That's right, I've joined the meme of doom!!! For those of you who have not yet encountered it, (i.e. no one who is reading this, most likely) I answer questions I got, and you can leave a comment to get 5 questions of your own. You answer them in your LJ, lather rinse and repeat.
Questions from
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scholarjeff 1. You have been abducted by aliens who are probing your brain for information about the human race. You can transmit complete understanding (as you have it) of one idea or concept to the aliens, without having words get in the way. What would you tell them about?
We (humans) can do _anything_. Move mountains? Yep, want a hole in it, or a big chunk gone. Create land where there was none before? Sure, and we'll build an airport on it. Speaking of airports, want to go around the world in less than a day? We can do that too. More than that, we can create beauty, love passionately, strive to make our lives better, laugh, play, find hope in terrible situations. We can also do really terrible things, create destruction on unimaginable levels, hurt each other, hate violently and fight pettily. We know the second set of things isn't good, and we work to fix that too. We can do anything, given a bit of time, and with our amazing amount of ability, we try to do good, though we don't always succeed.
2. Tell me a story.
Once upon a time, on a hilltop of a mountain lived a pair of twins. From birth they were raised together, so alike in personality and action that their parents quickly learned that what was good for one was good for the other, and what one hated, the other detested. And so they were raised, side by side, never apart for more than an hour.
Their parents worried a bit at their dependence on each other, for surely the day would come when they must part their ways, and live their lives independent of the other. The twins themselves never fretted. They thought that time could never separate them, and that their lives should be spent together always.
As they grew older, they tended the herds and flocks of animals, that their parents might have some rest in their increasing age, and that the family should prosper. Together they roamed the mountain, with mishaps and merriment. They were always on the brink of danger, looking over the edges of cliffs but never stepping too far, rescuing their charges from one hazardous location after the next. Their lives seemed charmed to everyone they met, for they never fought between themselves and joy and luck seemed to follow like a puppy at their heels.
Of course, not even twins such as these could live their lives entirely without sorrow, and sure enough, that day would come. But that tale is for another time, as it grows late, and I have 3 more questions to answer before going to the store...
3. What do you think I should cook this week? If you can't decide between a few dishes, several options are always good.
I think you should cook some food. Maybe the chicken terriaki again? I didn't get to try it the first time, and that was a while ago.
4. A god/goddess/natural force/whatever appears before you and offers you two options. The first is to never achieve anything significant and have a life of no consequence to anyone. The second is to be able to do great things and achieve anything you set your mind to, but at a price: in order for you to achieve these things, someone, possibly several people, must have their life ruined or even ended (not necessarily at your hands; think Drop Dead Gorgeous). Which do you choose?
Ack. First I argue. No honorable and good deity should ask that. I'd rather take my chances on my own, and have the consequences of my actions be what they will without intervention.
After that, I'd pick the second with great reluctance, and devote the rest of my life to making the world better. I would be extremely unhappy to cause death and hurt that I could have avoided, but if all I have to do is want for good things to happen and they will, I'll spend 12 hours a day wanting the world to be better, and working for it. The opportunity to do good and have it sure to work is one I'd choose over not being able to do any good. (As no significance to anyone I take to mean can't do anything worthwhile, as _someone_ always remembers a good deed, even if small)
5. What's the most amusing thing on your desk right now (as of the reading of this question)?
Sadly, I just cleaned my desk, so it isn't all that exciting. Probably the pile of sticky notes, each of which has something rather random written on it. I took all my notes and piled them together, which makes for some rather strange combinations of thoughts.
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