What is ever going on in 2020? Every day brings us a new headline that shifts our epistemological mooring by being both obviously true but never feeling true. As New York Times op-ed columnist Elizabeth Bruenig had it, “we live in an age where everything is shocking but nothing is surprising.” This goes for COVID-19 updates, political maelstroms and just the general tenor of public affairs at the moment. And now there’s something else to add to the pile: Gritty has taken the Enneagram.
This morning I was doing some light internetting.
I took the Enneagram personality test.
I’m an 8. The Challenger.
Here’s what I learned about me, a thread: pic.twitter.com/uaQIyrZI6S— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) November 18, 2020
OK, we might need to define some terms here. Gritty’s technical job is the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team but, as with all of us, Gritty’s job does not define him. What Gritty actually is is much harder to describe, but he’s become an avatar for chaotic energy, a populist icon, a hero of all those who rage against the establishment and an internet god of radical political thought. The why of all this is a little hard to explain but Philly’s NHL franchise has accepted Gritty’s fate.
The Enneagram is even harder to explain than Gritty is. It’s often reduced to a personality quiz, but that’s sort of an insult to just how much thought has been done around the Enneagram. Understood rightly, the Enneagram is sort of a map to your interior life — a lens of looking at your own mental and emotional health (or lack thereof) as Gritty has.
The Enneagram personality test has nine different types, each driven by their own core desires and fears. Gritty is a Type Eight, known as the Challenger, which certainly seems fair. You can read more about his interior exploration here.
“They are assertive personalities and passionate about life, which they approach with vigor and confidence.”
Some call it confidence. I'm just stating the obvious.— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) November 18, 2020
I also matched with 3. The Achiever.
— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) November 18, 2020
“Negatively, eights exhibit the potential for domination of others, crude insensitivity, combativeness, and ruthlessness.”
This is a negative? That’s just me being me, hon.— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) November 18, 2020
“Eights are desperately afraid of being hurt emotionally. They will protect their feelings and keep others at a safe emotional distance.”
Sometimes it’s hard for me to let people in… whatever.— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) November 18, 2020
“Beneath the tough façade is vulnerability, although it has been covered by a layer of emotional armor.”
GET OUT OF MY HEAD— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) November 18, 2020
If you want to read more about how some Christians are using the Enneagram, we’ve written a hopefully helpful guide to get you started. If you want to read more about Gritty, va avec Dieu.