Hard Questions meme.
Jun. 21st, 2008 02:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chachingStole this from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aphrodite_mine, who stole it from texaswatermelon.
The Hard To Answer Questions
A relative just committed a very serious crime, do you turn them in?
By serious, I assume it's something bad enough that I'd think they need punishment for. If it hurt others intentionally, yes. If there would be more people hurt if I did nothing, yes.
If I think they honestly need to serve the time to understand what they did was wrong, yes.
That said, a lot of those answers are in theory. It really depends on which relative did it, the nature of the crime, and whether I think the legal punishment fits it or not.
If when my niece gets older (and especially if it happened now, because she's only 8) was sexually assaulted, and instead of turning the guy in, successfully pulled off not only killing him but making it look like an accident? No, I probably wouldn't turn her in. I'd be helping her cover it up, more likely. But again, that's an answer made up of what ifs. Nobody really knows what they'd do in a situation like that until it happens to them.
Your lover of 10 years has cheated on you, do you stay or go?
10 years of fidelity before that (assuming that's the case) would be worth talking it out. If we can't fix it (he admits he's going to do it again, and with no remorse) then yeah, it'll be over. And while I can hold grudges, the anger itself usually fades, and I'd try to keep it amiable after the break up. (You betrayed me, but I'm not going to sabotage you for it.) If there are kids involved, I'd probably try harder to stay together, depending on how old they are, but if it's not going to work out, it's not going to work out and staying together would be worse for everyone.
If it's the first time, and he can convince me he'll never do it again, and the circumstances are a little negligable (he was drunk and can't even remember meeting the chick [possibility of being slipped something is important to consider, especially if he's in a profession that it would look bad if he got a divorce over something like this, like he's in the middle of a political campaigne ((not that I would date a politician, but hey))]). He gets a second chance. He blows that, he's gone. The above, majorly long and convoluted sentence above shows that it depends on how it happened, what's going down, how I found out, and a lot of other factors.
In the end, if I think I can save the relationship, I will try.
How do you hope you will die?
As silly as it sounds, if I go before my time, I hope it's with honor and dignity. I hope I was doing something worth dying for (like trying to save the life of another), so that my family and friends, even though they're grieving, would feel proud of me.
If I'm old, and it's simply my time to go, I hope it's while I'm sleeping. That there would be no fuss and nobody else will cheated by my passing.
Are you afraid of dying?
Intellectually? No. Everybody dies sometime. It's inevitable. To fear it would be a waste of energy. I'm also of the school of thought that the great beyond is just another great adventure, whether there is anything there or not.
If I'm in a situation where death is imminent (ex: I've been stabbed in a store robbery and I'm bleeding out too fast for help to arrive), would I be afraid? No doubt, I would be at first. Anybody who says otherwise is a liar. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of the unknown when it's upon you.
Recall your worst nightmare, what was it about?
My biggest fear, abandonment. The people that I trust and count on think I'm not working the trouble anymore and turn their back. All of them. I'm completely alone because I've failed as a human being, as a thing, and the world has deemed it better that I wilt away and die.
And in the dream, I do.
Your best friend makes a move on your lover, how do you handle that?
I would probably confront the friend, to figure out her angle, to make sure she's serious about what she's doing. Then I'd analyze my relationship with my lover to see if I'm that serious about what I'm doing. If I honestly think, she might love him more than I do, I'll let him go, if that's what he wants too. If I really love the guy though, and he really loves me, and she's just playing around, she'd get a firm reprimand and it might be the end of our friendship. If we're all in love, and he wants us both, we'd probably have a talk. How that would end, I can't really tell you, because I don't really know. I love my current best friend like a soulmate, and I don't really want to lose her, but threesomes are hard work. I might be willing to share to preserve it all, but I can't honestly say I know I will unless it happens to me.
If there were a fountain of youth, would you drink from it?
Assuming that the government wouldn't slap down and regulated and pretty much prevent everyone who isn't paying millions out to them from drinking it. If it was fair game to everyone, if the water was bottled and sold in stores at a cheap price, and we had the space to hold all the people who wouldn't die and all the children who would be born after:
If by youth, it means I'd stop aging? I don't think I would. Not if it's permanent, especially then. I've seen enough movies and read enough stories to know that immortality is NOT what it's cracked up to be. But again, most of the problems result from the grief of everything around you dying, and if everyone I loved drank it, I might do it, because I'm not really losing anything then, right?
