The fate of humanity is in your hands, what do you do?

[Disposable Hero]

Due to Act of Plot you have been granted nigh-omnipotence with the fate of Earth and/or humanity placed in your capable hands (or whatever it is posthuman weakly godlike entities have). Assume that while your personality and memories remain the same (so that you are still 'you') your intelligence and understanding have also increased to suitably godlike levels.

Whatever you do next is up to you, your Ascension is secret so nobody else knows about it, you can go on living your normal life completely ignoring your abilities and letting things continue as they are now or you have complete control over local reality (local being out to few thousand light-years radius from Earth).

What do you do? Would you be malign or benign? Announce your prescence or keep it quiet? Act subtly or bring in massive changes? Listen to peoples wishes and desires or impose your own will?

Assuming this thread doesn't sink like a depth-charged submarine I'd be interested in reading others replies before adding what I'd do myself.

[Oakminster]

I'll clap.

[Foggy]

Based on the OP, I would not go public and would act subtly for the most part. Also I'd be more or less benign.

What I do would depend on my new understanding of reality. If all I have is my current understanding, but with godlike power, well we are doomed.

[Trinopus]

Ouch... I'd first have to do some work on myself... Get that tendency to anger well under control!

Next, I need a really good source of information. Nigh-omnipotence is fun, but without nigh-omniscience, it isn't going to be as effective as it should be. If I could create a magical scrying pool, or super-duper tunable crystal ball, great. Otherwise, I'd have to recruit a news bureau.

Finally, I'd recruit a think-tank to advise me, because, no matter how powerful or knowledgeable I am, my wisdom is still base-line human. (Okay, maybe a little lower than average.) What level of involvement is best? Go out and cure cancer? Alter geography on a large scale? Make real changes in "human nature" itself? Or is minimalism wiser? Let mankind go its way, and only intervene if the ICBMs start flying?

Sorry to be so much of a navel-gazer, but most of my early decisions would be about me. What kind of entity I was, and what kind I should be.

[AClockworkMelon]

I'd spend time creating a second version of myself so that I could be worshiped as a God without having to give up the ability to return to being "me" every now and then when things get heavy.

I'm not sure how I'd announce myself to the world. Maybe a worldwide public broadcast that runs on all televisions everywhere regardless of what channel they're turned to or hell, whether they're even plugged in. I'd introduce myself using some sort of cool omnipotent-sounding name and tell the world "Yo Earth. I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you finish but I can do a whole lot better."

I'd provide free, unlimited food and energy all across the world. Maybe deposits would just start appearing. Not sure yet. If, say, Somalian warlords or whatever tried to intercept these supplies I'd melt their faces. Huge abundances of oil for energy I guess, or maybe huge amounts of magical batteries would start appearing in government possession along with notes (and perhaps appearances by me personally) giving instructions on how to use these to provide free energy to their citizens. No face-meltings for non-compliance. I figure they'll just obey eventually after I've flexed my Godhood a bit more. I'd cure all disease. People with lost limbs would start to regrow them, people in comas would wake, all the people with AIDS or cancer or genital herpes would undergo miraculous recoveries.

I'd take a look at the state of things (both as me, AClockworkMelon and as me in God-mode flying around all invisible and shit) for a few days before doing anything else. Presumably there'd be religious panic and maybe rioting. If there's rioting I'd create duplicates of myself to go pacify each of them. Not violently, I'm assuming the presence of a God will awe everyone into compliance. People in the media and whatever can feel free to say whatever they want and interpret my existence however they want. No concern to me.

Finally I'd set up a temple to myself to serve my narcissism by providing me with worshipers. Just like in the "Convince people to vote for you for president" thread, hookers and blow for everyone who shows up! To appease the curiosity of the masses without smothering me I'd set up a system for a question a month to be asked at the temple for me to answer or address or whatever. I wouldn't lie and make up a fake mythology for myself but I wouldn't reveal my identity or how I came to my power.

The big question is: Would I get rid of death? If so, in order to prevent overcrowding I'd have to make humans as a species much less fertile. Maybe make the birth rate a hundredth of what it is now and create more planets with my mega smarts and powers when this planet reaches a hundred billion people.

If not... well, I'd have to consider why I would eliminate death. I figure it'll take me a while to come up with something. Maybe create an afterlife. This is by far the hardest part for me.

