Poll: Would You Rather?

[Thaluikhain]

If it was anesthethising me, I'd feel numb. Also, the likelyhood of there being a sudden outbreak of lampreys in Dublin City without me having heard of it is quite low.

Maybe it's eating the part of your brain that determines if you agree with me, and I'm otherwise obviously correct.

 

[Caiphus]

You mean my body is completely mortal, but I'm unable to notice when it's damaged?

How do you know that's not the case? For all you know, some horrible lamprey thing is burrowing into your body right now, but its anesthetized you so you aren't aware of it yet.

I had to google lamprey to know what you were talking about. That's disgusting.

I then panicked and checked everywhere. For a moment I thought I found one, but it turned out to be... I'm not sure I should say.

 

[spartan231490]

you do realize that pain is very very important and without it you'd probably accidentally kill yourself one way or another, right? No, no one knows that? Sad

I don't particularly like either option, but I guess I'd go with immortality.

 

[Skeleon]

Mortal + no pain is a pretty bad combination. Just ask the folks with insensitivity to pain. They wound themselves all the time because they don't register when their body is taking damage. Look up insensitivity syndromes and their consequences. Not pretty. And very harrowing. You'd need to be vigilant all the time.

I'd go for immortal + ability to feel pain assuming I could turn off my immortality if I needed/wanted to. If that's no option, I'd rather stay the way I am now. But since we're assuming that I can still feel pain in this scenario, I'm guessing I could still be damaged. Meaning I could probably still die an unnatural death if I needed to?

 

[spartan231490]

You mean my body is completely mortal, but I'm unable to notice when it's damaged?

How do you know that's not the case? For all you know, some horrible lamprey thing is burrowing into your body right now, but its anesthetized you so you aren't aware of it yet.

If it was anesthethising me, I'd feel numb. Also, the likelyhood of there being a sudden outbreak of lampreys in Dublin City without me having heard of it is quite low.

Besides which, if I lose the ability to feel pain, then everything becomes a potential anasthetising lamprey.

It wouldn't have to be lampreys, people who don't feel pain(yes they exist) almost always die extremely young and suffer great amounts of damage from every day tasks. They can't feel when they're stepping too hard, so they usually step so hard they fracture their feet, and don't notice until it heals wrong or a complication develops. The don't notice if they break ribs or even if they suffer internal damage, often bleeding to death without even knowing they were hurt. Not to mention that many diseases present with pain as a primary symptom, meaning they usually don't get help as soon as they should when they're sick, and it's harder for the doctor to diagnose them. There's a reason we evolved with a pain drive.

 

[DaWaffledude]

If it was anesthethising me, I'd feel numb. Also, the likelyhood of there being a sudden outbreak of lampreys in Dublin City without me having heard of it is quite low.

Maybe it's eating the part of your brain that determines if you agree with me, and I'm otherwise obviously correct.

... What point are you actually trying to make?

 

[DaWaffledude]

It wouldn't have to be lampreys, people who don't feel pain(yes they exist) almost always die extremely young and suffer great amounts of damage from every day tasks. They can't feel when they're stepping too hard, so they usually step so hard they fracture their feet, and don't notice until it heals wrong or a complication develops. The don't notice if they break ribs or even if they suffer internal damage, often bleeding to death without even knowing they were hurt. Not to mention that many diseases present with pain as a primary symptom, meaning they usually don't get help as soon as they should when they're sick, and it's harder for the doctor to diagnose them. There's a reason we evolved with a pain drive.

I'm well aware, it's what I based my answer on.

 

[Thaluikhain]

If it was anesthethising me, I'd feel numb. Also, the likelyhood of there being a sudden outbreak of lampreys in Dublin City without me having heard of it is quite low.

Maybe it's eating the part of your brain that determines if you agree with me, and I'm otherwise obviously correct.

... What point are you actually trying to make?

Nothing really.

On a totally unrelated note, there's a hungry bear standing right behind you. Don't turn around, you'll make it angry.

 

[somonels]

Cue the endless bitching about the nature and limitations of immortality.
Being mortal and feeling no pain already exists, it's called congenital analgesia.

 

[5ilver]

Depends on whether I have the choice of dying or not (while being immortal). Examples: vampires are immortal but can kill themselves. The Nameless One is immortal but cannot kill himself (for the most part, anyway).

If I don't have the choice- mortality all the way, no matter the caveats. Spending an eternity alive will lead to madness and is imo, the worst kind of hell.

If I do have the choice- obviously immortality.

 

[Gitty101]

Being mortal and not feeling pain sounds like it would be rather dangerous and counter-productive.

 

[ellers07]

I'm going to go with immortality, though it could use a little clarification. In any case what's a little pain in exchange for immortality. I'll just be really, really careful. Which is basically what I already do to avoid pain so... works for me!

 

[Jamash]

Obviously being immortal and having normal pain receptors.

Being mortal but feeling no pain is actually a real medical condition, a condition which is a curse for those who suffer from it and leads to a short life of frequent debilitating injuries, disabilities, depression and very often suicide.

I struggle to understand how this could even be a question, it's as easy a choice as "would you rather have cancer or the ability to turn base metal into Gold?".

One is a terrible medical condition, the other is quite a positive ability, and while you could argue about immortality being a curse, it's still a lot better than suffering from congenital insensitivity to pain.

 

[Mobax]

2 things: 1, pain is you body warning you that you're hurt or being hurt, so to be mortal and lose that sense is extremely dangerous to you living a long life. 2, I'm already mortal and feel pain, since I can deal with pain fairly well, I would happily upgrade to immortal and keep the pain.

 

[0 to 3 Sad Onions]

Sign me up for the painless mortality. There are medical and scientific precedents for that, so it's not like such an existence would be an anomaly no one knows how do deal with.

Also, fuck eternal life (both in this world and any hypothetical ones to follow, but let's leave that can of worms for another conversation). I'm looking forward to a nice quiet oblivion someday.

 

[Michael826]

Since I have no desire to live forever, and I hate pain, I must go with the former.

 

[s0p0g]

mortal & painless - f**k sore muscles after i-totally-overdid-it-after-a-long-pause workouts. or dislocated shoulders. or a "core-shot to the nuts!" (cookies for reference). or sunburn.

yep, i think i could deal with that. beats immortality by far, far and beyond!

 

[Yuno Gasai]

Mortality with no pain.

Being immortal but being able to feel pain means you may 'live' to experience several deaths.

Death is the kind of thing I'd rather experience once, thanks. :')

That being said, I'd feel pretty wary of not being able to feel any pain.. It's one of the body's best ways of communicating that something has gone wrong.

 

[MammothBlade]

Pain is only your body telling you that it's been damaged. Seems a bit pointless if you're immortal, but still, it seems like it's the only thing that would keep me human.

There is no pleasure without pain, and I don't mean that in a masochistic way, but they're very closely related.