Questions
Oct 14, 2018 21:48:26 #
Questions
The responses to these questions are my take on each. What is yours?
“50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind (or Destroy it)”
by Marc Chernoff
"These questions have no right or wrong answers, because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.
1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Why would it matter? I would be old enough to do or fail at wh**ever I attempted.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Not trying is inconceivable because, I am not yet dead
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
We do what we want at all times, if I choose to do an unpleasant task it is because I wanted to do that task more than any other or I would do something else.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
I haven’t finished doing and that judgment is better left to others, it won’t matter to me because I will have said or done what I wanted.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
The world is fine; it is the people who inhabit it which can make it a hell. To that end, eliminate man’s propensity to follow “leaders”.
6. If happiness were the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Pandering to mankind’s vices.
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
This is living; there is no cause in which to believe, other than I believe I’ll have another cup of coffee.
8. If the average human life span were 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
Discard prudence and embrace adventure. Life is too short to drink bad wine.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
Major milestones to a high degree, vicissitudes and alterations because of the fickle finger of fate, not at all.
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
Doing the right thing. I have found that I am frequently wrong – especially when I am convinced I am absolutely, without doubt, correct.
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
Defend my friend, not to do so is treachery, to the friendship, as well as the people you would deceive otherwise.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Always try to do the right thing, it saves a lot of regrets later on.
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Of course, laws are constructs, which are designed to permit men to live in amity, but they are in no way capable of covering every situation.
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
I have seen insanity where others have extolled creativity. Nonetheless, non-conformance with reality is insanity. Some of it is amusing as in Dali’s surreal melting clocks and while I can laugh and appreciate the incongruity of the impossible meeting the improbable on the plane of the ridiculous, I wouldn’t want to live there.
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
I meticulously plan and document each family gathering in terms of invitations, logistics, food prep, photography, activities etc. I did this for every holiday, family get-togethers and other events. My magnum opus: my brother came to visit after 15 years of not seeing each other. I planned out three days worth of meals, attendance by various relatives on different days, installed a massive 60’ X 80’ tarpaulin canopy in my front yard and rented 10 eight seater tables and chairs for eighty people, the entire family and friends complement. Assigned various food tasks to family members by days and hours and assured scheduling was on track. I am in charge when it comes to getting family events done.
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
Most likely because they are in some way deficient.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
Visit the sacred Grove at Lake Nemi, Italy of Diana Nemorensis. Initially lack of time and recently inability to travel. It will never be crossed off my bucket list.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Things, I have too many things. My possessions dictate too many decisions.
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
Oklahoma or Texas in that order. Oklahoma, because their legislature has a rational approach to most societal problems of the day. I believe this reflects a corresponding rationality amongst Oklahoma citizens.
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
Yes and no, the speed of the elevator is a fixed item but some elevators give no indication that they have received your request. Being a devout Luddite I have a profound distrust of machinery.
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
Why would a genius be worried? Can a simpleton experience Joy?
22. Why are you, you?
Simply because I am not someone else. I know that to be true because my family would have told me if I were someone else.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Certainly.
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
A good friend moving away, you can always recontact the nearby friend.
25. What are you most grateful for?
Life.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
Never make new ones; at my age any new ones are likely to be unpleasant such as news of my death.
27. Is it possible to know the t***h without challenging it first?
Yes, challenges may put the t***h to a test but they do not alter or control the transcendental nature of t***h.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
Many times, I change greatest fears just like my socks or even more frequently. I survived.
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
It was 60 years ago, 50 years ago, 40 years ago and no it does not matter now, to anyone else. However, it mattered to me then, now, and always.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
Getting a tricycle to ride up and down the sidewalk. At four years old everything is special. At 5 years old I accompanied my father and his friend to their work to pick up their pay envelopes. My first ride in a car and my father’s friend gave me the pennies in his envelope. I had six shiny copper pennies; I was rich beyond dreams of avarice.
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
I am alive therefore I am passionate!
32. If not now, then when?
Whenever I choose, I always do what I want to do.
