Consumer, Creator, Dreamer, Parasite… This typology gives us a simple idea of what is right and what is wrong, an idea of what we shall pursue in life. It lets us evaluate both our and someone's behavior from an ethical point of view.
In everyday life, we can distinguish between sane and shady people. And we definitely can say if we met a decent person with high-level life values. Many of us wish they lived a decent life, but sometimes we just cross this invisible line, not having clear guidance of morality. This ethicotype chart can advise on how to live our lives worthier.
The typology is built on two crossing axes:
- care of yourself vs. care of others
- care at your own expense vs. at someone else’s expense
Find your place on the Care axis. To do that, answer the following questions:
- Who do I care for?
- Who do I protect?
- Who do I help?
- In who or what do I invest?
It is natural to take care of yourself; it is what we start our life with. But what’s next? Does your care spectrum permanently expand? Do you try to care not just for yourself but also for others?
How would you assess yourself according to the chart above? As a hint, there are several levels:
0 - I barely take care of myself.
1 - I maintain myself properly with no desire to care of someone else.
2 - I’m successful in a personal way and take care of my loved ones.
3 - I take care of all the above, plus my big, strong family.
4 - I do care of all the above, plus invest in charity and social projects.
5 - I will make a notable contribution to science/economy/culture/etc.
So, are you at 5 or 0?
Assessing yourself at the scale, you probably consider only ‘at your expense’ type of care. But people may live habitually at others' expense. Many of them prefer somebody else to do things for them as a gift or sans payback. Here, we move to the second axis of the typology.
The chart above displays the following:
- those who care of themselves at their own expense are Consumers
- those who solve their problems at expense of others are Parasites
- those who care of others at their own efforts are Creators
- those who make somebody else to care about others are Dreamers
Imagine a common situation at the bus station:
- Here is a man, waiting patiently, observing the queue order. But once it’s his turn, he won’t ever let someone else pass him by! The only person who he’s caring for is himself. He doesn’t mind anybody else, still honestly following the rules and thus keeping his own rights protected. He is a Consumer.
- Another man has just skipped the queue, pushing away an old lady. It was a Parasite. He minds only himself. He opts for living at others' expense.
- The third guy is fairly keeping the queue but swearing on how people are bad-mannered nowadays and how everybody suffers from the lack of public transport. A Dreamer is eager to make everyone happy but never does anything for that.
- While the fourth has one just let the old lady pass ahead of him, looking after her to not be squeezed in the crowd. The fourth is a Creator. He takes care of others too, and does it at his own expense.
The idea of ethicotypes can be subtly displayed through the poem “What is Good and What is Bad” by V. Mayakovsky:
“...Some boys bully, bite and hit
Boys but half their size.
Boys like this I can’t permit
Verse to advertise.” - this line describes typical Parasites.
“...Other boys will never strike
Smaller boys. That’s good!
Boys like this we’re bound to like—
That is understood”. - here, it’s about Creators.
“...If the boy destroys and tears
Picture books and toys,
Each October-child declares:
“What a bad, bad boy!” - the boy’s parents pay for his actions and entertainment. He is a Parasite!
“...If his eyes to books are glued,
If he’s never shirking,
Then the boy is very good,
For he’s fond of working”. - this boy learns something new and loves to work. Whether he’ll grow up as a Consumer or as a Creator, he’s bound to become an author of his own life.
“... This boy met a crow and scampered
In a dreadful funk.
Coward! He is sorely hampered
Through his lack of spunk”. - this one acts as a victim. And victim is a type of Parasite.
“...Others would not be afraid to
Tackle birds of prey.
Good! Such spunk’s a mighty aid to
Boys on life’s long way”. - another author of his life.
“...Some boys’ shirts are black as ovens,
Yet the boys seem glad.
People call them dirty slovens.
Don’t you think that’s bad?” - seems like the boy’s mom will wash his dirty shirts. A Parasite again!
“...This boy’s shoes are always shiny
Just as shoes should be.
Though the boy is very tiny,
He is good, you see”. - if he shines just his own shoes he is a Consumer. If he does it for others as well he is a Creator.
One is never born as a Parasite or a Creator. People become so later in life. To be precise, they are brought up like this!
Once in winter, I saw a scene outside: a kid staying in the snowbank and yelling to his mom: “I’ve dropped my mitten!”. He was not even trying to pick it up; he was just waiting for his mom to serve him: come, bend, pick the mitten, and put it on his little arm.
What do you think of this kid? Indeed, he grows up as a Parasite while his mom supports it.
Another life case: a man in the park sports area. He is working out, lifting weights, pumping his muscles. Out of a sudden, he hears a baby cry: a little girl is crying. At the same moment, her mom starts yelling too: “You idiot! Don’t you look around?! My girl just hit your iron barbell, she could hurt herself!”
How can you describe this woman’s demeanor?
The girl is obviously a Parasite. But who is the mother? She cares for others, still not a Creator. From my sight, she is a typical Dreamer, unwise but kind.
A Dreamer cares for the common welfare. Dreamers’ heart always responds to the needs of those who are close to them. Dreamer ethicotype wishes everything to be done in the right way, with kind and glory. But yet, he/she has no idea who is going to make those changes. Who exactly is going to pay for that? It’s not of a Dreamer’s concern. A Dreamer is convinced that someone else should do it.
