I found these questions courtesy of one of my favorite websites: www.stumbleupon.com
What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you aren’t dying?
That's an incredibly good question, yet it's also an easy one to answer, as that's how most (if not all) people wake up in the morning; so, it's exactly like it was when I woke up this morning: just as everyone else does (I assume), I know somewhere in the depths of my mind that my time spent alive and on this planet and/or in this universe is limited, yet I tend not to acknowledge it with fear, because I feel as if my time is still quite a long time away, whether I'm right or wrong, that's for the natural course of things to decide.
Do you believe in the death penalty? What if someone murdered your mother in cold blood? What if someone murdered a stranger’s mother, but saved your life the month before?
In certain circumstance, I think I do believe in certain forms of the death penalty, as limited as my belief in it is. For example: if someone has brutally raped and murdered numerous victims, I believe they deserve death, regardless of mental health.
As for this particular situation, I'd really have to be experiencing it to know what I'd do for sure, but in the hollow sense presented by this question: yes, I'd want revenge (at least initially) for their murder of my mother for the first point, and for the second point: regardless of what they did, good or bad, a month before, yes; if they brutally murdered the person, I believe they deserve death. A real such situation would probably have many sides to the story though, and as such, that's why I can't say that with any real sense of reality.
If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?
Quite awhile; although I think we'd have the occasional issues. Although I can honestly say that, as a teenager, I'm not entirely happy with who I am all the time, I can say that ultimately I'm ok with who I am and who I want to become, and I don't fall into much conflict with myself.
Would you rather be rich and paralyzed from the waist down or poor and able bodied?
That's a very good question, and either way I answer it's going to sound slightly bias and possibly discriminatory, but hey; you gotta do what you gotta do.
As such, I think I'd prefer to be poor and able-bodied, because not only am I able to take full advantage of my entire physique with the ability to get around on my own, there'd also be the constantly open possibility of later becoming rich, or even better yet: happy.
What’s the most expensive gift you have ever received? Is it the best gift you have ever received?
Well, materially speaking, I'd have to say that either my guitar or my Wii are the most expensive gifts I've ever received; if I'm right and it's the guitar that was more expensive, then yes, it's definitely one of the best I've ever received. If it's the Wii, on the other hand, then no, I can honestly say it probably wasn't worth the amount we spent, as cheap as it may be compared to the other gaming systems.
Psychologically speaking though, I'd have to say that the gift of life from my parents is probably the most expensive as well as the best gift I've ever received, as cliche as that may sound.
When was the last time you lied? Is it possible to lie without saying anything at all?
The last time that I lied that I can remember would probably be when I told my mom that I walked down the street to drop off a study sheet at a friends place, when in fact I was actually walking with my girlfriend to where she was supposed to get picked-up, afraid to tell my mom about it because we'd been alone at the house all afternoon (don't worry, it was the assumption I was afraid of; we didn't do anything inappropriate). Although I've never told her the truth directly, seeing no real point in pursuing it, she is aware that I've got a new girlfriend as of earlier today. As to the second part of the question, I'd have to say yes; for example: if someone asks a yes/no question, and in truth, no is the answer, the question can be asked and the person responding may lie by nodding as to indicate the answer of yes.
Stealing is immoral, right? But what if stealing was the only way to feed a starving child?
Well, let me correct the first question, as it's obviously being asked rhetorically: stealing is not inherently immoral, but it is immoral in a majority of situation; to say that stealing water from a lake that is technically 'owned' by a corporation is a crime may be correct, but to say it's immoral is incorrect. If it's being stolen by a person in bad circumstance who needs the water the survive, it's definitely not immoral. If it's being stolen by a person who's rather well-off, but who happens to not have any water on them at the time, even then it's not immoral; yet delving into the topic of corporate ownership of natural resources is an entirely different argument, yet I'd have to say it's a good example. So, if stealing was the only way to feed a starving child, I would do it.
If I gave you $20, what percentage would you – really – save? If I gave you $200,000, what percentage would you save? Should there be a difference?
If you gave me $20 right now, it wouldn't be saved for anything in particular in the long term, but it may simply end up not being used (or used only in part until it's final depletion) over the course of a month. If you gave me $200,000, I would probably consider saving part of it for the plain and simple reason that I have absolutely nothing I need or even want to spend that money on, at least not in its entirety, although I'm not able to tell you the exact percentage I'd save.
And yes, there should logically be a difference due to the large disparity in the amount of money being given.
If someone could tell you the exact day and time that you are going to die, would you want them to tell you?
No, not at all. I'd tell them to keep it a secret. As I said in the first question, I'm subconsciously aware, just as most people probably are, that my time is limited; although to know by how much simply ruins one of the great wonders of life, and adds an entirely new dimension to my outlook on life that may not be a particularly good one.
If you found out you were going to die today, would you have any regrets? Would you be happy with the way you spent the last 24 hours of your life?
I wouldn't have any regrets, due to the fact that I'd be dying and regretting something would simply be a waste of time and energy that could be going towards other things; and yes, I guess I would be. Although I'd be upset that I didn't get to experience life to it's fullest, I wouldn't let that bother me, as I experienced today as much as I wished to.
