What do you think of the famous questions dating back to 19th century Salons of Paris, later given the name of the Proust Questionnaire? Marcel Proust, the great author of the 7-volume life-long work “In Search of Lost Time” had answered similar questions twice, however without any part in their invention or wording. I sit, thinking, why not pose a challenge to ourselves and try to answer them frankly, even for our own private purposes? It may be worth a try, if only unlike myself, you don’t occasionally question the very idea whether or not”a spoken word is already a lie,” especially since Marcel Proust himself replied, when asked of his idea of perfect happiness, “I dare not speak it, I am afraid of destroying it by speaking it.”
Repost the questionnaire if you feel like sharing a thought or two.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A combination of personal and artistic fulfilment.
What is your greatest fear?
Unfullfilled deeds
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Unstraightfowardness.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Hypocricy and in men – cowardice.
Which living person do you most admire?
Someone who finds the inner strength to face up to the world.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My life
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being “friends” with everyone.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Perhaps only the fact that at the moment it’s younger than my inner appearence. But age is a reality that no one has yet escaped.
Which living person do you most despise?
Political hypocrites.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
A lack of cowardice in regard to inner views/beliefs.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Wisdom.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Currently, the works of a certain great poet.
What is your motto?
“Our real audience is Time”
Flowers & Music 
Here’s mine!
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
My garden
What is your greatest fear?
I really don’t have one.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Asking too many questions.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
The inability to answer questions.
Which living person do you most admire?
She’s a student, and the most insightful and intelligent person I have ever met. (And that includes my father who got his PhD at 21).
What is your greatest extravagance?
Central heating and electric lighting.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Saying nothing to your friends. Whilst using a lot of words.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My appearance is my greatest asset. Most men ignore me.
Which living person do you most despise?
The leader of ISIS in Syria.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Integrity
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Balance
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Goethe.
What is your motto?
“Ask ’em”
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No: I take that back about fear. I’m terrified of dentists.
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I add to that most doctors, excepting the great ones:)
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Thanks so much for taking the time! My overall impressions from trying to answer these questions (although it’s possible to expand on them) is that I love people with the qualities I find lacking in myself, but which I respect a lot. All that’s left to do now seems easy- go find them 😉 Until then, my greatest love remains a great poet.
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If you like those who have qualities that you lack, you are going to face a serious problem: they may not like someone who doesn’t share their qualities.
Most people prefer their sympathies and hate their antipathies with unreasonable vehemence.
That would include you if you were looking for someone who doesn’t share your sympathies.
Those people who are tolerant enough to seek out those who don’t share their qualities are exceptionally rare. Rare, not extinct.
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There’s another side as well- mostly, when asked about their downsides, faults, etc., people tell (even themselves) about something that, deep down, they’re actually proud of.
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It is best not to enter into that kind of argument with someone who lacks the capacity for self-reflection.
They’ll start blaming you for all manner of things… or they’ll just say that you’ve got Bipolar or Asperger’s or Parkinson’s.
Okay, so not the last one: but knowing these guys’ level of intelligence, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that I have that too.
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