[Mangetout]

I would probably not announce, but I would see to it that Karma starts working with some greater degree of reliability than at present.

[drastic_quench]

Pull the plug on humanity.

I'll put it back in before the whole tub drains, but I think Earth would fair a lot better with 250 million humans instead of 7 billion.

[muldoonthief]

I'd move us to a Culture-esque post-scarcity society. Free unlimited energy, good medicine, and space travel for kicks. And I'd probably do a few Special Circumstances-esque mind fucks on various assholish leaders.

Originally Posted by drastic_quench

Pull the plug on humanity.

I'll put it back in before the whole tub drains, but I think Earth would fair a lot better with 250 million humans instead of 7 billion.

Aww, that's sweet. Hope your loved ones are the first ones you slaughter, you mass murdererer.

[Eonwe]

Originally Posted by muldoonthief

Aww, that's sweet. Hope your loved ones are the first ones you slaughter, you mass murdererer.

Come now, the minute you use omnipotent powers to change the course of humanity on a mass scale, you start killing people, every death is on your hands.

And, why would a god kill his/her loved ones first? To prove some sort of moral point. You're God. Screw morality. It would be almost impossible to act if you had to worry about the lives of specific individuals when pursuing the Greater Good.

[Scumpup]

The people would weep for the good old days when Cthulhu was running the show.

[MrDibble]

I'd start with terraforming every possible Earthlike planet within my sphere of influence - make them variant clones of a human-free earth, but with different (yet Earth-bio-compatible) animals and plants - mostly close variants on Earth life, with maybe the odd dragon or tree octopus or skywhale because I can. I expect there'll be at least a few hundred in that sphere that I can do that to, with the nearest being within 10 light years. I'll alter stars to be more Sun-like if I need to get enough systems to work with.

Then I build a network of stargates linking them all - stargates where I can control who uses them and when, although I think I'll leave them generally open everywhere except the Earth ones. These will be in edifices such that animals can't casually wander in, but any sapient could enter.

Then I make the knowledge of their existence evident to everyone on Earth. I also offer everyone on Earth a chance to emigrate there - at a cost. Some degree of genetic remodelling.

I think I might be whimsical about this - create some groups of elves or hobbits or cat people if enough people want to be those - but the end goal is to produce a few standard variant human types. Stronger, faster, better senses, more intelligent, longer-lived, more sets of teeth, disease-resistant, more conscious control of bodily functions like food metabolism. Also knowledge - what it takes to function on the new world I've chosen for each person would be planted in their head, like the local environment and that sort of thing.

Once a planet starts getting immigrants, some degree of civilisation will be developed on it waiting for the people - towns, that sort of thing. The plan isn't to drop people into wilderness, but to have the amenities there. These will be as green and sustainable and post-scarcity as my godlike brain can conceive - transport, renewables, nanotech, AIs, fabricators, holodecks, flying cars, whatever. There'll also be space elevators and orbital systems, like factories, asteroid mines and research stations, on/around every civilised world. Only around one in three worlds will be civilised in this way, and no high technology will pass the stargates from tech to wilderness worlds.

I'll also clean up Earth for the people who choose not to go, and make it as sustainable as I can.

One thing I do for everyone, on Earth or not - various anti-rape measures built-in, from deadly venomous vagina barbs to psychic rapist incapacitation waves. I'm sure my godlike intelligence can come up with more. Possibly mental blocks in everyone such that attempting forced sex triggers paralysis or coma. And all women gain reproductive control - they can choose when they want to conceive, and can painlessly reabsorb a foetus at any stage, at will.

I do all this without announcing myself directly. Then I watch.

[msmith537]

Originally Posted by muldoonthief

I'd move us to a Culture-esque post-scarcity society. Free unlimited energy, good medicine, and space travel for kicks. And I'd probably do a few Special Circumstances-esque mind fucks on various assholish leaders.



Aww, that's sweet. Hope your loved ones are the first ones you slaughter, you mass murdererer.

Technically, they would be killing each other in my name.

[silenus]

A whole lot of people would stop believing, and a whole bunch more would start! I would definitely start fucking with fundamentalists of whatever association. Then I would smite all Scientologists. Then I think I'd go to Disney World.

