At the end of last year, @Novanter and I announced that we was going to be interviewing members of Teen Forumz (Click here for the thread). We put it to a public vote of deciding who to interview first. @Singularis got the most votes, and so here is his interview:
What lead you to Teenforumz, and what was/is the reason(s) that you kept/keep coming back?
I initially joined TeenForumz two years ago on a different account, I created this one last year. I didn't post much, and I wasn't sure why I was there in the first place. Boredom, loneliness maybe? I do know I was a very unbalanced hostile teenager at war with the world and life.
I used to make a lot of offensive/hostile posts just for the heck of it, and I couldn't care less about how people would react.
About a month later (maybe?) I was feeling worse than usual, and I made a thread about the most recent event which was tormenting me: Heartbreak.
What came next I did not expect, the people there actually advised me and comforted me, and I found it both heart warming and amusing.
The advice they provided really did help, and I actually started reading the posts they wrote to advise other members. In time I began advising myself, and posting myself. The warm atmosphere of TeenForumz made me stay. That, and the boredom of course.
How do you feel about being in the staff team once again? Also, do you find moderating to be a hard job to do?
I find it wonderful to be a staff member once again. I stepped down from moderator some months ago due to personal issues I was facing, and in the end it was a stupid thing to do. Given another chance, I didn't hesitate to accept.
Moderating is a VERY hard job to do, harder than people realize. Don't take me wrong, banning trolls and cleaning trash posts is easy; the hard part comes when dealing with fights, and decision making.
No matter what the decision you make, some people will be against it, and you have to make sure everyone follows the rules, even your friends. So, we moderators are seen as "villains", so to speak, in various situations by some members.
And we have to keep firm, of course, but people don't see how behind the scenes it's very hard to be so. But, even if it is hard, I do like it.
Describe the atmosphere of the house you live in: Who do you live with? Do these people get on with each other, including you? Is your home typically quiet or noisy?
The house I live in is very noisy, and that's saying little. I live with both my father and my younger sister, although various family members usually pack up here all day, everyday. My sister gets along with my father, they're very close to each other and she's daddy's little princess.
I live much isolated from them, and I do not get along with anyone here, at all. I spend most of my time inside my room, except when the house is empty once a week for some hours. It's a complicated place to be, more than that I need not say, but I'll be moving out in a few months.
Did you lose something because of the position?
Well, this question is ambiguous; but I'm going to take it as in if I became restricted of something because becoming a moderator. If that is what you mean, then yes, I became restricted of some things, but nothing serious. I find myself restricted from posting freely in the debates section for example, as if the debate becomes too heated, I can't become too involved as a moderator.
Also, when I find someone's opinion disagreeable or even offensive, some people can't distinguish between me disagreeing with them, and me warning them as a moderator. And it's normal, we're both moderators and members, we can't just be one. But, these restrictions are minor.
What does a book (not a specific book, books in general) mean to you? What does knowledge mean to you?
A book? A book is an object in which we record our thoughts, or recite a story. It's a tool to record various things in forms of writings. That's about it, it has no significant meaning to me. Knowledge however, is a more abstract and subjective concept. According to philosophy, knowledge is something which we know is true and can prove to be true.
We can't know something unless we can prove it to be true, after all. What each person considers knowledge however, is variable. To me, knowledge is to be "informed" in various aspects of life, to understand their concept and be able to grasp them from every view point. It's too abstract to put into words.
Describe the relationship between you and your mother (do you see her frequently? If you are close, what makes you close? Can you talk to her about anything ?).
My mother and I are very close. She's my mother, best friend, mentor, and various other concepts. Our relationship is deep and very hard to define, it's something that cannot be put into words, for no words are strong enough. My mother lives in Angola and I only see her for a week every 3 months, but when I do it's always wonderful.
We still speak on MSN or Skype every single day when she's in Angola, and we share everything with each other. She has always treated me like an adult from a very young age, and she listens to me, always puts my opinion above all others.
She has taught me a lot of things even though she's been physically absent most of my life. I'm also her mentor, her partner in various things, her son. We're actually getting both the same tattoo in one month from now designed by us both, so that we'll always be together even apart. She is the person I most admire in the whole world and look up to, and vice versa. We are one.
What are you studying at college? Why did you choose that? What does that mean to you? How hard do you find what you're doing in college?
I'm currently in Secondary school, which is the equivalent to the British college. It's a school where my results will decide if I'll be accepted into University, or be thrown in the trash with the common rabble. I'm studying Psychology, Biology and Mathematics, with secondary subjects such as Portuguese and Physical Education, which count as much at the end of the year.
I don't find the subject themselves hard, rather focusing on them is the hard part. I get distracted easily, and I have a huge amount of responsibilities outside school which take most of my time and attention, so I pretty much struggle to maintain good results. When I do have time, I'm falling to the side out of tiredness. However, it is my duty to perform well and I do not tolerate failure.
I chose these subjects because even if I can handle mostly anything except for visual arts, I am interested in entering Psychiatry. Unlucky for me, I'll need to study 4 years of Medicine first, which is the hardest area to enter in University, but I'm up to the challenge, I wouldn't have it any other way.
My passion is psychology, but unemployment is a very unattractive idea, so I'll focus on psychiatry. Doctors always have a job.
What would you do if you were ruling (in charge of) Europe?
Ah, politics; and a hard question too seeing as a contiguous Europe is a hard scenario to imagine. What would I do? What any competent ruler would do. I'd ensure the economical growth of the empire and the hapiness of the people. I'd balance out liberty and discipline, after all we don't want either a ditacture or anarchy.
I'd do my best to ensure the people reveled in freedom and quality of living, that the economy was strong, and that both the arts and technology flourished. I'd also do the possible to prevent foreign empires from creating monopolies inside the empire, and would incentivate that the top products were all national. A self-sufficient country.
It is almost impossible to go beyond that because the rest would depend on the current circumstances of the world.
What were – and are - the milestones of your life?
Well, the greatest milestone I've achieved so far was to escape a dark past which still haunts me sometimes, but that's a story for another day. My current goal is pretty much the same which is has been most of my life: Happiness, mine and that of those around me. Call it a naive dream, but I see it as worthy dream to have.
What is your view of life (in general), and then meaning of it?
My view of life? Well, I can only draw one conclusion from it, which is that we don't understand it. So many people are sure of so many things, but seeing as anything is relative and we don't know the objective truth in the end, I find that what we must do is to do what we can with what is given to us.
I don't know if there is a meaning to life, there is no way to prove or disprove such, I only believe that we have to enjoy it regardless. Fate or chance, the future is still ours, and no one can take that from us.
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