Okay, I’ll take bait. What are the NFs not happy about right now? ;-\

2030 predictions sound fun. Just remember to always remind us (and yourself) not to take your predictions too seriously. ;-\ Not that any prediction isn’t a possibility — just that making a wide-scope prediction doesn’t make it any more likely to unfold than it was before you predicted it. I only mention this because I’ve spent some time thinking about how people respond to predictions. Not only are predictions fun, but sometimes people almost seem to psychologically need them. What’s the MBTI descriptor for susceptibility for believing in predictions?

@steve – NF’s tend to be unhappy about the state of traditional religious/spiritual values, the war in Iraq (and other wars), animal welfare, social welfare and environmental issues. Predicting the future is like predicting the stock market. A fundamental analysis shows what is wrong and what could be right. There’s no telling when the change happens though, so making predictions is an excellent change of making an ass of oneself. (Like predicting that tech stocks were a crazy investment in 1992). Who is susceptible to believe in or need predictions?.. I don’t know, hmm.

@elizabeth – You know 2030 is only 22 years away.

Ohhhh, looking forward to the 2030 post! And man, this was a great article. As an INTJ I have, as a general rule, no tolerance for most people. I am polite and great in social situations (can think through anything) but keep only a very select group of friends because everyone else makes me work to hard to try and “get” them.

It’s an interesting perspective you have on personal financial bloggers! Where did you get your statistics? What are the PF bloggers MBTI profiles? WANT TO KNOW 😉

I am actually looking forward to the time when the standard consumerist lifestyle falls because only then will society actually change.

@well-heeled – Hey thanks for the review. You sent a ton of traffic my way. If anyone wants to read it, here’s the link
http://wellheeled.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/xtreme/

@shanti – a post revealing the personality type of the bloggers in the pf world is underway.

@steve – LOL I gotta see that movie. My refrain when it comes to people tends to be “I told you so” 😛 Apparently I’m not selling the message very well the first time I try.

I guess I’m a bit of an abnormality in the PF blog world. I’m an ENFJ, and yes, I am drawn towards causes and have been known to be the canary in the coal mine. But I’m not a nut, I swear! :>)

Now, off to look for your predictions… (I have a few of my own too, of course, but I need to build up the courage first before posting them!)

@Steve Austin
I knew there was a reason I *loved* that movie. I am an off-the-chart NT and often despair that my default mode seems to be seeing the base, vile, and broken tendencies in the vast majority of people. I am always utterly delighted when I meet someone who shatters my baseline conceptions.

I like the idea of the futures discussion esp with the rock and roll of ssa. About trucks – I come from truck country where they are dirty, dented, and pull trailers, haul hay, etc. I just don’t get why a city person would buy a truck and always have it shiny clean and show it off. What is that? Is it like a big fancy necklace? Decoration only?

@Jacob
I have a question. What is the reason behind saying that owning a house is like preparing for the last war? Do you mean a large or expensive house, or do you mean home ownership in general? If you meant in general, then I am interested to know what your take is on the future in relation to that statement. In other words, why would it not be as advantageous as I might think would be the case? I am curious because I am considering saving to buy a modest home, perhaps a fixer upper all in cash once I have the funds to do so. My reasoning is totally the bottom line. My thought is that rent is one of my biggest monthly expenses, but never having owned a house or even really had experience or extensive input from those who do have to care for homes they own as to the costs involved, I am unsure as to whether this is a less expensive or better alternative for FI or not.
Thanks for the thoughtful article!

@steveaustin

“There Will Be Blood” is also one of my favourite movies, IF NOT my favourite movie, for the precise REASON that I find it so easy to relate to Daniel Plainview’s misanthropy. (although I am not a misanthrope any more and haven’t been since leaving high school) However, I’m not an INTJ. I am VERY MUCH of an INFP. That being said, I still don’t see how we NF types are very useful for predicting changes just due to our collective unhappiness. We get unhappy about things ALL THE TIME. In fact, we often gwet really unhappy because of the dissapointing fact that so many of the things about society that make us unhappy DON’T seem to ever change and that they CONTINUE to be a problem for people around us. So I still don’t see how we NF types make for good “canaries in the coal mine”

To be honest, I don’t think much about these things. If the world is going to be screwed, it’s going to be screwed either way.

I sometimes think the ERE crowd (and many other crowds, really) take themselves far too seriously. I’d rather live and let live, and the world can either sort itself out or explode.

Besides, you can’t really predict the future. The energy crisis might be solved by some amazing new discovery (shale?). The world might collapse into complete chaos (in which case no amount of ERE will help). ERE might become illegal or heretical.

You can only plan according to today’s environment, and perhaps a few years ahead. But trying to think decades ahead…well, nobody expected the fall of European hegemony in 1915, or the global dominance of the internet in 1990.

I’m an SJ and I have to say that while those kinds of people are shaped by experiences and tend to be more receptive to social feedback, it’s ultimately their personal experiences which they believe define who they are. I remember when I was young first learning about monthly expenses and how absurd it was to have my hard-earned money be turned around on expenses I didn’t care for. That’s ultimately what inspired my frugal nature.