Dr. Velociraptor Personal

One man’s attempt to package his personality, hopes, values, and outlook in less than 1000 words.

Seeking : Friendship with some degree of mutual physical attraction (‘yes I would like to kiss this person’) with slim woman 5 ft. + , any race/nationality, non-smoker, age 52 – 60 (older women usually find my vigour and drive a bit daunting), who enjoys cycling and shares some of my interests. Would appreciate, but not counting on, romantic, soul mate, monogamous, lifelong partnership.

Myself : 5’ 9’’, 152 lbs, brown eyes, grey hair, glasses just for reading, clean shaven, Caucasian, grew up in UK, turn 68 in 2011. Very athletic – racing cyclist, intellectual (former university philosophy teacher), guitarist/singer, writer. Practise meditation, Tai Chi. Don’t have a tv. Don’t take a newspaper or magazine. Rarely drink. Don’t eat much meat. Simple, modest lifestyle. Low income, not wealthy by N. American standards. Don’t buy lottery tickets or gamble. No debts. Able to travel.
Not a gardener or pet lover. Home Victoria BC. Lived on the prairies for 8 years – Calgary, Red Deer, Regina.

2 adult sons. One university math teacher Eastern U.S. Other pharmaceutical research Switzerland. One grandchild – 1year old girl.

Founded unique cycling and philosophy group : Velociraptors Cycling Association.
Have cycling and philosophy blog : Dr. Velociraptor.
Ran a philosophy discussion/reading group in Victoria, BC : Diotima.

Good genes : dad lived to 92. Mum to 86. Both active and independent until last few days.

Photos available soon. Not got a camera yet. Computer skills limited.

Qualities I admire : Ability to laugh at oneself; explore different viewpoints; admit own privileges and good fortune; admit own flaws and less noble desires; admit own biases and emotional investment; kindness; courtesy; question and elucidate underlying presuppositions; clarify nebulous core concepts; look at evidence for and against.

Support for equal opportunity; right of women everywhere to higher education and birth control; acceptance of some personal responsibility – not just blaming government, society, big business, politicians, the rich; support for freedom to criticise views of left or right, ruling ideologies; acceptance of disagreement, conflict, compromise, (stress, rejection, loss, etc.) as part of life.

Revered writers : Shakespeare, Keats, some of Wordsworth, Blake, D.H. Lawrence despite his being over the top. Favourite religious quotation: Matthew 7.3.

Dislikes : Self-opinionated, overbearing people - presumption of being morally superior (holier than thou attitude) or more enlightened; bullying; cruelty; snobbery; pretentious woolly language; wanting ever more financial security; knee-jerk ‘motherhood’ sentimentalism; desire to amass wealth for one’s grandchildren; tribalism; cult of celebrity/personality; dogmatism – clichés of right or left; assumption that bottled water is superior to municipal tap water; concern with style, image, being cool/fashionable – glamourisation of people on tv and in movies; glib 30 seconds packaging in media; overuse of intercontinental travel and tourism; overuse of motor homes, motor boats, snowmobiles, car cult; presumption that religion is good; presumption of having religious truth; romanticizing/idealizing ethnic, aboriginal, non-Western cultures; disparate treatment of marijuana, etc. compared with alcohol and tobacco.

Outlook : Sceptic, open critical thinker with an interest in the notion of the transcendent – supposed non-logical mode of apprehension, thinking , or justification.

Not an adherent of any religion or quasi-religion including : monotheisms, Marx, Jung, political correctness, postmodernism, or astrology.

Somewhat sympathetic to philosophical Taoism and Buddhism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, Spinoza, pantheism, and Platonism.

Critical of the notion of sacred, supposed infallible texts whether based on alleged divine revelation or proclaimed deep insight or intuition. ‘Why is your divine revelation or poetic insight superior to mine?’

Think all standard political parties avoid the main social/global problems, viz.: human overpopulation; ever-increasing material expectations; desire for high return on savings/investment; consumerism/materialism; false sense of entitlement and unrealistic expectations; unacknowledged greed of the average person – hypocrisy concerning one’s own greed, desire for status and control; not acknowledging roots of social/global problems in basic human psychology including one’s own; not shifting the tax burden to all those earning more than $50, 000 per year; belief in ever increasing economic growth; belief that jobs/services/production are good no matter what is being produced/bought and sold; restriction of free expression and association and women’s rights in much of the non-Western world.

Fun, Enjoyment : Nature walks, reading, outdoor swimming, road and off-road bike rides, exploring BC. Companionship of cycling and cycle racing fraternity (although they do tend to be loners and sometimes narrow-focused!). Some live theatre, occasional foreign language movie, intelligent comedy (e.g. Tom Stoppard, Michael Frayn, David Lodge, Augusten Burroughs). Occasional Beethoven, Mahler, opera, ballet. CBC radio – some Tonic, Tempo, Q, The Current, Quirks and Quarks, Day 6, White Coat Black Art, The Persuaders, Sparks. Occasional restaurant with a great view.

Important Qualities in Relationship : Mutual comfort, sympathy, encouragement, appreciation, support, respect, tenderness. Sharing fears, hopes, dreams, disappointments, personal histories. Sharing cooking, shopping, domestic chores.

Willingness to compromise. Doing something because my partner would appreciate it even if it’s not my first preference.

Never forgetting the wonder of this other human being who has chosen to share her life with you. Being intimate lovers and best friends.

Expectations : Don’t expect a rush to my door. Not out to win a popularity contest. Hope to appeal to a discerning, talented few who are outside the norm.

Even if you are alone there is always beauty, goodness, love within you and around you to help you be calm and find enjoyment amidst life’s inevitable setbacks.