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
The question should be why didn’t I achieve “it”? Assuming the grapes aren’t sour, I must not have wanted it very much.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
No, the only message that comes across is that sometimes one has nothing to say. The reasons for this may or may not be worth examining.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
For the same reason that crossbows cause wars, they don’t. Causality for “complex societal interactions” (doublespeak for war) rests with the combatants. Religion is an excuse, the casus belli; the t***h is the warring parties felt they were able to use their new man k**ler tools with such proficiency that they simply had to do it. Like picking scabs, everyone knows it is a bad idea but no one can resist.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
Yes.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
Depends on what age I got the million, under fifty, definitely not, over fifty, a gradually increasing likelihood over the next 20 years.
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
I enjoyed my work in general and when I didn’t, I did it because this is what I believed was necessary and thus I did what I wanted to do. In general, less work and more time for other pursuits would have been desirable.
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
No, I do not suffer from ennui, that is for effete poseurs.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
Life is a march in the dark and the light at the end of the tunnel appears too late.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
My Priest.
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
No, I already possess those qualities.
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
For me, none. I savor every moment and mumble over memories like beads on a Rosary.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
When you absolutely have no clue on how to effect any outcome.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
Because some mistakes can k**l you.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
More of the same.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
You mean rales and ranchii, wheezing and gasping, or the sound of Albuterol sessions and with a CPAP mask clamped on your face? Or is this something metaphysical?
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
I love Apples, and yes I eat them regularly. I love my children but I don’t eat them.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
In five years from now it is questionable if there will be a me to remember but if I am still here, yes I will remember. I am cursed with an Eidetic memory for the trivialities of my daily life.
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?"
I make my own decisions, now more than ever because I have had too many years of seeing bad decisions, on the part of others to trust any of them.
51. If you were a musical instrument, how would you want to be played?
Allegro Agitato!
The responses to these questions are my take on each. What is yours?
“50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind (or Destroy it)”
by Marc Chernoff
"These questions have no right or wrong answers, because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.
1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Why would it matter? I would be old enough to do or fail at wh**ever I attempted.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Not trying is inconceivable because, I am not yet dead
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
We do what we want at all times, if I choose to do an unpleasant task it is because I wanted to do that task more than any other or I would do something else.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
I haven’t finished doing and that judgment is better left to others, it won’t matter to me because I will have said or done what I wanted.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
The world is fine; it is the people who inhabit it which can make it a hell. To that end, eliminate man’s propensity to follow “leaders”.
6. If happiness were the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Pandering to mankind’s vices.
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
This is living; there is no cause in which to believe, other than I believe I’ll have another cup of coffee.
8. If the average human life span were 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
Discard prudence and embrace adventure. Life is too short to drink bad wine.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
Major milestones to a high degree, vicissitudes and alterations because of the fickle finger of fate, not at all.
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
Doing the right thing. I have found that I am frequently wrong – especially when I am convinced I am absolutely, without doubt, correct.
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
Defend my friend, not to do so is treachery, to the friendship, as well as the people you would deceive otherwise.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Always try to do the right thing, it saves a lot of regrets later on.
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Of course, laws are constructs, which are designed to permit men to live in amity, but they are in no way capable of covering every situation.
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
I have seen insanity where others have extolled creativity. Nonetheless, non-conformance with reality is insanity. Some of it is amusing as in Dali’s surreal melting clocks and while I can laugh and appreciate the incongruity of the impossible meeting the improbable on the plane of the ridiculous, I wouldn’t want to live there.
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
I meticulously plan and document each family gathering in terms of invitations, logistics, food prep, photography, activities etc. I did this for every holiday, family get-togethers and other events. My magnum opus: my brother came to visit after 15 years of not seeing each other. I planned out three days worth of meals, attendance by various relatives on different days, installed a massive 60’ X 80’ tarpaulin canopy in my front yard and rented 10 eight seater tables and chairs for eighty people, the entire family and friends complement. Assigned various food tasks to family members by days and hours and assured scheduling was on track. I am in charge when it comes to getting family events done.
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
Most likely because they are in some way deficient.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
Visit the sacred Grove at Lake Nemi, Italy of Diana Nemorensis. Initially lack of time and recently inability to travel. It will never be crossed off my bucket list.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Things, I have too many things. My possessions dictate too many decisions.
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
Oklahoma or Texas in that order. Oklahoma, because their legislature has a rational approach to most societal problems of the day. I believe this reflects a corresponding rationality amongst Oklahoma citizens.