If by youth, it means youthful beauty, where I'd still die of old age when I was ready to go, but I'd still look young, and the above rules apply? Yeah, I'd probably drink it. It would be silly not to, because it's not harming anything (at least not that I can see, there could be repercussions for society). To not drink, simply because it's something popular are doing, seems like the stupid part of individualism, especially if drinking it would improve your health and it wasn't just a superficial beauty. (Key word is "simply" meaning there is no other reason the person is using to justify not doing it.) Skipping good opportunities just because you don't want to conform, even just a little, has always felt stupid to me. There is individualism for the sake of being true to yourself, and then there is individualism for spite. The latter is one of the most moronic things I've ever seen.
If a magic potion could make someone love you, would you slip it to them?
Tempting, but no. It wouldn't be genuine, and that makes it cheap and not worth having. I want people to be honest with me, so I wouldn't be able to use a potion like this to stay true to myself anyway.
What if a potion could make your enemy miserable?
I don't have any enemies (at least, not that I know of).
If by enemy, this means rival, then no way. I think rivals are important, because they encourage you to try hard, and the rival is only doing their best to achieve a goal. That's not something to be punished for.
If by enemy, you mean the girl/guy that stole my boyfriend (hypothetically, as this has never happened to me), then no. That would be petty, and I am above that.
If by enemy, you mean sometime in the future a major catastrophe happens and I'm fighting to survive and uphold my ideals, and my enemy intended to do me true harm and hurt many others (in typical fantasy novel fashion), then yes, I'd be drowning the bastard in it, if only to make him vulnerable so I could achieve victory for my people! Ha.
You're in the woods, alone, at night...are you honestly not afraid?
As I HAVE been in woods, alone, at night, I can say that it doesn't truly scare me. My grandfather had a patch of woods out on his land and my siblings and I would sneak out in it, in an attempt to scare ourselves. We've all gotten used to it by now. I'm a bit more aware, a bit more careful, but not actually afraid. I've walked home in the middle of the night over a long distance plenty of times and not all of it was well-lit. I'd be alert and not actually afraid until I had a real reason to be. I'd probably be more afraid if I HAD been walking with someone, because I'm easily prone to mass hysteria. If the person next to me is afraid, I don't have a chance.
If your bf/gf had to move out of state, would you leave your family?
As I want nothing more than to escape this house, yes. But I wouldn't just run off with just anybody. We'd have to have a pretty strong relationship for me to move with them, even if I want out of here really bad.
And if you had to move, could you leave your lover and family?
That would depend on my relationship with my lover. If it's still early on and kinda new and not all that strong, I probably could. If it's pretty solid and he honestly can't move, if his job doesn't allow for him to live anywhere other than where we do, we can make sacrifices. If he's the one with the better job, and I'd lose mine if I don't move, I'd stay and we'd work something out. If I'm the one with the better job, I'd hope he'd be able to quit to stay with me and would want to. Somethings are worth more important than money.
If I had to move for my health, I'd hope he'd come with me. If he won't, maybe he's not worth keeping. If he honestly can't (for his health maybe) then I'm not sure what we'd do. But I'd be more inclined to work as a "we" than just a "me," if you get my drift.
You're never going to see your lover again, what do need them to know?
I'm going with Marcia's answer here: "The truth, whatever that is." I hope that the truth is something I can tell them. But if it came down to it, would I lie so my lover could move on? Yeah, I'd try.
An envelope is on the ground, it's full of money. Do you keep it?
If there isn't an obvious owner nearby, and no way for anyone to know I was the one who had it. Damn straight. If it's marked, I'd turn it in and hope however stole it doesn't realize it's me. If the guy saw me pick it up, I'd politely hand it to him and wish him a nice day and GTFO faster than a boy chased out of a girl's room by daddy's shotgun.
You witness a crime, do you call the police or get involved in any way?
Depends on the crime. Would I risk my life for someone who's already dead in what was obviously a mafia hit? No, because the police were probably paid off in the first place. I'm willing to do what I can to help, I'd even make some risks, but I'm not naive enough to believe the justice system is perfect.
If it's just some twelve year-old punk who swiped a pack of gum, I'd probably drag him off to the side. Tell him I saw it and he should return it, and do my best to intimidate him into obeying the law in the future.
If you were drafted into the war, would you serve or try to avoid serving?
If it's the war going on right now? I'll be vacationing in Canada for an extended period of time. If it's an actual war here, where I'm protecting my family from actual harm, and not just US political interest, I'd stay. If it's a war brought on by US greed and politics, they can toss me in the Stockade if I don't get out fast enough, and I'll happily rot.
