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Pick your super-power

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by daniel, Oct 25, 2013.

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  1. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Maybe it's me but do you think Christians believe the world is 6,000 years old. Come on.

    What they know is what they see and feel every day.

    That people every day suffer and there is good and evil and we can help those in need
     
    #41 JMD, Oct 29, 2013
  2. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    ^ guys, could we please avoid getting into a gratuitous religion-flame war?

    Treb did not inject the 6000-yr old Earth and in fact refutes it...I'll join with him on our planet is older.

    I've played fair on Daniel's thread and not attempted to throw any bombs...can't we have an active thread without resorting to politics or religion? According to Einstein's definition of Insanity (not a real law, but a good observation) doing the same thing again and again is insanity....seriously, the last few posts will either get this thread deleted or moved to Fred's House of Politics, where it will go quiet because the audience there is apparently too small to gratify the flamethrowers.

    BTW, I never applied to Fred's House of Politics, but somehow I have read-only access. It's been interesting lurking as it seems there is not unlimited flaming even there.
     
    #42 Chuck., Oct 29, 2013
  3. Trebuchet

    Trebuchet Senior Member

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    Sorry but the ability and willingness to learn is a much greater "super power" and without it your "super power" is rendered impuissant.
     
    #43 Trebuchet, Oct 29, 2013
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  4. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Human beings are extremely resilient. Those who believe in religious myths often credit those beliefs for their ability to cope. But people who do not subscribe to religion also find the strength to cope. I would say that strength is within us, and not the result of believing in dreams of a better life to come. People managed in far more difficult conditions of life long before the myth of a happy afterlife was invented.

    Good point.

    Most Christians today are not young-Earth Creationists. My point was that the authors of the various books of the Bible are not credible sources of information regarding what happens after you die, since they got basically nothing else right.

    This thread went off-topic because Trebuchet declared as if it was established fact that people would live forever and youthful after they die. There is no evidence for this assertion other than a very old and completely unreliable book.

    People do suffer, and we can help in some degree. But good and evil are religious concepts that muddy the waters, since it encourages an "us vs. them" attitude. There are mental illnesses that lead people to act in antisocial ways, and other than that, people act in their own interest. Labeling people as "evil" is just a way to dehumanize people with whom you are in conflict.
     
    #44 daniel, Oct 29, 2013
  5. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    I went thru this thread, even doing a search on "forever" and could not find such a statement from Treb. Spent ten minutes searching. Since you did not quote him, that increases my doubt he said that. It was easy to read the reaction to his statement I again doubt he ever made.

    Could we return to the thread topic?
     
    #45 Chuck., Oct 29, 2013
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  6. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    What he actually said was in reply to JMD:

    No, the word "forever" was not used. "Immortality" means living forever, and what Trebuchet said was "We already get that."

    Sometimes searching on one word does not get you to the topic you want.

    Just pointing out that I didn't make anything up, even though I paraphrased "immortality" as "living forever."
     
    #46 daniel, Oct 29, 2013
  7. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    ^ thank you for the clarification, Daniel. It makes more sense now.

    Part the difficulty was JMD is the only member on my ignore list, as people of various viewpoints (includes those I generally disagree with) have had difficulty with him going ape over some issue or another.

    Anyway, let's move on and return to the thread topic.
     
    #47 Chuck., Oct 29, 2013
  8. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Agreed.
     
    #48 daniel, Oct 29, 2013
  9. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    Hope this is OK to mention, but I'd consider functioning on little or no sleep a superpower.

    Problem is the brain needs "down-time."

    Lack of sleep is linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetics, alzheimers.
     
    #49 Chuck., Oct 29, 2013
  10. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I don't know....

    Some people might think it a bad choice....since we have tools that allow us to do this anyway.

    But how could I choose NOT to fly?

    Invisibility (which also would be fun) might have more tangible advantages.
    Ability to pass through solid objects? Ditto.

    But even though I could hop a jet...and "fly"....the intrinsic ability to break the mortal coils of gravity at will? That's just too alluring for me to pass up.

