The Pub Discussion Board

Teenage daughter is a pretty big range...

18 or 19 year old daughter... Congratulations, when's the wedding...  I've already got plans to turn your bedroom into a library.
16 to 17 year old daughter...  Who's the boy?  <picks up phone and calls the lawyer> then asks... When would you like the wedding dear?  As I walk out the door and head over to the boys house.
14 to 15 year old daughter... calls the cops and starts rape/statutory rape proceedings against the perv, especially if he's older then the daughter... if an adult, make sure he becomes a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.
13 or younger... make sure he goes to jail then rat him out to another prisoner, two or three so he gets shanked (if he's an adult).  If he's a minor (under age 16), prison, and a law suit against him and his family for child support.

I'd counsel against abortion and promote adoption as an option, but would love my daughter regardless of whatever decision she made on the subject.  If the wife was up for it, maybe even adopt the child ourselves as an option.

Of course this is all hypothetical.

Last edited by Barbarian3165 (2016-08-28 00:28:16)

Ok, so...

@Wicked:  My daughter, regardless of age, gets 100% support.  We all make mistakes and I would assist her in getting whatever she NEEDS, this includes, specifically, an education.  She MUST complete an HSD or GED.  As for the boy, I would listen to the story and then ask my daughter what she wants.  Taking that into account, I would then decide how well the boy is treated.

@Eric:  Telepathic Mind control with unlimited targets or distance.  L.O.S. NOT required to establish a connection. Given enough time and practice, there is almost no possibility of being overthrown when I take power and manipulate people's minds for the better.  With the way our brains are wired, I could habituate most behaviors for people and possibly even rewrite personalities to be more beneficial to a society.

My question:  An alien race makes contact, but decides to do so through contact with YOU.  What do you tell them about humanity and it's role (and success in that role) on this planet?

Barbarian:
Yes, I understand the difference between "legal" and "not prosecuted".  After looking it up, I see that in California (where I'm guessing you live), sex between ANY set of minors is illegal, and would be up to the parents/prosecutor to determine whether the case was tried.  However, in all of the other states that I have looked at, it is LEGAL (meaning not a violation of the letter of the law) for two sixteen-year-olds (or 15yo's or 14yo's) to have sex with each other.  The usual age gap is 3 years.  In some states, this even extends over the age of consent line.

As to the adults having sex with teenagers (not children: teenagers.  There is a physiological difference between a prepubescent child and a pubescent teenager), we will simply have to agree to disagree on the matter.  I personally don't see the difference between a 15yo girl having sex with a 25yo man, and her having sex with her 16yo classmate, so long as she is consenting to both actions.

Eric Storm

@barbarian:  You do realize that through telepathic mind control you would never get that opportunity, right?  I would know everyone's level of frustration and just know who can be trusted to be let go and when.  I know, I am a dick.  As for your question, The Wheel of Time world.  I would like to be a Wolfbrother.  I tend to connect deeply to the feral aspect on an emotional level.

@Fatherthyme:  Humans desire to live in a homeostasis (it can be a fluid one) with the nature and the natural order of the planet.  Think about the consequences of THAT one!

New question since I answered Fatherthyme:  You have a choice:  You can love and be loved by one person for all of your life with no one else EVER occupying your heart or your bed (this person is average as far as looks is concerned so no you can't pick the most attractive person out there) OR you can have a harem (any level of attractiveness of your partners) but you MUST share them with someone else and that person you will ALWAYS see as a threat to your love and happiness.  Which do you choose and why?

Next question: If you were falling from a plane with no chute, you know you are about to die, what would be the first thought that pops into your head?

(not really answering, just an homage to Douglas Adams)

"Oh no, not again"

Last edited by fathertyme (2016-08-28 16:47:36)

@barbarian: Yes, I do have to sleep sometime, and so do you.  Solution?  Force everyone to fall asleep when I am ready to sleep.  Since I tend to sleep 2 hours and be awake for 4 on a rotating schedule, I am likely to be able to prevent others from sleeping any shorter time than myself.  We sleep as a specie we rise as a specie... 

Harem or true love?  Harem.  I am cold enough to commit homicide of my rival.  As for the "Hot female rival" yeah, she's still a threat to your position as head of the Harem and she just might want to off you and take it for herself.

