A Choice of Light and Dark

[Sylentmana 271]

I present to you a hypothetical choice simply for the fun of it.

 

You are minding your own business one day at home. Suddenly, there appears before you, two beings of dressed in robes and wearing featurless masks. One is dressed in all white surrounded by a golden halo of bright light and the other is in all black surrounded by a shifting pulsating pitch black shadow.

 

They give you a moment to stop soiling yourself and regain your composure. The being in white is the first to speak in a voice that sounds like both a man and woman speaking at the same time with the jingling of small bells.

 

He/She says that they are the Avatar of Life. He/She can grant you extraordinary magical healing abilities. With just a touch you can heal any wound no matter how grievous and even bring someone back from the brink of death but not death itself. You can cure any disease from cancer all the way down to seasonal allergies. However, this power comes at a price. Your healing powers will never work on yourself and you will have to give up your eyes. Not just your sight, but your eyes themselves will be taken from you and it will hurt.  You are given a moment to consider the pros and cons of this arrangement.

 

Next, the being in black speaks to you in a gender neutral voice that has a hollowness and chill to it. He/She says they are the Avatar of Death. He/She can grant you extraordinary powers of death and destruction. With a wave of your hands you can send out a miasma of death that will kill any living thing caught within, be they plant, animal, or person. With a word you can tear open the sky and rain fire and brimstone down on entire cites. With this power you could protect everyone you love from the evil of others or even rule the world for good or evil. Lastly, the touch of death will never reach you until the end of time itself. The price, however, is that you will still continue to age until you are little more than a walking corpse held together by failing sinew and magic. You will also still feel pain. Also, any living thing that you touch will whither and die before you even if the touch came through clothing. The ground beneith your feet would die, never again to support life. You again take a moment to consider the possibilities and restrictions of this proposal.

 

You have a third choice. You can refuse both offers and suffer no consequences. The being will leave you to your life, but another random person in the world will be given the same offers you were given.

 

What do you choose? Why did you make that choice? What will you do with your powers if you accepted one of the deals?

Edited August 22, 2013 by Sylentmana

[repsol rave 2,963]

i would definately go for the power of healing and life. losing my eyes is a small price to pay if you can heal things like cancer, aids, and malaria.

also, my eyes arn't good anyway, i'm partially blind in my left eye so going completely blind would be a change, and a big change, but not so big that i couldn't handle it.

oh, and it would be pretty awesome to be like a miracle

[Pinkamena Dianne Pie 465]

I would choose darkness. It would allow me to be immortal and be able to bring the world to a peaceful start, decimating all those who would bring war. I would bring plague to those who would rebel. And keep happiness to those who live good lives.

[Darkshift 85]

How can you heal people if you can't see them that just seems like way too much hassle.But the ability to intimidate the world by showing your power could prove useful,if Britain and USA never fought the Nazi's would they be in power today?Ao use your evil powers for good.The fact that you can live longer is a bonus.

[MelancholicMemory 2,022]

Well if this were to happen I'd get really mad. Here's why.

 

 

 

He/She says that they are the Avatar of Life. He/She can grant you extraordinary magical healing abilities. With just a touch you can heal any wound no matter how grievous and even bring someone back from the brink of death but not death itself. You can cure any disease from cancer all the way down to seasonal allergies

My first reaction was "Yay! Then I could fix my eyes!" And then this happened.

 

 

However, this power comes at a price. Your healing powers will never work on yourself and you will have to give up your eyes. Not just your sight, but your eyes themselves will be taken from you and it will hurt.

 

I don't really have a good use for infinite killing power, so I'd have to refuse both.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Mellon Collie

[Thuja 3,658]

Death gives us the possibility to new life and growth.  We already have so many people on the planet already, ever increasing by the day I might add, it would simply suffocate resources and the like.  With that being said, I'd probably pick the Avatar of Death.  

[Klick-Klack 299]

I'd choose death, then use my powers to eliminate all viruses, bacteria, and other harmful things. Depending on scale, I could even use the power to demolish the broken dna in a cancerous cell.

[Celtore 2,769]

I would instantly refuse the being in black's offer. Being given that sort of power could be... Dangerous... Let's just say I would have to give up driving for the safety of the planet. Also, while I would love to be immortal, I don't think I would want to live to experience my body falling apart.

 

The avatar of light's offer is a lot more interesting... Would I be willing to give up my eyes and have them physically removed from my face to gain healing powers?... A moment of unbelievable pain and being forever blind, but being able to stop much suffering for others throughout the rest of my life. You know what, I'm going to take the offer as long as I can keep my hearing.

 

I value my hearing much more and I would be willing to adapt my life to gain such powers.

[Keezuw 107]

Probably neither!

 

Like, I really realllyy am more interested in the darker things in life.. but I don't want to kill anyone or anything. D':  And as much as I would want to help cure everything, I like my eyes. ;>__>  And am very visual. I'd cry all the time if they take away my eyes. Wait, can you cry being eyeless? o_e

 

Anyways! 

Honestly, if I ever see these beings suddenly and randomly appear before me irl, I'd scream and run. Or die. 

Edited August 22, 2013 by Keezuw

[Radost 76]

I like the element of darkness. I also like the element of light. If you were a healer no one would fuck with you, who fucks with their white mage, dead people do. i kill people, but highly respect those who choice the path of healing and light.

[GreyScholar 1,584]

To be able to heal all wounds and sicknesses would be a great power indeed, but being blind would leave you open for others to take advantage of.