    I hate to be cliché....but Up, Up and Away....
     
    #50 The Electric Me, Oct 29, 2013
  11. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Belief in the life after that is simply a belief. Either you have it or you don 't. If you believe in it and it makes you feel better than what's the harm . If it's true than Heaven is the ultimate club. Perpetual happiness.

    The real question us do you believe in God?
    I must say that I do
     
    #51 JMD, Oct 29, 2013
  12. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Ok so your asking me which comic book character I want to be? Superman , invisible man etc.
     
    #52 JMD, Oct 29, 2013
  13. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Why is that a real question ?

    Makes me wonder what a fantasy question is ;)
     
    #53 SageBrush, Oct 29, 2013
  14. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    I always thought a fantasy question is who you want to shag? A typical answer is Mila Kunis and Bar Rafeli at the same time and not walking through walls :)
     
    #54 JMD, Oct 29, 2013
  15. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    I think for something to be considered a superpower, you have to be able to come up with a plausible way it could be used to fight crime. Of course, many superheroes do not have any superpowers. Batman has gadgets, but no powers. Peter Parker has superpowers. The Crow has mystical powers which he himself does not understand and cannot control.

    As for me, rather than being able to function on little or no sleep, I'd like to be able to sleep for a month at a time, as a good way to lose weight during the long stretches between vacations. (It's a good thing for me that opiates are illegal, because I could see myself getting addicted to morphine or opium.)

    Unfortunately, by my own definition in the first sentence of this post, my wish to be able to play a musical instrument would not be considered a superpower, even though if I suddenly could, it would be a supernatural event.
     
    #55 daniel, Oct 29, 2013
  16. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    ^ If you could play a musical instrument at 210 decibels, it would have military applications. Think that intensity can crack concrete and definitely break up a mob. :eek:
     
    #56 Chuck., Oct 29, 2013
  17. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Back on topic I choose invisible and use my super powers to make money and support charities like the Secret Millionaire show supports charities but in the end never disclose my identity or super power.

    Superman could fly and he was in comics
     
    #57 JMD, Oct 29, 2013
  18. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    On crime-fighting superpowers.

    Telepathic abilities
    Extreme strength
    Magnetism
    Shape-shifting
     
    #58 Chuck., Oct 29, 2013
  19. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    I have no interest in playing music at 210 decibels. I want to be able to play the violin like Hilary Hahn, but without having to practice, since I'm too lazy.

    What I've noticed in this thread is that some people want superpowers so that they can steal stuff, and some want superpowers so they can have fun or commute more easily. Nobody seems to be interested in being a crime fighter, like the superheroes in the comics. Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Defendor, Kick nice person, all of them use their powers to fight crime. The closest anybody here gets to helping people is steal money to give it away. (I'm no different. I'd like to be able to fly so I could get to good hiking trails more easily, and then spend the night in a nice hotel. Of course, I basically do that when I go to wilderness hiking lodges, but if I could fly I'd have access to more trails, and if I got hurt or lost I could fly out. The day I fell and hurt my knee this summer it would have been nice to be able to fly back to town to see a doctor, or even just fly to the lodge instead of painfully limping the 45 minutes back.)
     
    #59 daniel, Oct 29, 2013
  20. jamesh8251

    jamesh8251 New Member

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    First things first: I have a pilot license (single engine land) with high performance endorsement, with a few hours seaplane time--no rating, but would get it. I'll take a small amphibious airplane, please, so I can fly into remote lakes, fish, leave. Problem is these toys run maybe $450k. So flying is it and I'll donate the $450k to somebody. HAR HAR HAR.

    As an alternative, the gift to infuse brains and/or knowledge into somebody ELSE would be grand. Everybody has seen and/or heard the Tea Party folks: "Keep your government hands off my Medicare." Classic Dunning-Kruger effect.

    The nation is at risk from such folks, especially with respect to climate change. The Medicare thing is only an indicator of dreadfully serious incompetence.
     
    #60 jamesh8251, Oct 29, 2013
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