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If you had (probably) 1 month to live, what would you do?
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:24pm
by Darth Wong
Here's the scenario: a quasi-omnipotent being such as "Q" from Star Trek shows up and announces that in one month, he will return and roll a six-sided die. If he rolls six, you live. If he rolls anything else, you die. Let us also assume that you know he is real and this is no joke or hoax. What do you do?
I know the "you will die in a month" scenario has been done many times before, but I'm curious what difference the 1/6 chance of survival makes. It seems to me that a lot of people tend to answer this kind of scenario by proposing actions that would seriously fuck up your life if you survive, and that a 1/6 chance of survival would make those kinds of actions decidedly less attractive.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:35pm
by General Zod
Punch Q in the jaw and go about things as normal, though perhaps move some things along with a bit more urgency. Considering some of the regular hazards of every day life that are outside my power, I don't see this as any significantly different. If I happen to live, then all is well. If I don't wind up living on the die roll, then I could just as easily get killed by some douche drunk driver or some guy mugging me and deciding to kill me so there's no witnesses if Q had never come along.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:36pm
by JLTucker
I would do nothing but continue what I am doing now - waiting for my selected school term to begin - because what I want to do would take a considerable amount of time to achieve, e.g. earn an engineering degree (still deciding on whether I should go for computer engineering or electrical engineering).
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:37pm
by Adept
1) Considering I was an adult and financially independent, I would hurry up and finish a final Will and Testament.
2) I'd likely head around parts of Canada and the US and spend at least a couple of days with some close family and friends.
3) I'd live rather lavishly, but not so much as to ensure bankruptcy (ie. treat my family and friends regularly, book a few nights' stay at a five star hotel somewhere.....perhaps NYC).
4) Hmm, I'd have sex.......somehow!
5) I would will myself to worry as little as is humanly possible, even as much as I could about my perhaps imminent death.
6) I'd let go and reconcile with every grudge that is possible to reconcile with.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:39pm
by Darth Wong
General Zod wrote:Punch Q in the jaw and go about things as normal, though perhaps move some things along with a bit more urgency. Considering some of the regular hazards of every day life that are outside my power, I don't see this as any significantly different.
OK, perhaps I did not explain this thoroughly enough. Under this scenario, you have an
eighty three percent chance of death in the next month. If that is not significantly different than your normal life, then I have to ask what the fuck you do for a living. Are you a Mob informant with a published home address?
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:40pm
by Chardok
Adept wrote:6) I'd let go and reconcile with every grudge that is possible to reconcile with.
I always find it very interesting how imminent death makes one let go of anger so quickly when, under any other circumstance, one would hang on to said anger for a ridiculous amount of time.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:42pm
by General Zod
Darth Wong wrote:General Zod wrote:Punch Q in the jaw and go about things as normal, though perhaps move some things along with a bit more urgency. Considering some of the regular hazards of every day life that are outside my power, I don't see this as any significantly different.
OK, perhaps I did not explain this thoroughly enough. Under this scenario, you have an
eighty three percent chance of death in the next month. If that is not significantly different than your normal life, then I have to ask what the fuck you do for a living. Are you a Mob informant with a published home address?
Good point. I'd have to change things a bit, but I'd still wind up punching Q in the jaw. At the very least I'd work towards making sure most of my things are in order before he rolls his dice, and ensure I have as much sex as humanly possible until then.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:43pm
by Adept
I always find it very interesting how imminent death makes one let go of anger so quickly when, under any other circumstance, one would hang on to said anger for a ridiculous amount of time.
I agree, and such an act shouldn't take so long. However, I've lived through many heartbreaking instances of ill-content going to the grave, something that weighs heavily upon the still-existing party.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:48pm
by Civil War Man
You know that part in Forrest Gump where he just starts running across the country for the Hell of it? Something like that, but on a motorcycle. See how many miles I can cover before Q shows up again.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:50pm
by Rye
I'd probably take out all my money and spend it on earthly pleasures. If I survive, I'll be able to work still, so it's no great loss. Be difficult if I had a mortgage and the rest of it, though.
