What would you do if you were God?

[The Happy Humanist]

Imagine one night you're roused out of bed, and swept through time and space to a magnificent room full of angelic-looking beings. You stand before a trio of them behind a golden podium. The one in the center informs you that "You have been chosen by the Council of Deities to create a new universe. You will be given the position of 'God,' and provided with all you need."

With that, you are escorted to a room in which there is a computer terminal and a large 3-D viewscreen. The terminal has a standard QWERTY keyboard, along with a whole array of macro buttons, with labels like "Create universe", "Let There Be Light", "Create sentient race," "Create Hell," "Populate Hell," "Reboot Sentient Race" (which destroys your creation in a flood, or the natural disaster of your choosing)", "Send Saviour," "Initiate Rapture Routine," etc. (There's even one marked "Create Rock So Big You Can't Lift It," but it seems to be stuck. )

You are free to push buttons and/or design code to your liking; the Council has informed you that there are no consequences for "right" or "wrong" actions on your part.

Now, with the example of what Jehovah did with his universe cemented in your mind, what would you do differently in yours - if anything?

For example, would you create your beings with free will, refuse to show your face (there is a macro button labeled "Interact"), and then throw them into the lake of fire for eternity for "rejecting" you? Would your scriptures contain pronouncements against homosexuality? Would there even be homosexuality?

There is probably a temptation on the part of some Christians to answer "no changes, God's world is perfect." The question remains, do you really think its perfect, or are you just mimicking what you've heard? This exercise is to get you to try to think outside that box.

[The Happy Humanist]

What fun!.

Great start, Chris. Keep thinking...what else would you do different?

[Cmass]

I may only be 23 years old but my father is now 74.

Thanks for mentioning that. Now I don't feel so old being a father at 40! 2 friends I graduated with are now grandparents.....and I only have a 15 month old baby.

Therefore, I do things myself, work with my hands, appreciate a good days work, enjoy nature, and generally dislike fast paced, technology driven, self-centered life.

Now this part, I think is really groovy. I think it is very important for good health work with your hands and connect with the natural world.

I too would like to hear the justification for your participation in the pinnacle of the technological age: The Internet community. You are fully indulging in a virtual community of people: A community only in existance because of a bunch of highly advanced computer chips and keyboards hooked up by wires and sattelight signals zooming through space.

-------------------
Back on topic.

I would then make it much more difficult to concieve children so that the average population of the world would still increase but do so slowly. Maybe an average of 2.01 children per family. Something like that.

I can dig keeping the population under control - very good idea. But how would you make it difficult to concieve children? There are many ways you could do this:
1) Make people slightly less fertile so that each act of sexual intercourse would be less likely to result in offspring.
2) Make people less horny so that sex would seem less appealing.
3) Make sex like it is for domestic cats: Terribly painful including barbed penises.

I like #1 the best. It would mean you would have to have a lot more sex to have a child. Cool.

[The Happy Humanist]

1) Make people slightly less fertile so that each act of sexual intercourse would be less likely to result in offspring.
2) Make people less horny so that sex would seem less appealing.
3) Make sex like it is for domestic cats: Terribly painful including barbed penises.

I like #1 the best. It would mean you would have to have a lot more sex to have a child. Cool.

There is a fourth possibility: Make a larger percentage of the population homosexual.

[Cmass]

Great start, Chris. Keep thinking...what else would you do different?

I must admit to having a tough time on this. Making up a new universe is quite complex for me.
The concept of a personal God is so utterly bizarre. I might have to set up physical laws that cannot be broken and then will myself out of existence - or go about making another universe.

If I had to be a personal God, then I would most definately make myself more personable. I would also take celestial medication to make certain I did not end up with the bad case of bipolar disorder that the current God apparently has.

I would make certain the world was not perfect. Perfection is death & non-existence. Struggle, conflict and change is required - especially change which is time.
However, there are all sorts of physical laws I might create that would be very fun to watch. For example, perhaps a murderer, right on the verge of commiting the crime, would suddenly become an empath and fully take on the perspective of his victim.

I would definately be very approachable. There would be no "fear of God" in my universe - I think that concept is a bit twisted. If people called my name and wanted a personal conference, I think there would be nothing wrong with me appearing in whatever form calmed them. Sort of like your subconcious voice physically appearing. One of the most calming movie images I recall is in "Contact" where the Jodie Foster character floats onto a beautiful beach and watches as what appears to be her father appear and calm her. That is what I would be to "my people". Perhaps I would make a rule that when they wanted a personal conference with me, it would have to be private (no church these are NOT calm, quiet, private places). Perhaps we would instantly dissapear to the beach portrayed in the movie for a chat - but then also like the movie - when you returned there would be no perception of lost time by anyone else.
Come to think of it, after going through this short excercise (avoiding work) I think one of the most dramatic things I could do - that would dramatically change the world we now live in - would be for me, as God, to be readily available. You would not have to be part of some bizarre religion. You would not have to believe in me any more than you would have to believe in your neighbor. I would appear in a form you could see & touch & understand - there to comfort you and help you through some of the misery you are experiencing because I created you. (it's the least I could do)

Could you imagine if God started appearing in physical form like this today - as a quiet, calming being? In a form that was different for each person - but physically present. And imagine if His/Her/It's message was exactly the same for everyone?