[Czarcasm]

1. Tobacco-gone.
2. All religions-gone. I wouldn't prohibit them, but all memories and relics would disappear. I'd like to see what would develop from this point on if all the previous religious baggage was gone.
3. Bring everyone involved back to life and have a special 2-hour Soap finale. I HATE cliffhangers!

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

2. All religions-gone. I wouldn't prohibit them, but all memories and relics would disappear. I'd like to see what would develop from this point on if all the previous religious baggage was gone.

I started a new thread on this idea.

[TruCelt]

All child-abusers would get purple faces in the first 30 seconds, and become seriously ill in proportion to their crimes. The worst would die within the week.

Then the rapists (including the child sex abusers) would get bright red faces and lose their balls - I'm thinking a slow painful shrivel over the course of about 13 hours - and develop pancreatic cancer. Female rapists would lose their ovaries and whatever produces the testosterone that drives their libidos, (Maybe this involves a partial destruction of their pituitary? I'll make sure before I act, promise!) and also the pancreatic cancer.

Next all psychopaths would develop kelly-green foreheads* and get liver cancer.

All women would lose the ability to become pregnant by accident. Pregnancy would require a definite decision and action of some sort (yes, I do mean "other than deciding to have sex".) Men would gain the ability to orgasm without any danger of sperm production.

Illnesses of kind people would be resolved upon the cruel people each in direct proportion to their actions/propensities.

A new element would be discovered which enormously increases our ability to convert sunlight into electricity. The technology would lend itself best to small installaions on each building or street corner to supply the entire grid at very low cost. (I think "no cost" would be worse for us than "high cost." Low cost energy is the goal.)

All rulers and Govermental agents would find themselves overwhelmingly motivated to support the feeding, education, and sheltering of all humans above any other goal.

Each person would find the "us and them" mentality falling away. Racial, sex, religious, and any other predjudices would suddenly seem compeltely non-sensical. The only remaining predjudice would be against cruelty.


ETA: And I'd never tell anyone it was me. . .


*The color-coding is to help the normal ID the dangerous - these are not meant to be punishments.

[Ashes, Ashes]

I'd cut the blue wire.

Really, I'd be immobilized with the possibilities and tend to let things stay the same indefinitely.

[iiandyiiii]

Us my increased knowledge/processing power to essentially run a simulation to catch all unforeseen consequences of the below actions before they are implemented.

These are the first and immediate actions I would take:

Immediately stop all (active/ongoing) child-abuse of any kind (this would probably require something to the effect of stopping time, and using my power to remove any child in immediate danger).

Immediately stop all other (active/ongoing) sexual abuse of any kind.

Make healthy food and water available to all hungry people everywhere (by improving soil/agricultural yield/fixing droughts etc whenever possible).

Immediately stop all (active/ongoing) predatory violence (including government oppression/local wars) of any kind.

Since I can read minds, heal all life-threatening physical and serious mental afflictions in which the patient deeply desires to be healed- this would include addictions of all kinds.

Now that the immediate stuff is done, these are the ongoing things I would do:

Be essentially everywhere (that there are people) at once, and, when I deem appropriate, stop serious violent actions. This would include ALL rape and sexual violence, ALL child abuse, and probably all murders and other active attempts at killing people (justified homicide could be an exception, and there might be other exceptions). This would not include minor assaults, robbery, theft, and other crimes short of the ones that risk death or serious physical or mental damage.

While I'm everywhere at once, prevent random acts of death due to natural/freak occurences (including deaths due to weather effects, earthquakes, structural failure, etc- note that I'm not stopping the occurences, just the deaths and serious injuries).

Resolve the question of animal consciousness/awareness, and when appropriate, prevent serious cruelty to animals (unless my omniscent investigation into animal minds disagrees, this does not include preventing humane farmers/ranchers from slaughtering livestock).

Basically, no one will get raped/sexually-abused EVER while I'm nigh-omnipotent (no minds will be altered- but everyone struggling to get free will get a sudden burst of strength/speed, etc), no one will suffer death or debilitating physical/mental injury through no fault of their own (or no fault other then minor lack of awareness, being at the wrong place/wrong time, etc)- so if someone is stupid and driving drunk, for example, they may crash and break their arms and legs or even die, but they won't kill anyone else. Or if someone is climbing a mountain without proper safety gear, they may fall and break bones, but they won't die.