What’s your single greatest moment of personal failure? Looking back on it now, did it make you weaker or stronger? What did you learn?
As of this point in my life, I can honestly say I can't pinpoint any moment of fantastic failure, or any truly long-term detrimental failures in my life. I'm sure there's something, but it's obvious I didn't dwell over it that much because it's not coming back right now.
Do the words ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ mean not being persecuted or discriminated against, or do they mean doing whatever you please?
They mean doing whatever you please providing it's within (at least) the framework of the law (and hopefully basic morals), as well as not being persecuted or discriminated against.
Have you ever discriminated against someone? Imagine that a street gang notorious for wearing purple shirts has robbed and murdered several hundred people in your town. If a man wearing a purple shirt just rang your doorbell, would you answer it?
I guess I have, in a sense, discriminated against someone in that I passed judgment on them due to the group of peers they spend their time with, and as for the second part of the question: no, I probably wouldn't, as anyone who lived in the town at the time of those crimes being committed would be aware of the fact that wearing such apparel symbolizes that they're probably associated with the gang, meaning I would deny them audience as to protect myself as well as anyone else in the house.
Is it crazier to choose to be poor or to spend 40 years of your life hating 40 hours a week?
It's crazier to spend 40 years of your life hating 40 hours a week, as it shows a lack of will to change any of the elements that may contribute to the individuals feeling of hatred towards that time of a week. In regards to the individual that chose to be poor, they did it for some reason, and theirs not a very good chance that the reason was to become miserable, which leads me to believe they probably did it for the benefit of their greater happiness.
Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time? How many hours a week do you spend watching TV, or playing video games, or…?
Yes, sometimes I do feel like I don't have enough time, but it's usually in regards to an individual time-frame as opposed to ultimately believing I don't have enough time to live life or something along those lines (that's a completely different argument). I spend many hours a week watching TV and browsing the internet, yet I can't say I really regret it, at least not yet. I am aware that there are much more productive things which I could be doing (such as writing a blog post similar to this one!)
Do you ever celebrate the green lights?
Personally? No, not really; but then again, I don't usually curse the red-lights, as I don't really see much of a point to it. Although I haven't been driving for very long, or very often, so I can't definitively say that I wouldn't curse the red-lights or celebrate the green ones if constantly presented to them.
If you could be given another talent or ability, what would you want it to be?
That's a good question. I'd have to say that I'd probably like to be able to be better at math, and/or at least be able to enjoy it slightly so I will actually want to be productive in such an environment.
Have you ever – really – tried to perfect this ability in yourself?
Yes I have, although I may have been able to try harder now that I look back in hindsight, especially considering the fact that those efforts ultimately got me nowhere.
No matter how bad things get, are you aware that someone always has it worse than you do?
Honestly? Yes, actually, although that doesn't stop me from being disgruntled with my circumstances now and again, it only stops me from really dwelling on it all that much.
When you help someone, do you ever think, “What’s in it for me?”
Yes, sometimes I do, but a majority of the time I don't. I notice that I'm more likely to ask myself or the person I'm helping 'what's in it for me?' when it comes to doing thing such as chores and the like, as I feel parents have an automatic obligation to award their children for doing any such jobs, as it was their decision (or, in some cases, mistake) to bring the child into the world which creates one hell of alot of default responsibilities and obligations.
Joy is found with simple awareness. What does your joy look like today?
My joy, for the most part, looks alright. It's not the best it could be, but it's definitely not down in the dumps, so that's a good thing. The fact that I really truly love to be very aware of the people, places, and things around me, as well as what makes them tick, I think really helps me in being the generally happy person I am.
What’s the difference between ‘living’ and ‘existing?’
'Living' is not only existing, it's also enjoying ones existence, at least to a nominal extent where one is happy with the majority of what's around them, as well as what they wish to do. 'Existing' is simply the fact that one is there, regardless of how they look and/or feel.
Are you willing to sacrifice the life of your child or lover to support a war?
This is another one of those questions in which I'd have to actually be presented with the situation in real-life to truly know what I'd do; but I think in generality, it would really depend on why the war is being fought. For example: World War II was probably a justified sacrifice, as terrible of a sacrifice as it was for those who lost family and friends.
Do you ask enough questions, or do you settle for what you know?
I'm always asking questions and looking for answers; I've never been one to rest when it comes to practically anything. I'm always curious about the world around me and how it works, and why people think or act the way they do, so yes; I'd say I ask enough questions.
If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?
Yes, admittedly there are things I would probably change in my past if I could do it all over again, but that's not to say I really regret those actions; I simply think that a different course of action could have led to a separate set of interesting outcomes.
If your life was a novel, what would be the title and how would your story end?
If my life my nothing but a story, I think I'd call it 'Planetary Indoctrination' or something along those lines: and it would end where I die at the age of around 110 after having experienced everything I wished to experience, including stepping foot in every country in the world at least once. I'd die happy and content with my past and present, and would leave behind a strong legacy to be followed by my children and grandchildren, which could be added to if they wished.
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