Posted: 2007-07-20 11:55pm
by Plekhanov
Get married 11 months sooner than I was going to, visit all my family members that I care about, go cycling in the hills as much as possible & most likely take excessive amounts of mood altering substances.
Posted: 2007-07-21 12:13am
by Spanky The Dolphin
Civil War Man wrote:You know that part in Forrest Gump where he just starts running across the country for the Hell of it? Something like that, but on a motorcycle. See how many miles I can cover before Q shows up again.
Not to just say "yeah, I'll do this, too," but that seriously sounds like something I'd also want to do.
Posted: 2007-07-21 12:46am
by Enigma
In a dim chance I'd survive passed the first month then I'd take a month's time off from my job and spend it with family, friends and my faith.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:00am
by Howedar
Quit my job (I'm only there another four weeks anyway) and just fly around visiting everyone I care a lot about. I've got enough money saved away that if I ended up surviving, there would be no major repercussions.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:03am
by Frank Hipper
The stress of knowing the exact day Q would show up on would probably drive me to kill myself.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:08am
by Boyish-Tigerlilly
If I were in this position, I would try to take a bus to Washington State to see the Technocracy Inc. Continental HQ. I always wanted to go there and view their historical archives.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:20am
by Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba
Drugs, sex, and general extreme narcissism. Also, read as much as possible. If the Six is rolled one month from now, I kill myself.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:24am
by Pick
Fly to Australia and hang out with my best friend for a while, going on crazy parachuting adventures and scuba-diving fun fun. Then I'd come home, spend some quality time with the folks, and try to finish an art piece I can be throughly proud of.
If I live after that, all the better.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:27am
by The_Saint
Laugh at Q.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:35am
by darthbob88
Isaac Asimov was asked in an interview what he would do if he was told he would die in 6 months? He answered that he would "Write faster." I happen to think that's a good idea; I will work faster. If I live, happy day, I keep working. Otherwise, I'll die at my post.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:39am
by Tanasinn
Try and kill Q.
In all seriousness, I don't know. Sleep a lot, enjoy myself, and wait it out, I guess.
Posted: 2007-07-21 01:44am
by Diomedes
One of the things I'd do would be to donate sperm. I dont have children yet, and it would give me comfort to know that I would.
Posted: 2007-07-21 02:26am
by salm
Fly somewhere cool and blow all my money on cool stuff.
Posted: 2007-07-21 03:56am
by Durandal
- Enroll in a local college somewhere.
- Get an educational loan from CitiBank, say for about $10,000. My credit's good. Shouldn't be too hard. With my savings and the money in my mutual fund, I could have some fun.
- Buy a couple cartons of clove cigarettes.
- Take the money and go to Vegas. But fuck the gambling. Cheap drinks and strippers await.
- Head from Vegas to LA, where hoards of shallow, stupid, unbelievably hot blondes await.
- Rent a flashy car to pick up said blondes.
- Run around to various clubs in Hollywood and just bribe my way in.
- If I run across Mandy Moore, give her some sob-story about how I only have a month to live (the Big C will do nicely here), and now I'm just "blowing all my money on cheap fun and being someone I'm not" to hopefully coax her into having sex with me.
- Fly across the country to Boston, just because I've always wanted to go there. Get stupidly drunk for a few days.
- Fly to New York. I've been there, but never experienced the night life. I seek to change that.
- Fly to New Zealand to visit my friend there. Try to get her to have sex with me. Otherwise, get stupidly drunk.
- Fly to Ireland to visit my other friend there. Try to get her to have sex with me. Otherwise, get stupidly drunk.
- Fly to Amsterdam. This part is self-explanatory.
- Fly to Italy. If I die, I die a happy death while sitting on a beach in the Mediterranean. Else, I just enjoy myself and go back to work.
Posted: 2007-07-21 04:01am
by rhoenix
I would continue living the best way I could, in every moment. Each moment is unordinary anyway - this situation would only reinforce that fact.
I'd likely make out a will, though.