Cognition is the result of where you naturally focus your attention, your desires, and your interests. Regardless of what your momentary desires or interests may be, each of us has certain deep, secret hopes that mean more to us than anything. While moods and opinions may change, these deepest desires are such a pure reflection of who we really are. In a world where there is so much to do, so much to experience, so much need and so many discoveries waiting to be found, we each inadvertently focus the most on some things over others. The things that we focus on most of all reflect what we want most out of life, deep down. This comes out through cognition, as the unique specialization of your cognitive type.
As the ISFJ Knight, perhaps nothing is more important to you than following universal principles of what makes life work, in order to safeguard everything meaningful and good in the world. Cognitively, you focus on the meaning (F) of the world (IJ) as it already stands (S). This causes you to think of everything in terms of how it applies to theoretical people, to the lives of the human race overall. What matters most to you, deep down, is doing whatever it takes to stand for universal principles and defend the good in everything, so that the world may be safe for others to enjoy.
This gives Knights a noble, chivalric desire to always be there, sturdy and reliable, ready to see to the needs of anyone who needs them. The world is bigger than any of the individuals within it, so Knights tend to prefer serving quietly rather than drawing any unnecessary attention to their determined efforts. They find great joy in protecting and nurturing the world in a rugged, practical, on-the-ground sort of way. Serious and collected in the face of danger, ISFJs can be equally hilarious and goofy when everything appears safe. As a Knight, you can feel free to embrace your hidden desire to stand as a pillar of utmost dependability and dedication to the principles that make the world as it is a place worth saving.
None of this means that your specialization of dedication to principles comes easy for you. You have to work at it, just as much as anyone else would. The difference between you and other types is that you care to work at this, above all else. Some may say that it’s just easier for you to be dependable, hardworking, or unselfish, but that’s not true; you simply care enough about living according to the principles that make life good, that you’re willing to work much harder at it.
No cognitive type has it easy; every type has to work just as hard at their specialization as anyone else would have to. And every type has to deal with social pressure that tries to make them feel ashamed or embarrassed of their unique specialization. This pressure results in unhappiness and deep, internal conflict, as people feel tempted to ignore their specialization in an effort to not stand out, rock the boat, or look foolish or make anyone else uncomfortable. When we try to ignore our own deepest desires, the reflection of who we really are and really can be, we feel torn, frustrated, and unfulfilled.
This is why understanding our own cognition is so important! As we come to understand what we already wanted in the first place, we learn how to get out of our own way. We learn to let ourselves shine, rather than hiding our light. The world needs what each of us can uniquely offer. We need all the strengths of all the types; each is special at the same time, because each is special in a different way. You don’t do anyone any good when you hide your unique strength, even if you’re afraid it will make others feel uncomfortable. Let yourself be the Knight you are, don your armor even if you do it alone, and do it all in your own personal way. As you do, you’ll implicitly give others permission to stand nobly and serve in their own unique ways, which can make the whole world a safer, better place.
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