[Cmass]

There is a fourth possibility: Make a larger percentage of the population homosexual.

The gay agenda would be outlawed in my world. If they chose to disobey me their thingys would fall off and they would no longer feel any sexual pleasure ever again. And then they would burn in hell forever: http://www.godhatesfags.com (BTW: I thought this was fake....but it is a real Christian church). For I am an angry God and my power and word is absolute!
See my gun!
No, wait, maybe my world would celebrate diversity and everyone would love each other no matter who's genitals they chose to rub.
Feel my hug!

Gosh darn it where is my celestial bipolar medication!! I think I left it on this cloud over here....hmm. No...not that one. Oh, here it is!
Gulp....ah.
OK - I'm fine now.

I think it might be a good idea to limit births using a giant galactic scale. If the scale showed 200 million people, the people would become sterile. When it went back down to 199 million, people would become more fertile. If people started getting more obese then the scale would show more people than there really were and people would become less fertile so they would have to go on diets in order to have more children.

And as far as same gender genital rubbing goes. Well, unless I pick #3 and make intercourse painful, you can assume I made genitals pleasurable partly as a way for humans to form bonds, calm themselves or each other - so go ahead and rub away your problems.
I am not a voyeuristic God (at least that is what I will tell everyone) so you don't need to worry about me peeking into your bedroom and screaming "Ha ha! Caught ya!".

[achilles12604]

I think that when cops got cars, they lost a lot of who they used to be. I think when banks became online, people lost touch with each other. I think that now that families no longer sit together and instead they crowed around the incessent moaning and flickering of that yammerring mind-draining box, that families no longer understand what family means.

I think that when cities grew, as civilizations do, cars became a requirement for cops because criminals had cars. I think that if you like your banker, you still talk to them, whether or not you bank online (what a wonderful example that one was!). I think that no one twisted your arm into buying that yammering mind-draining box, so you have no one but yourself to blame.

Technology doesn't take things away from you. YOU take things away from you. My internet, website, email and cell phone allow me to stay in touch with my rather large and widespread family all across the country. And by the way, why are you posting to an internet forum?

Actually you are assuming that I engage in those activities. For the most part I do not. My TV (yes I have one) is never on. I do not have cable or anything else. Since I live in the mountains I get about 3 channels. So your assumption there was incorrect.

Second, notice that I usually post in large amounts on the weekends but much smaller amounts if at all during the week. The reason for this is I am using the computer at work. At home I do not have internet at all. During the week the only internet access I have is at my parents house in town. So once again you jumped the gun.

As for Cars and Banks, if Cars weren't invented, then police and criminals would still be on even footing so there is no problem there. However, before cars, police conducted patrols on foot, interacting with the civilians on a minute by minute basis. Since I work in a jail environment right now, I understand the benefits of being in person to person contact vs being called to a situation with people you have never met and who have no rapore with whatsoever.


Anyway, your entire post seems to be saying that I must be wrong in my opinion since I obviously am exactly who you think I am. First, an opinion can not be wrong, only disagreed with. Second, your assumptions about me struck me as very arrogant. But no matter. My simple overlaying point was simply that people need to put aside technology from time to time and realize that there is in fact a real world out there that has nothing to do with a stressful, fast paced life. And it is so nice.

[achilles12604]

1) Make people slightly less fertile so that each act of sexual intercourse would be less likely to result in offspring.
2) Make people less horny so that sex would seem less appealing.
3) Make sex like it is for domestic cats: Terribly painful including barbed penises.

I like #1 the best. It would mean you would have to have a lot more sex to have a child. Cool.

I like one the best too. I'll appoint you as my advisor to God ok? Then we can work out these sort of ideas.

[Cmass]

I do not have cable or anything else. Since I live in the mountains I get about 3 channels.

Too cool! A hillbilly just like me!
Even though I am a product design engineer dependent upon new technology research and my wife is an engineer at high-tech medical device manufacturer, we did not have any TV at all until a year ago. It was simply not a big deal. We live in a house I built (am still building) on 15 acres on the side of a mountain about 30 minutes from Seattle. It is taking a while for everything to get installed and the "entertainment" system has not been a big issue because I am so easily entertained otherwise. I am finishing up plans for a micro-hydro power system for the house utilizing the 3 streams on the property so we can live "off grid" as much as possible. So, that part of your description is cool.
However, I don't reject technology - especially DSL which enables me to do research at lightning fast speeds. It is also absolutely required for my business. But I recognize it is like most tools that humans use - it can be abused and it can really mess people up. However, one could also spend too much time pounding wood dowels into Amish furniture.