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
Yes and no, the speed of the elevator is a fixed item but some elevators give no indication that they have received your request. Being a devout Luddite I have a profound distrust of machinery.
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
Why would a genius be worried? Can a simpleton experience Joy?
22. Why are you, you?
Simply because I am not someone else. I know that to be true because my family would have told me if I were someone else.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Certainly.
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
A good friend moving away, you can always recontact the nearby friend.
25. What are you most grateful for?
Life.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
Never make new ones; at my age any new ones are likely to be unpleasant such as news of my death.
27. Is it possible to know the t***h without challenging it first?
Yes, challenges may put the t***h to a test but they do not alter or control the transcendental nature of t***h.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
Many times, I change greatest fears just like my socks or even more frequently. I survived.
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
It was 60 years ago, 50 years ago, 40 years ago and no it does not matter now, to anyone else. However, it mattered to me then, now, and always.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
Getting a tricycle to ride up and down the sidewalk. At four years old everything is special. At 5 years old I accompanied my father and his friend to their work to pick up their pay envelopes. My first ride in a car and my father’s friend gave me the pennies in his envelope. I had six shiny copper pennies; I was rich beyond dreams of avarice.
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
I am alive therefore I am passionate!
32. If not now, then when?
Whenever I choose, I always do what I want to do.
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
The question should be why didn’t I achieve “it”? Assuming the grapes aren’t sour, I must not have wanted it very much.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
No, the only message that comes across is that sometimes one has nothing to say. The reasons for this may or may not be worth examining.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
For the same reason that crossbows cause wars, they don’t. Causality for “complex societal interactions” (doublespeak for war) rests with the combatants. Religion is an excuse, the casus belli; the t***h is the warring parties felt they were able to use their new man k**ler tools with such proficiency that they simply had to do it. Like picking scabs, everyone knows it is a bad idea but no one can resist.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
Yes.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
Depends on what age I got the million, under fifty, definitely not, over fifty, a gradually increasing likelihood over the next 20 years.
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
I enjoyed my work in general and when I didn’t, I did it because this is what I believed was necessary and thus I did what I wanted to do. In general, less work and more time for other pursuits would have been desirable.
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
No, I do not suffer from ennui, that is for effete poseurs.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
Life is a march in the dark and the light at the end of the tunnel appears too late.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
My Priest.
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
No, I already possess those qualities.
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
For me, none. I savor every moment and mumble over memories like beads on a Rosary.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
When you absolutely have no clue on how to effect any outcome.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
Because some mistakes can k**l you.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
More of the same.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
You mean rales and ranchii, wheezing and gasping, or the sound of Albuterol sessions and with a CPAP mask clamped on your face? Or is this something metaphysical?
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
I love Apples, and yes I eat them regularly. I love my children but I don’t eat them.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
In five years from now it is questionable if there will be a me to remember but if I am still here, yes I will remember. I am cursed with an Eidetic memory for the trivialities of my daily life.
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?"
I make my own decisions, now more than ever because I have had too many years of seeing bad decisions, on the part of others to trust any of them.
51. If you were a musical instrument, how would you want to be played?
Allegro Agitato!
Oct 16, 2018 14:27:19 #
pafret wrote:
Questions br br i The responses to these questio... (show quote)
“50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind (or Destroy it)”
by Marc Chernoff
"These questions have no right or wrong answers, because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.
1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
On the last years physically; about 55 mentally.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Failing is the way to learn and grow.
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
Life is a continual evolution of likes and dislikes, some temporary and some more permanent.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
Most likely more said as old age sets in, but more done in my career.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
The Godless; the aggressors; the ignorant; the poor and disabled people.
6. If happiness were the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Problem solving.
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
The best answer is yes I believe in what I am doing, considering my age.
8. If the average human life span were 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I would concentrate more on my health, marry sooner, and go up-tempo with my career.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
Well enough on marriage, parenting and career; rather haphazardly in other domains
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
The simple answer is BOTH. I try to do the right things right. If things go sour, I revert to doing the right thing if I can.
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
I declare my friendship with her, and that I will not continue in the conversation.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Tell the t***h. Or, simply Hi!
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
As a last resort, yes. But circumstances alter cases. If by saving my loved one, many others would be k**led, I would be in a dilemma.