Falling: First thought is "Not Again"

You actually wouldn't find out if there was oblivion (not the video game world anyway).  If it is oblivion you wouldn't learn it since you would be obliterated.  COME ON MAN!  L2 LOGIC BRO!!! 

Based on that cold thing... Rich.  I can get by on SenDep, but Sensory Overload would drive me even crazier than I already am and THAT is damn near impossible.

I could, but then I risk someone trying to take that away from me.  With the path I have chosen, I reduce the chances of that happening by as much as possible without committing genocide.

Answering questions:

1. Which superhuman ability: (My own question.  Yes, I'm answering my own question.  So should everyone else.) "Life energy control", a la Nightingale from Justice Seven.  That is, the ability to heal, or destroy, with a mere touch.  I would remain in good health myself, be able to help others, and be sufficiently wealthy to be comfortable.  This would also wield its own kind of power, since I could refuse to heal those who displeased me.  (I said I was a healer, not a saint.)  The ability to remove life energy from people ensures my freedom (as much as can be hoped for) from those who would try to hold me captive... they'd never be able to trust that they would live through my services.

2. Contacted by an alien race:  Mankind's role on this planet in what context?  Based purely on a natural order of things, mankind is the world's top predator.  In that role, we are insanely successful.  If you try to make it more about our "stewardship" of the planet, then that might as well be a metaphysical argument.  I think, honestly, that any alien species capable of REACHING Earth, isn't going to need any one of us to tell them squat about the human race.  We've been broadcasting our lives to them for decades.

3. Which fictional world:  Why can't I use one I created?  That's why I created them, dammit!    If I have to choose one, I pick post-Voldemort Harry Potter universe.  (I don't really want to fight a war, I just want to play with magic!  )

4. What simple thing would you change about the world: I would make it so that people were guided more by their intellect than their emotions.  (Not saying to get rid of emotions, just make it so that they don't act on knee-jerk emotional responses, but instead reason their actions out before taking them.)

5. Love with one or "compete" with many:  I hate personal drama, so obviously, I'm going to prefer to be loved by just one person for all time.  If I was 100% secure in that loving relationship, then most other things would be fairly easy to conquer in the relationship, including the "boredom", which is really the only thing having a harem solves.

6. Falling from a plane:  It is entirely possible that my first thought, right after, "Oh, shit", would be "So, it's going to be one of THOSE days.  At least it'll be short..."  Yeah, I'm likely to be a smartass even while I'm dying.    After that, I might start reciting to myself the scene from the radio play The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy involving the falling whale.  "It needs a big, wide-sounding word like ow... ound... round... ground... GROUND!  That's it!  GROUND!  I wonder if it'll be friends with me..."

7. Rich w/ no feeling or poor w/ feeling:  Well, since having no physical sensation whatsoever would be a life-threatening situation (Hey, your hand is sitting on the hot burner!), would remove your ability to easily move about (Physical sensation is extremely important to interacting with objects), and would therefore take an awful lot of fun out of being rich, I think I'd prefer poor under these circumstances.  On the whole, I'd really rather be the richest guy in the world with the ability to feel everything... 

My new question:
You're stuck in some isolated location (a deserted island, a spaceship on a long voyage, a space colony off somewhere).  Your survival is not in jeopardy, even if it's just you.  Your situation will not change for at least ten years, and you will have no communication with anyone outside of your location.  How many people do you want with you, and why?

My own answer: About a dozen people of varied personalities and backgrounds.  I figure in a group that size, I will find at least one person who likes me enough to become a "best friend" for the duration.  The group is not so large that getting away from them would be difficult (something I would need to do daily), and is big enough that my absence wouldn't force people to come looking for me just to have someone to talk to.  Also, there should be enough varied life experiences and differing points of view to allow us to have interesting discussions and activities, without having so many people as to drive me around the bend listening to them all.

Eric Storm

I want you all to know, I have purposely been avoiding this.

1) What would you do if your teenage daughter (even if you dont have one) came home pregnant?

I would hope I would love and support her, no matter what her age or circumstance. I won't say whether I would encourage her to keep it, put it up for adoption or have an abortion, that would be decided based on conversations between myself, my wife and our daughter. The decision would be made based on how old the daughter is at the time, how emotionally and mentally mature the daughter is and what it is she wants. Does she want to go to college? Does she want to marry the boy? And so forth. I guess this is my way of saying "I can't really give you a good answer because there are too many variables in this."