And how about those Amish? Perhaps you would be comfortable in such a culture? (I'm not being sarcastic) They certainly seem content and healthy while shunning most popular technology...so what the heck.

[achilles12604]

I do not have cable or anything else. Since I live in the mountains I get about 3 channels.

Too cool! A hillbilly just like me!
Even though I am a product design engineer dependent upon new technology research and my wife is an engineer at high-tech medical device manufacturer, we did not have any TV at all until a year ago. It was simply not a big deal. We live in a house I built (am still building) on 15 acres on the side of a mountain about 30 minutes from Seattle. It is taking a while for everything to get installed and the "entertainment" system has not been a big issue because I am so easily entertained otherwise. I am finishing up plans for a micro-hydro power system for the house utilizing the 3 streams on the property so we can live "off grid" as much as possible. So, that part of your description is cool.
However, I don't reject technology - especially DSL which enables me to do research at lightning fast speeds. It is also absolutely required for my business. But I recognize it is like most tools that humans use - it can be abused and it can really mess people up. However, one could also spend too much time pounding wood dowels into Amish furniture.

And how about those Amish? Perhaps you would be comfortable in such a culture? (I'm not being sarcastic) They certainly seem content and healthy while shunning most popular technology...so what the heck.

I fear I may have made my point to strongly. Or perhaps my point was a little muddled from the start. Let me try again. I do not hate all technology. I simply think that life was much better before people became trapped by such a fast paced life. Society has developed the idea that "More is always better." This leads people into lives of never ending fast paced work and little time with family or by themselves. They have become trapped by their investments and obligations. Now they are forced to keep pace or else they will be trampled by the people they stepped on to get ahead in life.

This is the mentality I am against. This mentality is fueled partly by advancing technology. So as far as technology advances these ideas, I do not like it.

I read books, and go to class and hear about the settlers in the west and those people carving out new lives in the Ohio wilderness. I think that everyone, if only for a time, should be exposed to this same thread.

For myself, I live in the Mountians of Colorado. I hike up my property every year and haul down about 4 cords of wood to heat the house. I know exactly what 6 feet of snow does to my roof. This kind of connection with nature is something which I value deeply and all men and women used to value a couple hundred years ago. It is a tradition which has been lost. And by losing it, our culture has lost something of value.

As for the Amish, actually, I admire their traditions. While I do feel that some of their ideals are a little extream (IE wearing all black because colors are evil), their view on technology is similar to mine.
They would rather work with their hands, then sit at a computer all day in a cubical working for a company which really doesn't care if you are there or not. I understand this line of thinking. Probably why I am a cop. I get to help people all day, and get paid for it. What fun. I am getting paid to try and save the world. What better job is there?

[Cmass]

I simply think that life was much better before people became trapped by such a fast paced life.

I think you need to be more specific about what aspects of life are better and/or worse given certain technological innovations.
I assume you would not trade any of the medical knowledge or technology of today for that of the 1800s - especially if your daughter was injured or became ill. But that technology is dependent upon all sorts of technologies that you would likely shun. Next time you take your kid to the doctor to for an ear infection do an inventory of everything you see that supports the effort. Absolutely everything from the vinyl on the hospital bed to the CRT in the monitor to the capacitors in the defibrillator to all the medicines and sterile bandages to the on-call radios the doctors wear. If you chose to remove only a few technologies that you did not feel comfortable with, the whole medical establishment would cease to exist as you know it.

I think it is useful (for everyone) to do a careful evaluation of just how dependent you are upon modern technology - even for a low-tech horse saddle. Your list of of modern technologies you couldn't live without would probably get longer and longer if you knew more about what you would be giving up if certain ones no longer existed. (I have done many technological interdependency exercises in the course of my work and am always surprised at just how far the rabbit hole goes..).

Like you and many, many other people I have struggled with how to make life less complicated. I have found some tranquility by building my house near a stream on the side of a mountain. (BTW: I too cut my own wood for winter heat. I go through 10 cords for a 4k sqft house that uses a huge blower from the wood stove to distribute the heat) but I also cheat: I have 2 sizes of chain saws and a 20 ton hydraulic wood splitter.)
But ultimately, I have arrived at the conclusion that I will have to follow Mother Teresa's advice and make my own internal world peaceful. Keeping out some of the noise and wandering the wilderness definitely helps but it is ultimately up to me to be at peace.....and to control the technology and not let the technology control me....(So give me the friggin' remote!)