I'll leave it up to the non-nigh-omnipotent to solve most other problems.

On a side note- the main reason I don't believe in an omnipotent God is mostly because he doesn't do ANY of the things I think he ought to do (chiefly, preventing children from cruelty/nightmare stuff).

[Eonwe]

Originally Posted by TruCelt

The only remaining predjudice would be against cruelty.

After you inflict painful disease on those criminals you deem worthy, of course.

Originally Posted by iiandyiiii

Be essentially everywhere (that there are people) at once, and, when I deem appropriate, stop serious violent actions. This would include ALL rape and sexual violence, ALL child abuse, and probably all murders and other active attempts at killing people (justified homicide could be an exception, and there might be other exceptions).

Exceptions . . . like when you personally feel the homicide is "justified"?



There is nothing more frightening than the idea of having my life subject to the whims of an individual with complete power over me, regardless of how Good and Just she or he thinks s/he is.

[iiandyiiii]

Originally Posted by Eonwe

Exceptions . . . like when you personally feel the homicide is "justified"?
There is nothing more frightening than the idea of having my life subject to the whims of an individual with complete power over me, regardless of how Good and Just she or he thinks s/he is.

I think justified homicide is a legal term, usually meaning self-defense. I probably wouldn't stop instances of self-defense.

I agree with you about how frightening the idea of any all-powerful being is. But if I had the power, I couldn't not interfere when someone is committing rape or other horrible acts. Just like I couldn't now, without any special powers, if I was in a position to stop it.

[Face Intentionally Left Blank]

Just like I used to do whatever Sim-City-like game I used to play, I'd works towards a more perfect, happy society. That would necessitate the removal, or 'adjustment' of, some of the more sociopathic people. And according to the premise here, yes, I would be the person to decide who they are, and what that entails. Yay!

I think I'd smite some bastards outright, in a spectacular fashion: Hit by lightning, space junk, etc, particularly while they're on TV. These would be dictators and certain people with political/monetary power. For others, I'd give them little shocks when they think of doing bad things to people, increasing in severity with frequency and severity - or maybe I'd just hit them with a permanent, industrial-sized dose of empathy. I'd broadcast the thoughts of people who lie to gain power or money to everyone in the vicinity, and this would work over TV, video, or film (couldn't be removed in post-production. Hey, I'm a god!) Acting in a move/TV show/plays wouldn't count. Intent counts here.

Maybe I'd appear to religious people in their dreams, as their deity of choice, and tell them there's an afterlife, and to hold the well-being of others as their guiding principle, or they won't get in the good section. They should both teach others to fish, and feed them until they learn, or something to that effect, so that they don't get confused and think all tough-love, all the time is a suitable response. I'd also tell them that, while I will be watching, I won't be taking requests - that people are on their own, so don't go praying to me, or trusting to me to fix shit. For those religions that don't have an afterlife, I'd adapt a similar, human-centric message. "Be excellent to each other", or the like.

I'd probably give everyone a 20-point IQ bump.

Dunno what I'd do on the second day. . .

[elbows]

I would make all the water clean again. Decontaminate every tainted environment.

I would restore the endangered species to original numbers. Fisheries, forests, lions and tigers and bear. (No, not dinosaurs!)

I do like the colour coding of sex offenders, so I'd keep that. But I'd go a little further. When humans get angry they change colour too! And when they lie their eyes cross, that should make things interesting, and speed up the courts.

Any complaining, only makes things worse. Either work to change it or STFU.

[Irishman]

I'd retire in style, set myself up with a pleasure dome to live in luxury and enjoy all the benefits that come from being indestructable and untouchable by normal means. Maybe start a religion to foster appropriate worshipping.

What do you mean, I'm a selfish bastard?

[YogSosoth]

I would have fun and punish my enemies

[nivlac]

With great power comes great responsibility!
First thing is to take care of this global warming/climate change problem. Can't have that hanging over everyone's heads. Next, no more wars. I guess I'll have to take on world hunger and health next. All done quietly of course. Shouldn't take more than a week. Then I may create a few superluminal neutrinos just for fun to see the reaction. Oh, I guess I've already done that.

[UFC Is Sux]

In the immortal words of Gilbert and Sullivan:

As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list — I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed — who never would be missed!

