How many times have I wished that I could read people's minds? A thousand? A million? A bajillion? What if one day I woke up and I was no longer alone with only my thoughts? How would life change if I were able to hear what the Starbucks barista was thinking about my coffee order? Would I want to know the true answer when I ask how my cooking tastes? Would I be able to sleep at night if I were always tuned into the neighbor's inner monologue?
Day one of reading minds probably wouldn't be that bad. I would know when people are lying to me. I would know if I were giving the wrong answer to any question. I would know unequivocally whether my students are on task. But what is a world without secrets? I don't want to really know if you like my dress. I would rather never know if you I'm boring or annoying you.
I wouldn't want my thoughts to be transparent. I wouldn't want to be broadcasting all my secret fears and snap judgments. If I wouldn't appreciate the invasion of mind reading, is it fair to inflict that on others? Perhaps not.
So, if I had to choose a superhuman power, I'd choose invisiblity.
It is AWSOME how you talk about one super power the entire time and wait until the last sentence to tell your real power. I chose invisibility also.
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