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
There may be a germ of creativity in madness, but no, I haven't seen it clearly.
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
At this point in time, not much. But in my career I was able to use my quick study capability for complex systems applications to fashion winning solutions and lead large teams to create and price out the solutions, which then made a lot of money for my company at that time, and something for me too!
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
My likes and dislikes do not necessarily coincide with others. For instance, my taste in music most certainly bores my daughters. My favorite things do not resonate with others, either. Winning a hard chess game is very satisfying to me, but not too many others appreciate the achievement.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
All my life I wanted to be a pilot, but physical problems held me back.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?,
Books, I have a large library of books, most of which I do not read or consult at all.
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
This has been a silent debate in my mind for years. I have travelled to at least 45 states, lived for more than a year or two in each of about 20 states and DC, and overseas in England and Holland, with lots of business trips and vacations travelling throughout Europe, several weeks in Nigeria and one trip to Kuwait.
Oct 16, 2018 14:28:58 #
When retirement loomed closer, I tried to pick out where I would most like to live, starting with the places I knew. I wrote down my specifications for the ideal retirement area and applied it to all the places I could conceive as candidates, None matched my criteria. Above the Mason-Dixon Line it is too cold, the southern states are much too hot, I do not fancy snow, ice, hurricanes, tornados. earthquakes, tsunamis, mistrals,
or floods.
It turns out, of course, that hardly any location can avoid the ravages of nature, so I gave in to my wife and we returned to Virginia. So far here in Richmond we have had two hurricanes, an earthquake, and ten tornados, none of which caused us any harm, fortunately!
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
Very occasionally, when it seems the signal didn't take, I do.
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
I would rather be somewhere about or above the mean as Aristotle championed.
22. Why are you, you?
That is how I grew up, worked, played, and attained the status of damned old.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
I think so. I have more friends than enemies by far.
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
A seeming permanent loss is worse and possibly an end.
25. What are you most grateful for?
My faith in God.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
With certainty I can relish my important memories, and they are still vivid in my mind. At 88 there is not much to relish going forward.
27. Is it possible to know the t***h without challenging it first?
T***h is there to be discovered, and you may want to challenge it to convince yourself of its t***h, but many t***hs are accepted without the need for a challenge.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
Not yet.
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
Vividly! It taught me a very important lesson that has served me well.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
I suppose I was basically a happy child and found much pleasure in many things, not just one memory,
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
Summer of 1999.
32. If not now, then when?
Tomorrow, if the rain stops and the wind calms down, Today it's too wet to plow and too windy to pick rock.
or floods.
It turns out, of course, that hardly any location can avoid the ravages of nature, so I gave in to my wife and we returned to Virginia. So far here in Richmond we have had two hurricanes, an earthquake, and ten tornados, none of which caused us any harm, fortunately!
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
Very occasionally, when it seems the signal didn't take, I do.
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
I would rather be somewhere about or above the mean as Aristotle championed.
22. Why are you, you?
That is how I grew up, worked, played, and attained the status of damned old.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
I think so. I have more friends than enemies by far.
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
A seeming permanent loss is worse and possibly an end.
25. What are you most grateful for?
My faith in God.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
With certainty I can relish my important memories, and they are still vivid in my mind. At 88 there is not much to relish going forward.
27. Is it possible to know the t***h without challenging it first?
T***h is there to be discovered, and you may want to challenge it to convince yourself of its t***h, but many t***hs are accepted without the need for a challenge.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
Not yet.
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
Vividly! It taught me a very important lesson that has served me well.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
I suppose I was basically a happy child and found much pleasure in many things, not just one memory,
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
Summer of 1999.
32. If not now, then when?
Tomorrow, if the rain stops and the wind calms down, Today it's too wet to plow and too windy to pick rock.
Oct 16, 2018 14:29:56 #
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
Nothing but my life. There are things best left undone.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
I have been inspired by soliloquies from very erudite people, yes.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
Defending their faith against those of a different faith is one reason, but that is somewhat lost in time, Some gain for the aggressor is more likely, such as economic or added land, or access to the ocean, or simply a strategic positioning against a formidable foe.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
For many situations, yes, but for some dilemmas no.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
One million dollars is not enough today to quit a job that over time would net a lot more.
