Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

[Alpha]

If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch, would you do it?

If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich, would you do it?

If you could watch everybody work while you just lay on your back, would you do it?

If you could take all the love without giving any back, would you do it?

We cannot know ourselves, or what we'd really do, with all [our] power

What would you do?

If you could make your own money and then give it to everybody, would you do it?

If you knew all the answers and could give to the masses, would you do it?

It's a very dangerous thing to do exactly what you want

Because you cannot know yourself, or what you'd really do with all your power.

With all your power, what would you do?

------------------------------------

Serious Discussion to be had here.

[Furore]

If I had that kind of power I'd likely live comfortably and ensure those I was close to were also living comfortably, but I'd likely not do anything on too big a scale as there are often harder to predict consequences.

For example, if you gave a lot of money to everyone, money in circulation would increase and would then lose it's value and become more or less worthless.

If you saved the lives of everyone the world would be more crowded and people may have to compete for resources driving prices up and lowering the standard of living for everybody.

Meddling with that shit would be dangerous.

[rJ floW]

I figure myself to be a utilitarian when I have limited means but if it was up to me whether I win and everyone else loses....well..I hope you all get used to losing...

Everyone talks about ideological principles but when you learn life really is a zero sum game, I believe those principles are replaced by greed. It sounds much worse than it is, but when your well-being is threatened by others' gains, which has been the case since the recession, a persons true beliefs are exposed.

I choose to win over others losses. Maybe that is why I care very little about poverty, famine, loss of lives in foreign countries. I believe it is a fundamental principle carried by everyone. Even those who "helped haiti" or think giving a dollar really helps the homeless. Those acts of kindness are a means to make yourself feel better about being priviledged. Would you give up your home so everyone could be equal? no. Instead you give a dollar to haiti or the homeless guy on the corner to feel socially responsible and a "good person".

Case and point. They claim it takes 11.5 Billion dollars to rebuild Haiti...Do you think it benefited or was valued at anywhere near that price? Zero influence on the world except for a few NBA players, singers, a WHOLE lotta criminals in Toronto. Northern SA countries who have real exports and have been hit hard by natural disasters had far less media coverage....because mainstream had already "done their part"

Same case as Thailand/New Orleans. Thailand got hit hard and a huge expression of global philanthropy was put forth. But when New Orleans (a huge symbol in the worlds most important economic country...at the time)got hit, it was overlooked by the global community as well as THEIR OWN COUNTRY!

This will eventually come to a pinnacle when there are 3+ disasters affecting major powers when they will all feel dependent on one-another and there just wont be enough global philanthropy....

Yes, I know this rant got way off topic, so I will sum it up as follows. Everyone with power will do what's best for them, their egos, and their long-term gains.

[Sinister]

If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch, would you do it?
Maybe

If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich, would you do it?
No.

If you could watch everybody work while you just lay on your back, would you do it?
For all time? Hell, no.

If you could take all the love without giving any back, would you do it?
No.

We cannot know ourselves, or what we'd really do, with all [our] power

What would you do?

If you could make your own money and then give it to everybody, would you do it?
No.

If you knew all the answers and could give to the masses, would you do it?
No.

It's a very dangerous thing to do exactly what you want

Because you cannot know yourself, or what you'd really do with all your power.

With all your power, what would you do?

------------------------------------

Serious Discussion to be had here.

I'd not get myself into such a ridiculous position to have all that kind of power. Though, I can but speculate, see above. These are all horrible questions, and I can't imagine a fate worse than being able to decide upon any of them. I could scarcely trust myself. All of these things are unspeakable nightmares to us poor simple-minded Taoists.

Though I will entertain the thread with a quote from Pablo Picasso:
"I want to live as a poor man, but with a lot of money."

-Sin

[Block]

If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch, would you do it?

If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich, would you do it?

If you could watch everybody work while you just lay on your back, would you do it?

If you could take all the love without giving any back, would you do it?

We cannot know ourselves, or what we'd really do, with all [our] power

What would you do?

If you could make your own money and then give it to everybody, would you do it?

If you knew all the answers and could give to the masses, would you do it?

It's a very dangerous thing to do exactly what you want

Because you cannot know yourself, or what you'd really do with all your power.

With all your power, what would you do?

------------------------------------

Serious Discussion to be had here.

This song is from the "I Love You Man" soundtrack. But I do not know the name of the band. Alpha HELP ME!

With all the power in the world I would play video games forever. I would also get very high.

[Alpha]

It's The Flaming Lips, Block.

Anyway, if I had all power, everyone would have the necessities of life, and everyone would be free.

Freedom is the ability to experience enjoyment, to have the right to do anything that has no externalities, and, if externalities exist, to be punished/rewarded for them.

Beyond that, I'd rather not speculate. I wouldn't change my own situation. I enjoy my life, and I'm free. I don't do things that negatively impact others. I buy fair trade. So I'm in no need of anything more, and don't desire it.

Others are in need. So, If I had all power, I'd give them what they need, and set them free.

It sounds wishy-washy, but we're talking all power here.

EDIT: Oh, and the world is only zero-sum if you lack imagination.

[Sinister]

You'd set them free, would you, Alpha? Do they have any choice in the matter?

-Sin

[LIGHTNING_71013]

]If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch, would you do it?
yes. because of we want peace thats the only way to get it.

If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich, would you do it?
maybe. but i dont really want to play the game of monopoly by myself.

If you could watch everybody work while you just lay on your back, would you do it?sure. but if they asked for help, i'll think about it.

If you could take all the love without giving any back, would you do it?
sure...i'm not killing anyone am i?

We cannot know ourselves, or what we'd really do, with all [our] power

What would you do?
i would become become rich without making anyone else poor...and the other thing that i would like to do is to be able to fly...

If you could make your own money and then give it to everybody, would you do it?NO... only to my family though.

[Alpha]

Touché, Sin.

But, I'm an idealist. I do have an objective view of freedom.

There's freedom from coercion, and there's freedom from the freedom of others.

I prefer the later, though enjoy the former.

If one person's freedom is another's imprisonment, the one who is free is a despot, and the imprisoned can be set free.

[Sinister]

Nah, I get what you're saying and it's all very altruistic. Pretty much what I would expect and hope from you. But the truth is, if I had all the power in the world I would wish that I didn't and that no one else did either, ever again. Before I changed my mind.

It's all so tempting to do something evil, good or selfish for my tastes.

-Sin

[Che]

If I had ultimate power I'd choose 1 million people. This mix of people would be chosen by who had the highest balance of intelligence (based on IQ test), health, and attractiveness (based on my choosing ), and I'd evenly distribute from every single race of people on Earth.

I'd then kill every single other person on Earth and start anew. We'd focus on education, scientific research, and exploration. Our goal would be to become a truly unselfish (despite what I just did), prosperous people. We'd split everything between each other. Whatever you needed (vitals for living, happiness, etc). Some people would need more than others for this to work, and that would be considered fair. We would teach the future children to only ask for what you need.

One day we would eventually achieve our ultimate goal of finding the most important question of all time: to figure out what we are, and what the universe is. And we'd achieve this by actually progressing forward instead of worrying about wars and politics, etc.