[Darrala 269]

Boy do i love these hypothetical situations where you're basically completely fucked no matter how you choose, you just get to choose how miserable and depressing the rest of your life will be. Get your eyes brutally ripped out and be blind for the rest of your life? I'd commit suicide after a week. Be forever trapped in a body that's slowly rotting away, being in constant pain until you're just begging for something to kill you? I'd probably just refuse their offers and wait until some psychopath meets them, accepts Death's offer and brings the apocalypse upon us.

Edited August 22, 2013 by ThatFinnMetalhead

[Toastie 109]

Well the 1st 2 seem pretty horrible in the long term. The light one I would probably commit suicide without site and with the conscious that it was my choice. Would go with neither any day of the week.

[Sylentmana 271]

I would choose darkness. It would allow me to be immortal and be able to bring the world to a peaceful start, decimating all those who would bring war. I would bring plague to those who would rebel. And keep happiness to those who live good lives.

Ah, but as the saying goes, "absolute power corrupts absolutely". Are you certain that you would be able to maintain good intentions with such power? Do you believe this power grants you the right dictate the lives of others? Also, you may gain immortality, but as your body begins to deteriorate you would feel the pain of it. By the time you're ancient, you would be in constant pain. The only way you could cope is through sheer willpower. You would also look ghastly. The Emperor from Star Wars would have nothing on you.

 

How can you heal people if you can't see them that just seems like way too much hassle.But the ability to intimidate the world by showing your power could prove useful,if Britain and USA never fought the Nazi's would they be in power today?Ao use your evil powers for good.The fact that you can live longer is a bonus.

How can the blind interact with others? You would still have your other senses and you only need to touch the other person.

 

Death gives us the possibility to new life and growth.  We already have so many people on the planet already, ever increasing by the day I might add, it would simply suffocate resources and the like.  With that being said, I'd probably pick the Avatar of Death.  

I said before that your touch kills everything even through clothing. Everywhere you walk the ground dies beneith you never to support life again.

 

I'd choose death, then use my powers to eliminate all viruses, bacteria, and other harmful things. Depending on scale, I could even use the power to demolish the broken dna in a cancerous cell.

It's an all or nothing type deal. You can't kill a single part of a person. If you allow your power to touch another in even the smallest way, they die.

[LunaUmbra 108]

After considering each option, I would have to take up Death on his offer. I would have the ability to forever manipulate the flow of world events. I could bring disaster upon those who threaten the balance I created, and ensure prosperity to those who enforce it.

 

I couldn't take up Life's offer, because being a blind healer, while of great use to others, can only do so much good before I pass on. If I refused both offers, it's possible someone with more diabolical intentions may use those powers selfishly and harm innocent people.

 

So yeah, Death wins (again T-T).

[Sylentmana 271]

After considering each option, I would have to take up Death on his offer. I would have the ability to forever manipulate the flow of world events. I could bring disaster upon those who threaten the balance I created, and ensure prosperity to those who enforce it.

 

I couldn't take up Life's offer, because being a blind healer, while of great use to others, can only do so much good before I pass on. If I refused both offers, it's possible someone with more diabolical intentions may use those powers selfishly and harm innocent people.

 

So yeah, Death wins (again T-T).

Are you certain that you wouldn't become the diabolical person you were trying to prevent from recieving this power? Perhaps after centuries of enduring loss of loved ones and the constant pain would cause you to shift to darker thought patterns.

[Thuja 3,658]

I said before that your touch kills everything even through clothing. Everywhere you walk the ground dies beneath you never to support life again.

 

I didn't see that in your description.  The touch of death even through clothing yes.  The other thing, no.  It neglects to mention that bit about nothing being able to grow again.

[GhostPony750 958]

Neither.

I'd rather continue my life and die normally lol.

 

It must be terrible to be immortal, you will end up being a piece of flesh on the ground, you can't move.

And healing everyone doesn't interest me, I will be flooded by people who want to be healed.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,621]

Give me the power of darkness!

 

While light has great properties like healing, darkness is something I live for and embrace.

 

Add the fact that I can use them for good makes me feel one of the best dark users around.

[Sylentmana 271]

I didn't see that in your description.  The touch of death even through clothing yes.  The other thing, no.  It neglects to mention that bit about nothing being able to grow again.

Whoops! My bad!   I thought I had put that there, but I must have forgotten. It's fixed now. I apologize for that. Sometimes my brain works faster than my hands.

[Adash 193]

I would choose the power of life.  Losing is a small price to pay for being able to help others more than I could now.  as long as I could make a difference, it'll be okay.

[I used to be a stranger 7,988]

Can't I choose both?

 

It is a highest virtue to bring healing, but all created things have a proper time at which they end.

I do not believe such an axiom is possible, nor that a dichotomy which was presented by the OP is possible for a human to adjudicate.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Blue

[LunaUmbra 108]

Are you certain that you wouldn't become the diabolical person you were trying to prevent from recieving this power? Perhaps after centuries of enduring loss of loved ones and the constant pain would cause you to shift to darker thought patterns.

Perhaps. No one is incorruptible. I like to think I would be able to control myself, but more than likely I would eventually go insane with loneliness and cause a massive disaster to destroy a great deal of society, forcing people to start over from scratch.

Edited August 22, 2013 by UmbraScriptor

[Vertigo_95 572]

Although it would be cool to cure anybody with the light power and to wreak havoc to those who did wrong with the dark power, I would have to choose neither. 

[Smarts 1,620]

I choose the power of destruction and death. I would bring humanity to an end. Humans are evil monsters who must face judgement. This could give me the opportune time to end the lives of all those I've hated and who wronged me, and that's quite a lot of people now. The price I have to pay is definitely worth it.