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

First thing would be to neutralize Der Trihs. Nothing personal, I don't dislike the guy, but I'm pretty sure he'd be out to get me from day one.

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by Attack from the 3rd dimension

First thing would be to neutralize Der Trihs. Nothing personal, I don't dislike the guy, but I'm pretty sure he'd be out to get me from day one.

The red shirts have to die first.

[MaxTheVool]

I'd give all people the ability to easily lose weight by conscious choice. I'd also give all people the ability to survive a far wider range of environments than we currently can, and to survive a much wider range of ailments/injuries. Frogs can regrow lost limbs, why not people?

There are a lot of things of things sort that I'd be tempted to do that would have massive impacts on society and the economy. For instance, if humans could survive entirely on photosynthesis or by eating any organic matter that would go a long way towards solving hunger... but it would also potentially destroy the livelihood of the huge % of humanity which makes its living providing food in various ways. So either I'd do it anyhow and then spent more of my godlike effort stopping the ripple effects from destroying everything, or do it but with added psychological conditioning that stops people from taking advantage of it except in extreme circumstances, with perhaps that psychological block wearing off slowly over decades.


Instead of opening up stargates to other planets, I'd open up gates to alternate timeline versions of the world and humans never evolved. This would both allow massive scientific inquiry of various sorts, and also huge and nearly limitless expansions of potential living space (which we'll need what with the people who are living long and healthy and active lives).


After I'd done everything I wanted to do (including lots of stuff others have mentioned), I'd then modify myself so that (a) I was damn close to invincible and perfectly healthy and smart and talented and so forth, and (b) I forgot that I was God 30 days out of every month. I would want to be able to live as normal a life as possible, but retain the ability to address issues as they came up.

[FlyByNight512]

I'd exercise whatever degree of caution is necessary to make sure my interventions won't have severe unintended consequences, then make a few changes. For starters:

First I'd undo whatever psychological trick it is that keeps people in abusive relationships. I'd probably also put a damper on violence levels for a few months so there aren't suddenly a bunch of murders as people realize just how evil their 'loved ones' actually are. (Or maybe not. We can do without them.)

Second I'd undo whatever it is that makes advertising so seductive. You want to get the information out there that your product exists and works well? Super, go for it. You want to make people subconsciously associate your product with happiness, beauty, and success? Fuck you, doesn't work any more.

I like the suggestions of putting pregnancy under women's conscious control, and also giving guys the option of sperm-free sex.

Gene therapy suddenly exceeds everyone's wildest hopes, and is cheap to boot.

I wouldn't interfere with people on an individual level, except maybe preventing tragedies in a few that I'm close to. I don't 'believe in' (for lack of a better term) trying to create a utopia, I think people have to work for that themselves. I'll give humanity as a whole a few advantages, though. And I WOULD NOT make myself publicly known.

[Disposable Hero]

Some great replies here, I especially like MrDibbles. I'd be aiming for a Culture-like Utopia as well but I'd go about it in a different way.

Although it would be tempting to do things entirely in the background without people realising my presence I think I would be unable to resist making a dramatic entrance.

Firstly I would instantly, and harmlessly, teleport every warship and military submarine on the planet to a suitably large freshwater lake as deep in a neutral country as I could find. Then I'd sit back and watch the reaction for a few days, this would be a suitable means of demonstrating my power and, well, I'd also find it kind of amusing...

I'd keep up the pretence of my ordinary life (attempting to look as surprised and baffled as everyone else by what's going on) while creating a suitable independent disguise for my godlike alterego. This avatar would have to be sufficiently humanlike and terrestial for people to relate to but obviously artificially created. I would have to select a suitably awe-inspiring name/title ("I think I'm going to call it...'Bob'"..."You can't call a planet 'Bob'!" Titan AE).

Then I would announce my existance to the world by a simultaenous global broadcast on every computer monitor, TV and radio. I would make it clear that the teleportation trick was a one-off and that while I would intervene only when humanity faces an existential threat from the broadcast on I would be constantly accessible for anyone wishing for advice or discussion. The internet would probably be the best means for this initially (I'm sure I could find some means of communication with those who have no internet access) with my physical avatar available for house calls to world leaders. I would make it clear that I would not want to be worshipped and will not work miracles on request.

