you see yourself portraying?

1.  The Lawyer
2.  The Detective
3.  The Accused
4.  The Witness



My answer:   3.  The Detective

[Kothoses the Tyrant]

Yep detective here too.