I think a lot of people look at me as 'Chief Moderator' of this website and either think 'wow, what a great guy' or 'omg, what a dweeb'. This approach (to me) seems to just happen a lot, I can't precisely put my finger on it but I'd say it's the fact that I care about everybody and yet also see their flaws all at once. People can't quite figure me out, I like it that way because most people get either too idealistic or too harsh a view of somebody when they're too 'real'. When I look in the mirror, I just see me, Dr. P. Who is he? That depends on the situation.
If I had to name my best ability, which if you ask me is difficult because I truly believe that I have to improve at everything and that I am not that brilliant at anything much at all, I'd say that openmindedness is my forte. Don't mistake me for being self-loathingly humble, I'm not saying being a microbiologist isn't great, I have a PhD and what I am researching, alongside my teams, is very likely going to change the world of agriculture. However, what I want you to understand is that guys with my background, what with wealthy parents pressuring me to get a typically good job and all that, with the social skills I had could have ended up in a much more manipulative walk of life and I most definitely wouldn't have ended up with the wonderful woman I have nor interacting with these oddities online. Even if I'd been a lawyer, I don't see myself as having had the same intellectual fire to me that came with what happened with my pursuit of microbiology. I fell in love with that just as I fell in love with debating and later on with my wife and life as I know it now.
I am truly happy with how life played out for me, I think a lot of people first seek achievement and then fulfillment and that's where they go wrong. You cannot be fulfilled until you know for sure that what you're doing is worthwhile. Do you think everyday being the Chief Moderator of DART is fun? Of course not, some days I want to click logout and never open it again because of some personalities that I won't name combining with a stressful day just making me feel 'oh hell, not anymore'. Some days I want to quit my job, some days I want to just party hard, game hard, weeb hard and spend all days on online forums not as a responsible, openminded member but a purely recreational shitposter but that's just not who I am, it's not who I was born to be. I don't know why I get a kick out of being responsible and I certainly never thought I'd end up such an extroverted, charismatic guy at this stage in life, back in my teens, yet here I am and I must say I am so grateful for every step of that journey.
I truly cherish everybody in my life, even the ones that made it unpleasant and difficult. I see it all as a test, in that way you could say I am genuinely Jewish though I'd never deny how secular I am. I truly believe that I am being tested day in, day out and I thrive on proving to myself that I can be an honest, kindhearted, tolerant and generous human being no matter how many people prove to me that the world doesn't reward that and no matter how down in the dumps I feel. That's what being a human is all about; battling your demons and coming out this optimistic, resilient adventurer. I don't really relate to protagonists or antagonists in the mangas and animes I've grown to love, I tend to relate to a variety of support characters... On the other hand, I seem to end up in positions of responsibility and influence everywhere I go and pour my heart into, I think what people are drawn to is that when it comes down to it, I appreciate you as much as the next guy. I genuinely don't care about this whole 'best friend' 'archenemy' concept in Animes, I find it cringe, the reason I watch them is for the character development and art, that's what I love. I don't care much for worrying if Naruto or Sasuke end up with Sakura, I don't understand why Aizen went all megalomaniac when he had a good thing going in the Soul Society, I just do my thing, appreciate others doing their thing and make my way in life.
I would like to end this on a massive disclaimer though; obviously, I do have favorites. The only favorite you guys need to know about is my wonderful wife and immediate family IRL. The rest is my business and I'll keep it that way. I don't 'like' them more than others, I respect them more and genuinely appreciate the type of people they are more. It's different to affection, it is straight up appreciation and admiration. If I cannot admire who you are as a person, you are not likely to be my favorite and that's perfectly alright.