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
I suppose that challenges are my thing, so the more the better.
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
I have experienced déjà vu many times, as if I had been at that place before, but I know that I haven't, and it progresses to the effort at hand once in a while.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
Taken literally, I went to the hospital for an operation with the idea that I would survive, and I did.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
I would sit down with my wife of 62 years and pray to God for a safe trip.
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
The days of reaching for the intangible goals of good looks, fame and fortune are over now, and I have what share I need.
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
Energy, opportunity, courage, seizing the moment, good sense.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
At the moment you need to make a decision.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
Mistakes can have dire consequences from those who care about the effects on them.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Live my life guided by my worldview and religion.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
At almost every moment that I am not concentrating on external events.
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
I love my wife dearly and express that love daily.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
My forgetter has become much more efficient with my age. I used to remember whole movies or whole books, even my science books and the problems I solved, but that capability faded away. I do miss it terribly!
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?"
At the moment, I make all decisions for myself and my wife. I can see where others will come into play fairly soon.
51. If you were a musical instrument, how would you want to be played?
Boogie Woogie on a piano.
Nothing but my life. There are things best left undone.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
I have been inspired by soliloquies from very erudite people, yes.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
Defending their faith against those of a different faith is one reason, but that is somewhat lost in time, Some gain for the aggressor is more likely, such as economic or added land, or access to the ocean, or simply a strategic positioning against a formidable foe.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
For many situations, yes, but for some dilemmas no.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
One million dollars is not enough today to quit a job that over time would net a lot more.
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
I suppose that challenges are my thing, so the more the better.
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
I have experienced déjà vu many times, as if I had been at that place before, but I know that I haven't, and it progresses to the effort at hand once in a while.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
Taken literally, I went to the hospital for an operation with the idea that I would survive, and I did.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
I would sit down with my wife of 62 years and pray to God for a safe trip.
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
The days of reaching for the intangible goals of good looks, fame and fortune are over now, and I have what share I need.
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
Energy, opportunity, courage, seizing the moment, good sense.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
At the moment you need to make a decision.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
Mistakes can have dire consequences from those who care about the effects on them.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Live my life guided by my worldview and religion.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
At almost every moment that I am not concentrating on external events.
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
I love my wife dearly and express that love daily.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
My forgetter has become much more efficient with my age. I used to remember whole movies or whole books, even my science books and the problems I solved, but that capability faded away. I do miss it terribly!
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?"
At the moment, I make all decisions for myself and my wife. I can see where others will come into play fairly soon.
51. If you were a musical instrument, how would you want to be played?
Boogie Woogie on a piano.
Oct 16, 2018 18:00:14 #
Oct 17, 2018 10:28:02 #
pafret wrote:
Good answer set!
I thought yours were too. How different would our answers be if we were in our 30's?
Oct 17, 2018 12:32:57 #
Manning345 wrote:
I thought yours were too. How different would our answers be if we were in our 30's?
Not too much change, only those questions that age had to be a consideration might have produced a different outcome. One area that could have been different would be the bucket list questions #3, #7, #8, #17. From my earliest readings I became aware of Archaeology and conceived a passion for traveling to foreign climes and uncovering ancient history. I kept this interest all the way up to the point where I had to make a decision as to what I was going to do with my life. The economics of the various possibilities dictated abandoning my desire to become an Archeologist and enter Engineering as a profession.
I have retained my interest in Anthropology, Archaeology and History. Probably to a greater degree than my interest in the sciences. Who knows, if I had won the million bucks back then I might be slogging around the nations of the Fertile Crescent to this day. Or be dead on the sands from some jackasses spear.
Oct 17, 2018 13:28:49 #
The dollar in 1954 bought a hell of a lot more than today's dollar. Had I won a million then, at 24, it would undoubtedly have changed my life path. This was post my enlistment in the USAF, pre-dating my wife and pre-marriage, and also pre-university graduation. I believe I would have gone to MIT if I were accepted, and that would absolutely have changed things. As it happened, I attended the University of Richmond, mainly for money reasons, and ended up with a BS in Physics, met and married my girlfriend in my senior year, and gradually let go the idea of pursuing an advanced degree. It all turned out quite well in the end, though! Computer systems engineering was ramping up then, and IBM was a great place to be at that point.
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