If you could say one thing to George W. Bush right now what would it be?
I wouldn't say anything to him. I'm hoping my silence and expression would say more than enough. Sometimes, when authority fails this bad, you can do nothing but show your disappointment and move on. I honestly hope that The W can square himself with "God" or whatever after what he's done out of what looks like revenge and greed.
That said, I really hope all that's happened is for some pretty damn important reasons that we just can't see and that this really had been the better option.
Was the 9/11 attack planned by our own government?
Planned? No. Allowed to happen? Maybe. Known about the threat of it before hand? Oh yes.
A parent confides in you that they are gay. Now how do you view gay rights?
Considering the shit I've gotten because my mother is convinced I'm a lesbian, I'd be pretty pissed off with her if she came out to me. I'd be able to see that most of that though, was because she was afraid of herself, and we'd get over it. If it's my Dad, I'd support him, even if my mother doesn't. My opinion on gay rights won't change. I think everybody should be free to marry, no matter who it is to, as long a both parties are capable of consent.
A loved one on life support for years, could you finally let them go?
If there was a chance at a real life, I'd leave them on it, if that's what they wanted. If the doctor says there isn't one, I'd take them off. I'd obey their wishes the best I could as long as I could.
You are on life support, what would you want a loved one to do about it?
If there is no hope, I want them to say their goodbyes and unplug me when they're ready.
If you honestly were abducted by aliens, would you have the nerve to tell?
Considering that no one would believe it, I'd probably just right a "fiction" novel on it, leaving enough detail that other abductees who read it would know I was one of them and find me. We could deal with it together.
You've contracted a deadly disease, how would you live your life thereafter?
Assuming I'm not massively contagious, I'd probably take more risks, say my last words to the people who mattered, tell them how I really felt, and square myself away so I'm satisfied and won't leave a bigger burden behind for my loved ones than I have to, and then go quietly into the Night.
Your child has only a while to live, do you still enroll them in school?
Depends on what a while means. I'd want them to be educated, but if I can make their last few months on earth more enjoyable and school was in the way, then no.
Think of who you love most, and describe them in one word:
I don't honestly know who I love most, so I can't answer this question. Love's a complicated thing that way. There are different words for the people I'd qualify for this, one of which is NEMESIS.
aphrodite_mine, who stole it from texaswatermelon.The Hard To Answer Questions
A relative just committed a very serious crime, do you turn them in?
By serious, I assume it's something bad enough that I'd think they need punishment for. If it hurt others intentionally, yes. If there would be more people hurt if I did nothing, yes.
If I think they honestly need to serve the time to understand what they did was wrong, yes.
That said, a lot of those answers are in theory. It really depends on which relative did it, the nature of the crime, and whether I think the legal punishment fits it or not.
If when my niece gets older (and especially if it happened now, because she's only 8) was sexually assaulted, and instead of turning the guy in, successfully pulled off not only killing him but making it look like an accident? No, I probably wouldn't turn her in. I'd be helping her cover it up, more likely. But again, that's an answer made up of what ifs. Nobody really knows what they'd do in a situation like that until it happens to them.
Your lover of 10 years has cheated on you, do you stay or go?
10 years of fidelity before that (assuming that's the case) would be worth talking it out. If we can't fix it (he admits he's going to do it again, and with no remorse) then yeah, it'll be over. And while I can hold grudges, the anger itself usually fades, and I'd try to keep it amiable after the break up. (You betrayed me, but I'm not going to sabotage you for it.) If there are kids involved, I'd probably try harder to stay together, depending on how old they are, but if it's not going to work out, it's not going to work out and staying together would be worse for everyone.
If it's the first time, and he can convince me he'll never do it again, and the circumstances are a little negligable (he was drunk and can't even remember meeting the chick [possibility of being slipped something is important to consider, especially if he's in a profession that it would look bad if he got a divorce over something like this, like he's in the middle of a political campaigne ((not that I would date a politician, but hey))]). He gets a second chance. He blows that, he's gone. The above, majorly long and convoluted sentence above shows that it depends on how it happened, what's going down, how I found out, and a lot of other factors.
In the end, if I think I can save the relationship, I will try.
How do you hope you will die?
As silly as it sounds, if I go before my time, I hope it's with honor and dignity. I hope I was doing something worth dying for (like trying to save the life of another), so that my family and friends, even though they're grieving, would feel proud of me.
If I'm old, and it's simply my time to go, I hope it's while I'm sleeping. That there would be no fuss and nobody else will cheated by my passing.
