An experiment in self discovery.

[Whiffet]

I really don't think that THAC0 and Whiffet's answers are wrong. Those are great answers! They already have everything they want and now just want to savor it. Some of us though just aren't done running the race. We've got other goals that either aren't met yet, or can't be met by normal methods.

For instance, while I'm not a stupid man, I know that I will never be a rocket scientist. Even if I started applying myself to that field of study right now, I seriously doubt something like that is in my scope of capabilities. However, if rocket science was my passion, would I sacrifice 10 years off the end of my life to have all the skills necessary to be legendary at it? Most likely, yes. And I love my life. My wife and son are great, and I can't really complain about my job. We're not fabulously wealthy, but that's not how I measure success. If I had to boil it down to an opinion, I'd say I'm living a very good life, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't trade in 10 years for just a little more. But that's me... I live fast, and I don't regret a bit of it because that lifestyle has rewarded me with a variety of experiences that I would never have had by living more cautiously. So, what's 10 years off the end, if it means the life that I have left is that much richer?

It's like my great-grandma always said, "Eat the dessert first; that way you definitely have room for it."

Eh? Oh, no, I certainly don't have everything I want out of life. I still have most of my life ahead of me, unless a freak occurrence cuts my time short. I'm young; I haven't found a person with whom I could start that family I want. I'm still in college, for crying out loud! I still have a couple years, too! I might even change my mind again about what to do (although doing that at this point would mean extra time in school). Maybe I would have a different opinion if I was older, but the truly old people I know actually grew more receptive towards age when they got there.

I think what's going on here comes from different ideas of what's important. I feel like the most important things I could ever do in life are on the small scale. I could go and, with a bit of right-time/place/people luck, become an influential politician or an important rocket scientist, but that doesn't seem important, really. Why would I want that? I could be taking a kid on a walk through the park and teaching him/her about how nice it is to slow down and appreciate your surroundings. Those little moments with people feel much more important than big accomplishments, and they all come together to have their own positive impact on the world. And I'll still be able to have those moments when I'm old. The most valuable thing I could want is more time to do all those things.

I usually eat the most disgusting vegetables first because the aftertaste is overwhelmed by the tastes of better foods. Plus if I eat dessert when I'm hungriest, I devour it so quickly that I don't really taste it anyway.

[Crow]

It's like my great-grandma always said, "Eat the dessert first; that way you definitely have room for it."

I liked this.

[Knaight]

I'd take the deal in a heartbeat, though exactly how much of it and for what is up for question. Skills in polymer chemistry is a given, if I'm good enough that I can become famous then I'm good enough to get in the field, and that is what I want to spend my life doing. Ten years is nothing compared to, say, breaking the hold of oil on plastics and developing plastics as a renewable resource made from biomass. I'd also probably grab linguistic skill, because I'd personally love to be able to learn a language incredibly quickly and to be fluent in numerous languages. I'd imagine that cutting much more time off would impede my ability to actually get something done with these abilities, so I don't want that. I'd also prefer to completely avoid the fame.

[Solaris]

I liked this.

I've a similar sentiment, though it has more to do with mortars and QRF than anything else.

[THAC0]

I really don't think that THAC0 and Whiffet's answers are wrong. Those are great answers! They already have everything they want and now just want to savor it. Some of us though just aren't done running the race. We've got other goals that either aren't met yet, or can't be met by normal methods.

Hardly. I have plenty more things I want, more goals to make. But all of the goals I've met so far and my life, the journey to the goal is just as important and meaningful as achieving it. Cutting that out removes much of the meaning.

[Moofaa]

Given my life as it is right now, I would probably take the deal.

As it is, the things I like to do now I probably won't be able to do at the age of 65, let alone 75. And there is nothing I am currently good enough at to consider myself 'outstanding' in.

I don't have kids or a wife. My parents will surely be long gone by that time and my sisters whom I have little contact with now will probably be gone or nearly so since they are both older than me.

Ten years is basically nothing as is the entire span of an average lifetime. Even the very amount of time humanity has existed isn't even an eyeblink.

As it is right now, there is pretty much nothing I could possibly do that will cause me to be remembered for 10 years, let alone 10,000 or 10 million years after I die and surely nothing that will have a significant impact attributed directly to my existence.

Such a deal could possibly change that, depending on how extreme of a power you are given.

[Solaris]

I'm not so sure I wouldn't mind being remembered as that b****** who kicked off thermonuclear war. I think I'm petty enough to get revenge that way.

[dehro]

I've a similar sentiment, though it has more to do with mortars and QRF than anything else.

you eat mortars?

[Karoht]

Let's say a superior (not supreme, I don't want to deal with religion issues) being comes to you and says that you will live to the age of 75, and drop dead at 11:59 pm on your 75th birthday. However, he's willing to make a deal with you. For 10 years off the end of your life, he will grant you the talent to be good enough at something to be famous for it.

What abilities, if any, do you take?

Inventor specialized in sustainable energy infrastucture.
Build fully sustainable systems, advocating the scientific method applied to social concerns, and effectively SAVE THE WORLD from humanity.
All that for dying at 65 instead of 75? I'm game.

[Solaris]

you eat mortars?

No, but they tend to show up around mealtimes anyways.

[inexorabletruth]

Given my life as it is right now, I would probably take the deal. (snip, snip, snip) Such a deal could possibly change that, depending on how extreme of a power you are given.

But what abilities would you take?