2) If you could have just one superhuman ability, what would it be, and why?

This one is easier for me to answer. I'd like to be able to turn invisible on command. Why? Read my stories. I'm a pervert.

3) An alien race makes contact, but decides to do so through contact with YOU.  What do you tell them about humanity and it's role (and success in that role) on this planet?

I agree with Eric on this one that any alien race that can get to Earth will be so far more advanced than we are right now, that they wouldn't need anyone's help, whether they wanted to be friends or not. If it did happen though, I would tell them to go home and come back in a thousand years. By then, mankind will either have grown up or will have destroyed itself. Either way, the planet will be much more welcoming to the aliens then than it is now.

4) If you could live out your life in any fictional world other then one you've created, what would it be and is it a Sci Fi, Fantasy, Modern or some other setting?

Star Trek, absolutely.

5) If you had the ability to change ONE simple thing in the world, no restrictions, what would you change?

I would improve the education systems all over the world and make sure every child gets a good, solid classical education where they are taught HOW to think, and not WHAT to think. Twenty-five years later, once these kids began moving into the world, you would begin to see a lot of things change, mostly for the better.

6)  You can love and be loved by one person for all of your life with no one else EVER occupying your heart or your bed (this person is average as far as looks is concerned so no you can't pick the most attractive person out there) OR you can have a harem (any level of attractiveness of your partners) but you MUST share them with someone else and that person you will ALWAYS see as a threat to your love and happiness.  Which do you choose and why?

This is so easy for me. I've been happily married for almost twenty years now to the same woman. I'll take the one person. Why? Because the very idea of living with five, ten, fifteen or twenty woman... scares the shit outta me!!!!!! 

7)  If you were falling from a plane with no chute, you know you are about to die, what would be the first thought that pops into your head?

I quote "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! OUCH!"

8) Would you rather be rich without the ability to feel anything physically (no sexual feeling included), or would you rather be the poorest on the planet and feel everything?

I'd rather be poor. I like being able to feel.

9) You're stuck in some isolated location (a deserted island, a spaceship on a long voyage, a space colony off somewhere).  Your survival is not in jeopardy, even if it's just you.  Your situation will not change for at least ten years, and you will have no communication with anyone outside of your location.  How many people do you want with you, and why?

This is an odd question. It says my survival is not in jeopardy, so I have to assume there is more than enough food for however many people might be there with me whether I say it'd just be two of us or two hundred of us and that there are no external threats; wild animals, pirates etc... To that end, I think I'd go with about twenty people, slightly more women than men.

And I get to ask question number 10.

10) You have been given the opportunity to have your version of a perfect body and a perfect life. Your body, and your personality, will be exactly how you idealize it and your life will change however much, or little, you desire. So you can change spouses, jobs, careers. The one drawback is you can not change the rest of the world only your small little corner of it. But there's a cost. To get this idealized version of yourself, you must sacrifice a body part. Organs do not count. We're talking eyes, ears, nose, tongue, arms and legs here. Which body part would you sacrifice and why?

To answer my own question, my left leg. The idea of not being able to see or hear scares the bejeebers out of me so I'm not going to pick to lose my eyes or ear. I enjoy cooking and the taste of food way too much to give up my nose (sense of smell) or tongue (sense of taste). My arms and hands are too useful to give them up so that only leaves my legs. I would want to keep my more dominant leg, since I'm right handed, I assume, I'm also right-footed. So, my left leg. Plus, with modern prosthesis, I doubt not having the leg would slow me down very much. 

There, all caught up.

