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

In My Humble Opinion
21

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. :wink:

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

Dunno what I’d do on the second day. . . :smiley:

22

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.

23

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? :confused: :smiley:

24

I would have fun and punish my enemies

25

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.

26

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!

27

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.

28

The red shirts have to die first.

29

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.

30

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.

31

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.

32

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.

33

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?

34

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.

35

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. :wink:

36

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.

37

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.

38

This.

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

who knows

39

You are my God…

40

**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 :slight_smile:

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 :smiley: