If you were asked for one true wish. What would be your answer?

[Willowz]

If you were asked for one true wish. What would be your answer?

 

[arildno]

For the last few weeks, ithas been to rewind time so that Anders Behring Breivik was spontaneously aborted from his mother's womb.

 

[micromass]

To have no desires and wishes ever again.

 

[lisab]

To have no desires and wishes ever again.

Awesome answer.

 

[vishal007win]

satisfaction...

 

[fluidistic]

To get an infinite amount of wishes to be realized whenever I want, of course.

 

[DaveC426913]

To have no desires and wishes ever again.

Easily arranged!
:gets hammer:

 

[DaveC426913]

To have computers disappear from the Earth. (I'm in the software industry.)

 

[Chi Meson]

To have human population level off and descend back to about 3 billion (over a few decades, of course--don't want any horrible catastrophe; just want about half of everybody to go away)

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Just one more wish.

 

[disregardthat]

That nobody else had any wishes to screw up this world with.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

To have human population level off and descend back to about 3 billion (over a few decades, of course--don't want any horrible catastrophe; just want about half of everybody to go away)

Have you read the book or seen the PBS production of, The Lathe of Heaven?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

If you were asked for one true wish. What would be your answer?

Aside from stopping Hitler, saving humanity, changing human nature, and all of those things so clearly demonstrated to be undesireable by Fox Mulder when he had a personal Gin, one event in history that I would like to undo is the destruction of the library at Alexandria. That has always struck me as being perhaps one of the most tragic losses in all of human history.

That, or I would like to be a real Time Lord with a real TARDIS - the real Dr. Who.

 

[FlexGunship]

To have human population level off and descend back to about 3 billion (over a few decades, of course--don't want any horrible catastrophe; just want about half of everybody to go away)

Do you have a specific half-of-all-people in mind? If not, can I add a few to the list?

That, or I would like to be a real Time Lord with a real TARDIS - the real Dr. Who.

So you can reproduce asexually and never understand the value of anticipation (since they don't experience the passage of time)? I guess I wouldn't mind being a Time Lord if it meant Amy Pond followed me everywhere.

If I had one wish, I'd wish to be in middle management at an engineering company. It would be nice to never have to use my brain again. Very relaxing.

 

[Jack21222]

I'd wish for a breakthrough in stem cell research so my sister(and those in her position) can walk again, or at least use her arms.

 

[KingNothing]

I'd probably wish to be irresistibly attractive to women.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

So you can reproduce asexually

Check

and never understand the value of anticipation (since they don't experience the passage of time)?

I haven't notice the passage of time in years. Check.

I guess I wouldn't mind being a Time Lord if it meant Amy Pond followed me everywhere.

Yeah, and how many other companions? The Doctor rarely travels alone.

If I had one wish, I'd wish to be in middle management at an engineering company. It would be nice to never have to use my brain again. Very relaxing.

Well, self-employment has its downside as well: The boss is a jerk and the employees are all idiots.

 

[xxChrisxx]

A freshly ironed shirt.

 

[chiro]

For infinite wishes, and for the second wish of those, the wisdom for choosing the rest of the wishes.

 

[Borek]

If you were asked for one true wish. What would be your answer?

Realistic, or fairy tale?

Realistic - I guess around $10M will do, should be enough for the rest of my life. I don't plan on anything extravagant, but being able to buy a better house and do some traveling would be nice.

Fairy tale? Don't even get me started... However, there is a serious problem. On many occasions people wanted to do something good, but the outcome was rather catastrophic. So while I would love to wish for something that could make the world better, I am afraid of deciding what it could be, as the results can be quite the opposite to what I want. Chi idea looks interesting, but technical realization, and possible side effects, can be even more devastating than the current flow of events is. Medical advances could be great, but the more lifes we save and the longer we live, the higher burden on the planet. Changing peoples thinking in hope it will make the world better - that was already tried and results were not necessarily encouraging (think Jesus and inquisition). So I think I will stick with my own backyard.

 

[Pengwuino]

I'm with the infinite wishes guys. The rest of you are dumbies.

 

[turbo]

I'd probably wish to be irresistibly attractive to women.

That might not work out too well. Think about it.

 

[rhody]

The rest of you are [STRIKE]dumbies[/STRIKE] dummies.

Here you go Peng, fixed that for you, unless this is part of undocumented Penguin speak, in which case, I apologize. NOT...

Rhody...

 

[Chi Meson]

Do you have a specific half-of-all-people in mind? If not, can I add a few to the list?

As you wish.





[BAM! See what I did there?]

 

[DaveC426913]

To have human population level off and descend back to about 3 billion (over a few decades, of course--don't want any horrible catastrophe; just want about half of everybody to go away)

In Robert Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax, they did just that. They passed a law that stopped dumb people (<50% percentile IQ) from breeding. Everyone agreed with the law because they assumed it would affect everyone else but not them. Unfortunately, you can't argue with a 50% percentile... :D

Aone event in history that I would like to undo is the destruction of the library at Alexandria. That has always struck me as being perhaps one of the most tragic losses in all of human history.

Yes, the same thing has occurred to me.

We would have had our flying cars and personal jetpacks by now.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

If I had an unlimited number of wishes, I would have the whole universe at my feet to entertain myself. I doubt that I would continue to be concerned with events on the earth. I wouldn't care about terrorism, natural catastrophes, or second-hand smoke any more. Global warming would become infinitesimally local warming. Even if I did care about the earth, how could I change things for the better? Can I prevent murders and maintain free will, or even the illusion of free will? Can I be sure that the world would really be better off if I controlled it? I'd have to wish for the wisdom and knowledge to wish well before I wished for anything else, but then what would my next wish be? I can't know the answer to that until the first wish is fulfilled.

Would I then be responsible for guiding the outcome of every quantum event after that? Who would want such minute control? It sounds more like a burden than a benefit. What would I do about the boredom. After I've experienced the most intense pleasures the universe can afford. Experienced for the googleplexth time. After experiencing every unpleasurable thing out of boredom, after contemplating my navel for 2 and a half eternities, then what? Do it again?

I think if I were in such a situation, I would create the Earth and populate it with people that have free will. People that I can't control. In other words, delegate authority and stop with the wishes. Perhaps I'm not the first to think of it.

 

[daveb]

Well, since I subscribe to Kantian morality, I would have to assume that others likewise get wishes. I also have to assume that some of those wishes would be used for nefarious purposes. Therefore, I would wish that all wishes, past, present,and future be nullified, thereby creating a paradox whcih destroys all of existence...

Wait, what was the quuestion?

 

[Proton Soup]

to stay in perfect health

 

[drizzle]

I wish that poverty is a man so I can kill him!To be honest, this's someone else's wish. And I don't mind to let go my fantasias wish [] just to make this wish come true...

 

[micromass]

Nice wish drizzle! I'll remember that one...