5) (my own question) I think I'd want everyone to understand each other. No confusion, no dishonesty... just pure understanding. I'd like to think that would solve lots of problems

6) One true love... hands down. You don't need a harem if you have true love  *as you wish*

7) honestly, I think I'd be too scared to really think much besides "aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh" *thud*

8) I really read this question differently, because I see both choices are horror shows.. to feel nothing (I assume emotions) no empathy, no cares, nothing... *shudders* but then again to feel "EVERYTHING" that's almost worse. Imagine feeling all the emotions that everyone around you is feeling... talk about a total shit show...  now assuming that it wasn't meant to be that broad. I'd choose poor.. it's close enough to how I am anyways, and really, money aint my god

9) This is an interesting question. there is a point where strife would be caused by the number of people. and like Eric, I tend to wander off by myself for alone time every now and then. That being said, I'd attempt to gather a group of like-minded people, do some psych evals and get people that would work well together, and then keep it at about a dozen or so, with various talents, hobbies. Just enough to keep things interesting for the trip/time

10) I would probably go with sense of smell. Sure, I like some smells, but my sniffer is pretty damned good, and I'm around way to many smells that just make me want to hurl. seriously... brush your teeth, use deodorant, and take a freakin shower. (covering up body odor with massive amounts of cologne or perfume makes things worse, not better) And this doesn't even get close to feces, rotting food, or other rancid smells  // as an aside, how would it be perfect if you had to give up something that would help make it perfect....//

11) This is a complex question because it does not give any guidelines on how much of a combination we are talking about. If its minimal, maximum, or total freak show.  Each has a different answer. minimal... lets go with something like a lynx. catlike reflexes, ability to see in low light, and stealth like abilities. If we are talking total, then I'd probably go with something like a bear. Big, solitary, and able to take care of itself in most situations. total freak show, I'd probably go with a predatory cat. Something with obvious defenses, and good speed.

12) If you could go back and change ONE thing in your life (no specifics please, generalizations) what would it be?

12A) I think I would go back and take my educational opportunities a lot more seriously. I enjoyed the parties, and I enjoyed the things I've done, but I think I could have done so much more if I'd made more of an effort back then

Ooh, this looks fun! I'm just gonna go ahead and revive this five-year-old thread now.

What would you do if your teenage daughter (even if you dont have one) came home pregnant?

Have a conversation?

I would want to know the circumstances of the pregnancy, whether it was consensual, etc. before deciding how to react. I would probably advise against keeping the baby, but wouldn't push too hard unless we're talking about 13 or 14-year-old where giving birth can have higher risk factors. Ultimately, I don't think it would be my place to decide what happened to it. One way or another, she's going to be left with the repercussions of what happens for the rest of her life. It should at least be her choice.

If you could have just one superhuman ability, what would it be, and why?

Time control. Some days I'd say mind control, but I'm fairly certain that I could get a lot of people to do what I wanted at least half the time if there was no fear of repercussions for the other half. A simple rewind button to allow me to undo my mistakes would be a godsend. Not to mention that I wouldn't have to worry about any sort of work-life balance. I could educate myself, binge every show in existence, and still have time for friends and family. I would also never have to worry about growing old or losing the people that I care about. I could even go back to visit the people I already lost.

An alien race makes contact, but decides to do so through contact with YOU.  What do you tell them about humanity and it's role (and success in that role) on this planet?

Umm... That's tricky. On one hand, I hate lying. On the other hand, if I tell them my actual opinion, I would get humanity exterminated.

If I'm being completely honest, I'd probably use my go-to move when I don't want to have an uncomfortable conversation and just completely ghost the aliens. Alternatively, I might just tell them that I don't believe humanity is ready for alien contact at this point, and that we may be best observed at a distance.

If you could live out your life in any fictional world other then one you've created, what would it be and is it a Sci Fi, Fantasy, Modern or some other setting?

Star Trek seems nice. Advanced technology, basically utopian society. Yeah, I'm here for that. Actually, scratch that. The Orville. It's like Star Trek, but more fun.

I love fantasy stories, but would absolutely hate to live in any fantasy world.

If you had the ability to change ONE simple thing in the world, no restrictions, what would you change?

I'd want brains to be able to provide perfect recall for any moment in our lives.

You have a choice:  You can love and be loved by one person for all of your life with no one else EVER occupying your heart or your bed (this person is average as far as looks is concerned so no you can't pick the most attractive person out there) OR you can have a harem (any level of attractiveness of your partners) but you MUST share them with someone else and that person you will ALWAYS see as a threat to your love and happiness.  Which do you choose and why?

I assume we're talking purely about romantic love, and that choosing option 1 wouldn't prevent people from feeling companionate love towards you or vice versa. If that's the case, option 1, easily. If it's not the case, still option 1, but that's kind of sad.

If you were falling from a plane with no chute, you know you are about to die, what would be the first thought that pops into your head?