I would attempt to direct humanity down what I consider to be the correct path (technological and social progress while retaining respect for the environment, increase in human equality, minimising suffering, space exploration etc all the good stuff basically) while not making a direct physical intervention, an attempt to balance control while retaining free will.

While I wouldn't prevent Bad Things from happening I would ease the subjective experience of people who are dying, this is so that death remains very much something to be avoided and would prevent people getting any ideas ("Hey, killing people isn't that bad really!")

I would have no input on whether there is or isn't an afterlife.

Basically I would attempt to be benign but very much hands off.

[Chimera]

You don't want to see me with godlike powers.

About 70% of Earth's population would be gone within a month. For various reasons. Those with insane cultures built on ignorance and cruelty would be the first to go.

Of course, at the same time I'd be repairing ecosystems, removing pollution, upgrading factories to produce less waste, removing unnecessary cities and putting those resources back into their proper places, etc etc.

A few thousand light years range? Good, I can find other worlds and terraform them, then offer them up to specific cultures or groups of cultures in order to give Humanity a chance to grow in new directions and without certain negative pressures they experience on Earth. I'd also set aside a couple of worlds for non-Human life (Tigers, Elephants, Dolphins, etc) to live without risk of being wiped out by Humans.

[Lemur866]

It's kind of funny that with unlimited power, the first thing some people want to do is start slaughtering and torturing the bad people. Fucking hell.

Folks, if you've got unlimited power, you don't have to kill or torture them to stop them from hurting people. Yeah, in real life we don't have unlimited power and there aren't a lot of options for dealing with antisocial people.

What's the point of punishing the bad guys? Because they deserve it? If everyone on this planet got what they deserved, who'd be left?

[Face Intentionally Left Blank]

Originally Posted by Lemur866

It's kind of funny that with unlimited power, the first thing some people want to do is start slaughtering and torturing the bad people. Fucking hell.

Folks, if you've got unlimited power, you don't have to kill or torture them to stop them from hurting people. Yeah, in real life we don't have unlimited power and there aren't a lot of options for dealing with antisocial people.

What's the point of punishing the bad guys? Because they deserve it? If everyone on this planet got what they deserved, who'd be left?

Yeah, I'm kinda new to the god-thing, so it took me halfway through my post to realize I can just hit the bastards with an industrial-sized dose of empathy, and they'd probably straighten themselves out. Nevertheless, I'm gonna smite someone, even if I have to go back in time and drop a coconut* on Herr Hitler as he gives one of his speeches. Let the historians figure out how the hell a coconut fell on der Fuhrer in Germany. Yup, it's gonna be a very small amount of smiting, but some folks just need smiting, and it's a lesson to all the bastards for whom the empathy might not take. Plus, I just like the word, "smite". Smite smite smite.

*or maybe the earth will open up and swallow him and whatever high-ranking officials might be sitting nearby, then close up again. Yes, that would be very nice indeed.

[Chimera]

Originally Posted by Lemur866

It's kind of funny that with unlimited power, the first thing some people want to do is start slaughtering and torturing the bad people. Fucking hell.

I never said torture or punish. There's no point to that. I said they would be gone.

And I never said "bad people" either.

[Jragon]

I'd probably settle into messing with my powers for a while to find my niche. I mean, I have control over reality, I can afford to experiment. I'd try destroying things, radically changing things, try being the Uber God Emperor King as well as live The Masquerade. I can undo all of this in a whim, time travel or just poofing everything back. Once I find what seems to work, I'd stick with it.

[Shakester]

I'd start off with some serious smiting, and after that I'd settle down and have a think about how to use my powers for good.

[The Librarian]

Originally Posted by Mangetout

I would probably not announce, but I would see to it that Karma starts working with some greater degree of reliability than at present.

This.

Then I´d go out and play civilisation on some of the other planets within my power, after that..

who knows

[Hogfather65]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

3. Bring everyone involved back to life and have a special 2-hour Soap finale. I HATE cliffhangers!

You are my God........

[Hogfather65]

I would start small -

Every child abuser I would make their eyes explode.

Every Rapest I would Make their Genitals explode.

Every Murderer I would Make their Blood boil.

Every thief I would make their fingers fall off 1 at a time for small crimes hands for big ones.

Every Poiltition I would make tell nothing but the truth and stick to what they say.