Are you afraid of dying?
Intellectually? No. Everybody dies sometime. It's inevitable. To fear it would be a waste of energy. I'm also of the school of thought that the great beyond is just another great adventure, whether there is anything there or not.
If I'm in a situation where death is imminent (ex: I've been stabbed in a store robbery and I'm bleeding out too fast for help to arrive), would I be afraid? No doubt, I would be at first. Anybody who says otherwise is a liar. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of the unknown when it's upon you.
Recall your worst nightmare, what was it about?
My biggest fear, abandonment. The people that I trust and count on think I'm not working the trouble anymore and turn their back. All of them. I'm completely alone because I've failed as a human being, as a thing, and the world has deemed it better that I wilt away and die.
And in the dream, I do.
Your best friend makes a move on your lover, how do you handle that?
I would probably confront the friend, to figure out her angle, to make sure she's serious about what she's doing. Then I'd analyze my relationship with my lover to see if I'm that serious about what I'm doing. If I honestly think, she might love him more than I do, I'll let him go, if that's what he wants too. If I really love the guy though, and he really loves me, and she's just playing around, she'd get a firm reprimand and it might be the end of our friendship. If we're all in love, and he wants us both, we'd probably have a talk. How that would end, I can't really tell you, because I don't really know. I love my current best friend like a soulmate, and I don't really want to lose her, but threesomes are hard work. I might be willing to share to preserve it all, but I can't honestly say I know I will unless it happens to me.
If there were a fountain of youth, would you drink from it?
Assuming that the government wouldn't slap down and regulated and pretty much prevent everyone who isn't paying millions out to them from drinking it. If it was fair game to everyone, if the water was bottled and sold in stores at a cheap price, and we had the space to hold all the people who wouldn't die and all the children who would be born after:
If by youth, it means I'd stop aging? I don't think I would. Not if it's permanent, especially then. I've seen enough movies and read enough stories to know that immortality is NOT what it's cracked up to be. But again, most of the problems result from the grief of everything around you dying, and if everyone I loved drank it, I might do it, because I'm not really losing anything then, right?
If by youth, it means youthful beauty, where I'd still die of old age when I was ready to go, but I'd still look young, and the above rules apply? Yeah, I'd probably drink it. It would be silly not to, because it's not harming anything (at least not that I can see, there could be repercussions for society). To not drink, simply because it's something popular are doing, seems like the stupid part of individualism, especially if drinking it would improve your health and it wasn't just a superficial beauty. (Key word is "simply" meaning there is no other reason the person is using to justify not doing it.) Skipping good opportunities just because you don't want to conform, even just a little, has always felt stupid to me. There is individualism for the sake of being true to yourself, and then there is individualism for spite. The latter is one of the most moronic things I've ever seen.
If a magic potion could make someone love you, would you slip it to them?
Tempting, but no. It wouldn't be genuine, and that makes it cheap and not worth having. I want people to be honest with me, so I wouldn't be able to use a potion like this to stay true to myself anyway.
What if a potion could make your enemy miserable?
I don't have any enemies (at least, not that I know of).
If by enemy, this means rival, then no way. I think rivals are important, because they encourage you to try hard, and the rival is only doing their best to achieve a goal. That's not something to be punished for.
If by enemy, you mean the girl/guy that stole my boyfriend (hypothetically, as this has never happened to me), then no. That would be petty, and I am above that.
If by enemy, you mean sometime in the future a major catastrophe happens and I'm fighting to survive and uphold my ideals, and my enemy intended to do me true harm and hurt many others (in typical fantasy novel fashion), then yes, I'd be drowning the bastard in it, if only to make him vulnerable so I could achieve victory for my people! Ha.
You're in the woods, alone, at night...are you honestly not afraid?
As I HAVE been in woods, alone, at night, I can say that it doesn't truly scare me. My grandfather had a patch of woods out on his land and my siblings and I would sneak out in it, in an attempt to scare ourselves. We've all gotten used to it by now. I'm a bit more aware, a bit more careful, but not actually afraid. I've walked home in the middle of the night over a long distance plenty of times and not all of it was well-lit. I'd be alert and not actually afraid until I had a real reason to be. I'd probably be more afraid if I HAD been walking with someone, because I'm easily prone to mass hysteria. If the person next to me is afraid, I don't have a chance.
If your bf/gf had to move out of state, would you leave your family?