How the fuck did I get here?!

Would you rather be rich without the ability to feel anything physically (no sexual feeling included), or would you rather be the poorest on the planet and feel everything?

The poorest person on the planet is starving to death in a third world country right now, so definitely rich and unfeeling.

You're stuck in some isolated location (a deserted island, a spaceship on a long voyage, a space colony off somewhere).  Your survival is not in jeopardy, even if it's just you.  Your situation will not change for at least ten years, and you will have no communication with anyone outside of your location.  How many people do you want with you, and why?

I'm generally antisocial and am not good at interacting with strangers in real life. However, if I'm stuck in a situation with no internet and presumably little to no entertainment, I'd probably say about a dozen to keep things interesting. Otherwise, the isolation would be maddening. (I'm assuming that since only numbers are mentioned, I don't get to choose the people themselves.)

You have been given the opportunity to have your version of a perfect body and a perfect life. Your body, and your personality, will be exactly how you idealize it and your life will change however much, or little, you desire. So you can change spouses, jobs, careers. The one drawback is you can not change the rest of the world only your small little corner of it. But there's a cost. To get this idealized version of yourself, you must sacrifice a body part. Organs do not count. We're talking eyes, ears, nose, tongue, arms and legs here. Which body part would you sacrifice and why?

Nose... Because there are ways to rebuild it, and from what I understand, losing it would not actually cause you to lose your sense of smell.

What would you do if, to survive your body had to be combined with animals, you could choose the animal, but you wouldn't survive if you didn't do it. What animal would you choose and why?

Can I get wings? I want wings! Then again, my body would still be too big to actually fly.

I'd love to have a tail like a monkey though! Is saying monkey cheating? Don't care, I'm going with it. Monkey!

If you could go back and change ONE thing in your life (no specifics please, generalizations) what would it be?

I would have tried harder to form bonds during my childhood and adolescence.

If I could be real for a moment, I was always isolated, and much of that was self-isolation. All of this led to the point where I'm at now, having very few real-life social connections. I would like to make myself believe that I grew up as a kid who was ignored by their peers. I would love to blame my parents for pulling me out of public school for a number of years as a child to be homeschooled. I would love so much to lie to myself, and pretend like I didn't reject friendship when it was offered. Pretend that the reason I was pulled from school wasn't at least in part because I already wasn't forming those connections. That the few friends I did have during childhood didn't have to push down walls that I had built up for reasons that I don't fully understand, and that I didn't abandon even those relationships when I could have tried to keep in touch. It would be so fucking easy to lie to myself, and pass on the blame for my decisions to others. Everyone else seems to do it.

But like I said before, I hate lying.

Wow, getting to know yourself as a character is fun!

If you could be any race ever imagined(meaning real life and fictional). What would it be?

Why stop at demi-god? I'd go a step further and just be a straight-up god.

QUESTION: The apocalypse has happened. You're the last man/woman alive. There is also a person of the opposite biological sex who has survived. Now you're going to have to repopulate the world if you can manage to seduce him/her. This person has to be a human from a fictional universe, they have full autonomy, and they're going to be the only person you can interact with for the rest of your life besides your descendants. Who would you want them to be?

Maybe I'm tweaking "the rules," but I don't generally condone rules. Sue me.


(1) What would you do if your teenage daughter (even if you don't have one) came home pregnant?

I had a great relationship with my daughters. I would already know "who"-- if it were consensual, if it wasn't... Well... lets just say I know where there would be some well fed alligators-- and the circumstances.

I taught them what mom taught me, so I'd be terribly surprised if it were accidental. So I'd know "who" "what" and "why." "Where" doesn't matter to me. We take care of family, that means my daughter, grandchild, and hopefully her guy.

Everybody pitches in to help, everybody gets love, help, and support. Children are a blessing. Grandchildren are even better 'cause you can load 'em with sugar and send 'em home.

(2) If you could have just one superhuman ability, what would it be, and why?

The ability to "slap the stupid out of people." Oh, and sodium cooled Kevlar hands.

(3) An alien race makes contact, but decides to do so through contact with YOU.  What do you tell them about humanity and it's role (and success in that role) on this planet?

I don't know what I could tell them about humanity, but the fact that they would choose me as their liaison, teacher, or guide tells me volumes about them. The first thing it tells me is that nothing i do with them will matter. If they put so little effort into choosing someone to have chosen me all is lost.