Every despot dictator I would make deaf and dumb - lets see who will take notice now

Then start looking after people

The population is too big - use my powers to restrict births - each woman can have 1 pregnancy (this will allow twins, etc) but no more no matter what.

Cure all illness - except as a punishment for people who act against the public intrest. (lets see how mean someone gets if the get sicker and sicker every time the do something bad)

Death would still be allowed - after all it is a natural state.

Then hope I dont get bored

[msmith537]

Originally Posted by Lemur866

It's kind of funny that with unlimited power, the first thing some people want to do is start slaughtering and torturing the bad people. Fucking hell.

Because it's the natural logical conclusion of the absurd economic and socio-political theories people expound on message boards?

[Moonlitherial]

Originally Posted by Face Intentionally Left Blank

Just like I used to do whatever Sim-City-like game I used to play, I'd works towards a more perfect, happy society. That would necessitate the removal, or 'adjustment' of, some of the more sociopathic people. And according to the premise here, yes, I would be the person to decide who they are, and what that entails. Yay!

The only issue with this is once everything was running perfectly I could never resist setting off an earthquake or letting Godzilla ravage the map for a while just so I could fix it again.

[MrDibble]

I should emphasise that I don't plan to personally kill or even hurt anyone with my new powers. The only violence I envisioned was the ability for women to kill their rapists, and even that I'm already rethinking - it might end up being "cock-and-balls-disappear-in-puff-of-pink-smoke" venomous barbs, rather than "deadly" venomous barbs, or something. Just something to give all women, everywhere, the tools to fight back against rape themselves. Maybe a pheromone cloud that cause the decockification of anyone with hostile sexual intent in reasonable range, to take care of gang rapes, anal/oral rapes and rape-with-objects. Something else suitably repellent, but not deadly, for women who do the same, of course.

[Yumblie]

Originally Posted by Moonlitherial

The only issue with this is once everything was running perfectly I could never resist setting off an earthquake or letting Godzilla ravage the map for a while just so I could fix it again.

I'm surprised theists don't use this as an explanation for why bad things happen to good people.

[Antinor01]

I'd be getting laid. A lot.

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Originally Posted by MrDibble

I should emphasise that I don't plan to personally kill or even hurt anyone with my new powers. The only violence I envisioned was the ability for women to kill their rapists, and even that I'm already rethinking - it might end up being "cock-and-balls-disappear-in-puff-of-pink-smoke" venomous barbs, rather than "deadly" venomous barbs, or something.

Why not be proactive? You know that revolting shudder you get when you personally imagine incest? Make that a lot stronger, and make it apply to all violence against other people. Violence no longer gives any pleasure to anyone. Everyone is deeply nauseated by the idea of hurting other people.

That's my first move. It seems a lot better than giving women some sort of after-the-fact vengeance once they've already been attacked.

Post-scarcity society is the second move.

[Taomist]

I think I'd resurrect Heinlein and get to plannin!

[Terraplane]

If I'm omnipotent, or near it, then it's easy. *Snap* Everybody's decent to one another. *Snap* There are more than enough resources to go around. *Snap* disease is gone. Need infrastructure in Haiti? No you don't, it's already there, go look, I'm on that shit, yo. If you're omnipotent and omniscient creating utopia is as easy as wanting it. I'd make paradise on Earth.

For those who aren't happy unless they're pushing the limits, there are fast and reliable spaceships and I've terraformed the shit out of everything within my sphere of influence. Mars, some of Jupiter's moons (don't give me any crap about how they're too far from the Sun, I'm omnipotent!), planets we don't even know about are now lush and green and just waiting to be found.

For those who just want a sedate and comfortable life, they've got it. If there's not enough room I'll just make the planet bigger. Gravity's got nothin' on me. Happiest in a mountain cabin? There are plenty. You really enjoy the soccer mom suburban life? You got it. Want to be Jaques Cousteau and find new ocean life, I'll make more oceans with cool new things for you to find.

Want to meet God (or at least the new omnipotent being on the block)? He'll be tending his garden in the Texas hill country. Don't be scared, he's in a good mood, his tomatoes are coming along nicely this year.

[Martian Bigfoot]

Um... a few thousand light-years radius from Earth? Heck there's gotta be a more interesting intelligent civilization within that range that I could be God to. I'm outta here! Sorry humanity, you guys are on your own.

[Hilary Algar]

The first thing that I would do would be to take a break.