The following situation also reflects a Dreamer nature: a group of people having fun together, singing «All you need is love!» by guitar. They will sing, drink, and smoke until the morning comes. They are not bothered by a hangover the next day; they don’t want to be so pragmatic. Dreamers always believe they will be good anyway!
Dreamers are usually those who are concerned for nature and ecology, write petitions, collect money to help orphans. But the fact is they never have enough money and resources for all of their projects. Their tactic is to take from the rich and give to the poor. They often encourage prosperous people to help the homeless.
Dreamers often occur unable to look ahead and estimate their time and efforts. The “I want to make it perfect!” dreamer’s motto usually means it won’t be made on time. Those who wait for the result get problems instead. Wishing to surprise and satisfy them, a Dreamer made them pay for it. Seems like smart people won’t ever collaborate with him again.
Or, let’s say, a girl primping for a date and as a result… she runs late. She meant well but made it at her boyfriend’s expense of time. No wonder he is upset.
If a Dreamer promises a Parasite some help, he may end up having nothing himself, begging now for other people’s help. A Dreamer never cares his good deeds will be paid by others.
A woman sheltering 38 cats at her apartment turns her neighbors life into hell. She takes care of her cats while others pay for it by their comfort.
A woman excessively cares for her mature boy while he prefers beer to work. Later, he will probably swap beer for spirits and drugs. She did everything to not bother him. And as a result, she has brought up a Parasite. Her love was actually paid for in her son’s life. That’s an example of love at someone else’s expense.
To talk about work attitude. In 2016, Swiss voters rejected a proposal to introduce a guaranteed basic income for all. Through a referendum, Swiss adults have been proposed a monthly income of approximately $2,500, whether they work or not. As a result, 78% voted against the idea. They believe a man should not be paid for nothing; healthy and capable people should work. Not sure if the Swiss acted as Consumers or Creators, but I do respect their decision.
What would be the results for the same referendum in Russia? I guess 146% would vote for it. And in your country? What do you think of it?
Creators definitely love and respect labor in all its forms. Just to note: Creators' deeds should be valued; they should improve human life in some way whether it’s science, culture, or general quality of life.
Dreamers basically want the same, yet they neither like to work regularly nor to adhere to the rules and schedules. They only work when they wish to. Which is why it’s so crucial for dreamers to find their real calling in life. They see a work quite peculiarly: it should excite, motivate, and make them out of bed day after day. If a dreamer finds such a magic wand, there is nothing to do for him anymore. His real designation does work for him, awarding a dreamer with the brightest experience. That’s what they call a life! But telling honestly, dreamers are too similar to parasites in this sense.
Latent parasites are also to be considered. These might be Consumers or Dreamers, pursuing a passive income. They might be ready to work hard for the sake of light at the end of a tunnel, where they can finally live doing nothing. What a Parasite’s dream!
Once, I have had a conversation with a young man in Goa. He was 25, living there doing nothing in particular. Renting out his small room in Ryazan, a small town in Russia, he got enough money to exist in Goa. He didn’t know for how long it’s going to be like that and had no further plans for life. He just enjoyed palms and bananas so far. Even though he looked calm and probably even happy, I have not seen any light in his eyes. I couldn’t get through him; he seemed to be sleepy… Would you like this type of happiness?
I wish you chose a Creator type of life. I encourage you to live like that. I’m eager to demonstrate all the Consumers out there: being a Creator is always more beneficial for you.
Why so? Consumers start losing their life energy, reaching 35. While most of them were keen on sports, they tend to choose apathy with aging, resting at their sofas and TV. They step on the way of gaining weight, losing sportive energy, their sexual drive, and a common interest in life. No surprise that male Consumers die earlier than male Creators. Throughout their whole life, Creators feel that they are needed. So they stay healthy and vigorous; they know exactly why they need sports and discipline to stay in their life for longer. Their wellbeing is their duty of life. That’s the reason why Creators live more exciting and longer lives.
Creators tend to choose a careful style of life. They take care of their health thoroughly, don’t smoke or drink alcohol, not telling drugs; they don’t run after every other girl, don’t gamble or make bets. Creators spend their money smartly, avoiding unnecessary risks or any kinds of extreme sports. No skydiving, no crazy motorbikes. They drive carefully, adhering to the rules.
Ladies, you already like creators, don’t you?
How far does one care of him/herself?
- a Consumer takes care of himself as long as it’s not too expensive for him.
- a Creator takes care of himself as far as it’s needed to care efficiently for others.
- Parasites and Dreamers are free to not care for themselves as other kind people never leave them in trouble.
How does one advertise himself or his business?
- a Parasite lies as he speaks. He promotes unfairly, but this approach brings money!
- a Dreamer’s convinced that a decent product speaks for itself while all types of promotions are always a lie. Dreamers are totally against it.
- a Consumer would promote fairly. He would tell you about his product advantages mentioning nothing but competitors’ disadvantages or not mentioning them at all.
- a Creator shows both the good and bad sides of his product, telling the same about competitor’s. Why so? Creators take care of their customers too.
In the case of competition. Imagine a new promising employee in the company. Seems like he may take a good position in the future. How would each of ethicotypes consider the situation?
- a Parasite would try to set a newbie up.
- a Consumer would fight for the position. May the best one win!
- a Dreamer can even fall in love with a talented guy!
- a Creator would discuss it with his manager to use skills of both in the better way. A creator would help a newbie if he can as he sees a company’s goals above all else.