A survey
1. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? I don't think I'd regret not having said a specific thing to a specific person. What I would regret is never having talked to Ken again.
2. If a new medicine were developed that would cure arthritis but cause a fatal reaction in 1 percent of those who took it, would you want it to be released to the public? Yes. It's not like it would be forced on people -- as long as the risk was made clear, and those who took it took it willingly with the understanding of the risk, I would have no problem with it.
3. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the body or the mind of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want? Shit, that's a hard one. I guess the mind, because my family generally does okay physically when they age, but not mentally.
4. If at birth you could select the profession your child would eventually pursue, would you do so? No way.
5. If you knew there would be a nuclear war in one week, what would do? (you can't stop it) Dig me a hole?
6. Would you accept twenty years of extrodinary happiness and fulfillment if it meant you had to die at the end of the period? I really don't know. I think I might not.
7. If the person you were engaged to marry had an accident and became a paraplegic, would you go through with the marriage or back out of it? I'd go through, if they still wanted to.
8. Someone very close to you is in pain, paralyzed, and will die in a month. They beg you to give them poison so they that they can die. Would you? What if it was your father? I guess maybe.
9. Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would want as your dinner guest? as a close friend? as a lover? As my dinner guest, John Keats (shut up, I don't care that he's dead). As a close friend, Hugh. As a lover, I'm happy with the one I have.
10. What is the worst psychological torture you can imagine suffering? (it cannot involve any physical harm to you) Being forced to betray, hurt, and kill those close to me with no control over myself to stop it, and they unaware that I wasn't acting of my own volition.
11. You and a person you love deeply are placed in separate rooms with a button next to each of you. You know that you will both be killed unless one of you presses the button before 60 minutes pass; furthermore, the first to press the button will save the other person, but will immediately be killed. What do you think you would do? Press the button immediately.
12. Would you be willing to go to a slaughter house and kill a cow? Do you eat meat? No, and no.
13. For $20,000 would you go for 3 months without washing, brushing your teeth, and using deodorant? Assume you could not explain your reasons to anyone, and there would be no long-term effect on your career. (you are not choosing one, you would have to go without all three) I don't think so.
14. Which of these restrictions could you best tolerate: leaving the country permanently or never leaving the state in which you now live? Leaving the country permanently.
15. If you could choose the sex and physical appearance of your soon-to-be-born child, would you do it? Nope.
16. Would you be willing to decrease your life expectancy by 5 years if you could become extremely attractive? Yeah, but I don't think that I'm unattracive enough that I need to make such a compromise.
17. If your friends and acquaintances were willing to bluntly tell you what they really think of you, would you want them to? Absolutely.
18. Would it disturb you much if, upon your death, your body were simply thrown into the woods and left to rot? No, because I wouldn't know about it.
19. Would you like to know the precise date of your death? No thanks.
20. Would you be willing to give up all television for the next 5 years if it would induce for someone to provide for 1,000 starving children in Indonesia? Of course. I don't watch TV much even as it is.
2. If a new medicine were developed that would cure arthritis but cause a fatal reaction in 1 percent of those who took it, would you want it to be released to the public? Yes. It's not like it would be forced on people -- as long as the risk was made clear, and those who took it took it willingly with the understanding of the risk, I would have no problem with it.
3. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the body or the mind of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want? Shit, that's a hard one. I guess the mind, because my family generally does okay physically when they age, but not mentally.
4. If at birth you could select the profession your child would eventually pursue, would you do so? No way.
5. If you knew there would be a nuclear war in one week, what would do? (you can't stop it) Dig me a hole?
6. Would you accept twenty years of extrodinary happiness and fulfillment if it meant you had to die at the end of the period? I really don't know. I think I might not.
7. If the person you were engaged to marry had an accident and became a paraplegic, would you go through with the marriage or back out of it? I'd go through, if they still wanted to.
8. Someone very close to you is in pain, paralyzed, and will die in a month. They beg you to give them poison so they that they can die. Would you? What if it was your father? I guess maybe.
9. Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would want as your dinner guest? as a close friend? as a lover? As my dinner guest, John Keats (shut up, I don't care that he's dead). As a close friend, Hugh. As a lover, I'm happy with the one I have.
10. What is the worst psychological torture you can imagine suffering? (it cannot involve any physical harm to you) Being forced to betray, hurt, and kill those close to me with no control over myself to stop it, and they unaware that I wasn't acting of my own volition.
11. You and a person you love deeply are placed in separate rooms with a button next to each of you. You know that you will both be killed unless one of you presses the button before 60 minutes pass; furthermore, the first to press the button will save the other person, but will immediately be killed. What do you think you would do? Press the button immediately.
12. Would you be willing to go to a slaughter house and kill a cow? Do you eat meat? No, and no.
13. For $20,000 would you go for 3 months without washing, brushing your teeth, and using deodorant? Assume you could not explain your reasons to anyone, and there would be no long-term effect on your career. (you are not choosing one, you would have to go without all three) I don't think so.
14. Which of these restrictions could you best tolerate: leaving the country permanently or never leaving the state in which you now live? Leaving the country permanently.
15. If you could choose the sex and physical appearance of your soon-to-be-born child, would you do it? Nope.
16. Would you be willing to decrease your life expectancy by 5 years if you could become extremely attractive? Yeah, but I don't think that I'm unattracive enough that I need to make such a compromise.
17. If your friends and acquaintances were willing to bluntly tell you what they really think of you, would you want them to? Absolutely.
18. Would it disturb you much if, upon your death, your body were simply thrown into the woods and left to rot? No, because I wouldn't know about it.
19. Would you like to know the precise date of your death? No thanks.
20. Would you be willing to give up all television for the next 5 years if it would induce for someone to provide for 1,000 starving children in Indonesia? Of course. I don't watch TV much even as it is.