As I want nothing more than to escape this house, yes. But I wouldn't just run off with just anybody. We'd have to have a pretty strong relationship for me to move with them, even if I want out of here really bad.
And if you had to move, could you leave your lover and family?
That would depend on my relationship with my lover. If it's still early on and kinda new and not all that strong, I probably could. If it's pretty solid and he honestly can't move, if his job doesn't allow for him to live anywhere other than where we do, we can make sacrifices. If he's the one with the better job, and I'd lose mine if I don't move, I'd stay and we'd work something out. If I'm the one with the better job, I'd hope he'd be able to quit to stay with me and would want to. Somethings are worth more important than money.
If I had to move for my health, I'd hope he'd come with me. If he won't, maybe he's not worth keeping. If he honestly can't (for his health maybe) then I'm not sure what we'd do. But I'd be more inclined to work as a "we" than just a "me," if you get my drift.
You're never going to see your lover again, what do need them to know?
I'm going with Marcia's answer here: "The truth, whatever that is." I hope that the truth is something I can tell them. But if it came down to it, would I lie so my lover could move on? Yeah, I'd try.
An envelope is on the ground, it's full of money. Do you keep it?
If there isn't an obvious owner nearby, and no way for anyone to know I was the one who had it. Damn straight. If it's marked, I'd turn it in and hope however stole it doesn't realize it's me. If the guy saw me pick it up, I'd politely hand it to him and wish him a nice day and GTFO faster than a boy chased out of a girl's room by daddy's shotgun.
You witness a crime, do you call the police or get involved in any way?
Depends on the crime. Would I risk my life for someone who's already dead in what was obviously a mafia hit? No, because the police were probably paid off in the first place. I'm willing to do what I can to help, I'd even make some risks, but I'm not naive enough to believe the justice system is perfect.
If it's just some twelve year-old punk who swiped a pack of gum, I'd probably drag him off to the side. Tell him I saw it and he should return it, and do my best to intimidate him into obeying the law in the future.
If you were drafted into the war, would you serve or try to avoid serving?
If it's the war going on right now? I'll be vacationing in Canada for an extended period of time. If it's an actual war here, where I'm protecting my family from actual harm, and not just US political interest, I'd stay. If it's a war brought on by US greed and politics, they can toss me in the Stockade if I don't get out fast enough, and I'll happily rot.
If you could say one thing to George W. Bush right now what would it be?
I wouldn't say anything to him. I'm hoping my silence and expression would say more than enough. Sometimes, when authority fails this bad, you can do nothing but show your disappointment and move on. I honestly hope that The W can square himself with "God" or whatever after what he's done out of what looks like revenge and greed.
That said, I really hope all that's happened is for some pretty damn important reasons that we just can't see and that this really had been the better option.
Was the 9/11 attack planned by our own government?
Planned? No. Allowed to happen? Maybe. Known about the threat of it before hand? Oh yes.
A parent confides in you that they are gay. Now how do you view gay rights?
Considering the shit I've gotten because my mother is convinced I'm a lesbian, I'd be pretty pissed off with her if she came out to me. I'd be able to see that most of that though, was because she was afraid of herself, and we'd get over it. If it's my Dad, I'd support him, even if my mother doesn't. My opinion on gay rights won't change. I think everybody should be free to marry, no matter who it is to, as long a both parties are capable of consent.
A loved one on life support for years, could you finally let them go?
If there was a chance at a real life, I'd leave them on it, if that's what they wanted. If the doctor says there isn't one, I'd take them off. I'd obey their wishes the best I could as long as I could.
You are on life support, what would you want a loved one to do about it?
If there is no hope, I want them to say their goodbyes and unplug me when they're ready.
If you honestly were abducted by aliens, would you have the nerve to tell?
Considering that no one would believe it, I'd probably just right a "fiction" novel on it, leaving enough detail that other abductees who read it would know I was one of them and find me. We could deal with it together.
You've contracted a deadly disease, how would you live your life thereafter?
Assuming I'm not massively contagious, I'd probably take more risks, say my last words to the people who mattered, tell them how I really felt, and square myself away so I'm satisfied and won't leave a bigger burden behind for my loved ones than I have to, and then go quietly into the Night.
Your child has only a while to live, do you still enroll them in school?
Depends on what a while means. I'd want them to be educated, but if I can make their last few months on earth more enjoyable and school was in the way, then no.
Think of who you love most, and describe them in one word:
I don't honestly know who I love most, so I can't answer this question. Love's a complicated thing that way. There are different words for the people I'd qualify for this, one of which is NEMESIS.