(4) If you could live out your life in any fictional world other then one you've created, what would it be and is it a Sci Fi, Fantasy, Modern or some other setting?

"To boldly go... would be nice, maybe I could even bunk with Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Nyota Uhura) and Barbara Ann Luna (Lt. Marlena Moreau). "Orgy in the Cap'ns Quarters!"

(5) If you had the ability to change ONE simple thing in the world, no restrictions, what would you change?

I'd want people to have a rewind button like a TiVO machine. So they can go back a minute or two and look at what they just did a couple of times and then take a Mulligan.

(6a) You have a choice:  You can love and be loved by one person for all of your life with no one else EVER occupying your heart or your bed (this person is average as far as looks is concerned so no you can't pick the most attractive person out there)...

Pass...

(6b) OR you can have a harem (any level of attractiveness of your partners) but you MUST share them with everyone else...

Already did that... But what's this jealousy, it's an unfamiliar term...

(7) If you were falling from a plane with no chute, you know you are about to die, what would be the first thought that pops into your head?

"I hope this food cart was made in Yugoslavia."

("Vesna Vulović (1950 – 2016) was a Serbian flight attendant who holds the Guinness world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 m (33,330 ft; 6.31 mi). She was the sole survivor after a briefcase bomb exploded in the baggage compartment of JAT Flight 367 on 26 January 1972... Air safety investigators attributed Vulović's survival to her being trapped inside a food cart in the DC-9's fuselage as it broke away from the rest of the aircraft and plummeted towards the ground. -- Wikipedia)

(8) Would you rather be rich without the ability to feel anything physically (no sexual feeling included), or would you rather be the poorest on the planet and feel everything?

The first, and be protected by the Secret Service and have my own chef, and have the Marine Band play 'Hail to the Chief' whenever I enter a room. And my answer would have been the same two years ago, 'taint a nickles bit of difference 'tween all 546 o' 'em.

(9) You're stuck in some isolated location (a deserted island, a spaceship on a long voyage, a space colony off somewhere).  Your survival is not in jeopardy, even if it's just you.  Your situation will not change for at least ten years, and you will have no communication with anyone outside of your location.  How many people do you want with you, and why?

Every one of the people I worked with right before the COVID breakout. (Along with Roy Hinkley, "The Professor from Gilligan's Island). And don't send a boat for us in ten years.

(10) You have been given the opportunity to have your version of a perfect body and a perfect life. Your body, and your personality, will be exactly how you idealize it and your life will change however much, or little, you desire. So you can change spouses, jobs, careers. The one drawback is you can not change the rest of the world only your small little corner of it. But there's a cost. To get this idealized version of yourself, you must sacrifice a body part. Organs do not count. We're talking eyes, ears, nose, tongue, arms and legs here. Which body part would you sacrifice and why?

Nose, the sense of smell is a decidedly double edged sword.

(11) What would you do if, to survive your body had to be combined with animals, you could choose the animal, but you wouldn't survive if you didn't do it. What animal would you choose and why?

Pterodactyl... Oh come on, who wouldn't want to be a Pterodactyl, that's way cool.

(12) If you could go back and change ONE thing in your life (no specifics please, generalizations) what would it be?

I wouldn't have tried-- not just as hard, I mean at all-- to be close those who can't reciprocate.


(13) If you could be any race ever imagined (meaning real life and fictional). What would it be?

A shape shifter like Odo in Star Trek DS9. Ah, "The Great Link," lube not required.

(14) The apocalypse has happened. You're the last man/woman alive. There is also a person of the opposite biological sex who has survived. Now you're going to have to repopulate the world if you can manage to seduce him/her. This person has to be a human from a fictional universe, they have full autonomy, and they're going to be the only person you can interact with for the rest of your life besides your descendants. Who would you want them to be?

Jesus, because I'm too old to have any more children and the two of us will have to have a very long talk. I believe that I am far better than most-- although this is a common human delusion-- I KNOW that I am far better than many AND I KNOW many many who are far better than me.

The idea that I alone would survive the end of days would be completely inexplicable, beyond the individual loss and pain it would shake my core beliefs to the point that I would be TOTALLY AMBIVALENT about the continued survival of myself or humanity.