THE ADVANTAGE OF FORESIGHT — You’ve been granted the power to predict the future! The catch — each time you use your power, it costs you one day (as in, you’ll live one day less). How would you use this power, it at all?
I used to do astrology and I was good. I don’t really now how astrology works. I don’t think it has anything to do with “the planets” except in a symbolic way. All I know is I learned stuff about total strangers I had no other way of knowing.
I also quit doing it almost 20 years ago.
It turns out the stuff I learned was useless. You can see the future, but anything you “see” is a matter of interpretation. You are free to believe. Or not.
A lot of it predictions fall into the realm of “self-fulfilling prophecy.” If you believe it, it will happen. I decided — assuming it was possible to get an accurate grip on some future event — we would be helpless to change the outcome and would misunderstand and misinterpret everything.
Which would guarantee an unfortunate outcome.
So. Mr. Daily Prompt? Foresight for which you pay with your life is an appalling, twisted idea.
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Categories: Supernatural
AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT … 
IF WE KNEW THE FUTURE 
WE’RE ALL BRUCE BANNER AND IT’S TIME TO HULK OUT – TOM CURLEY 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
There are not a whole lot of things on this green Earth that I would trade for time taken off my life. Weird prompt.
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Since I know you love a good science fiction story I also believe you’ve read or seen movies about time travel. I particularly like one about a man with the gift of foresight for just a few moment forward in time. The movie showed what an advantage that would be to always see danger coming and therefore be able to avoid it. It’s an interesting concept with lots of plots for movie and book buffs.
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Oh no, everyone should have this power. Think of all the morons that would die young and our planet would be healthier. The power would not activate until your 25th birthday. I say enable us all.
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It might indeed prove a useful way to trim the population. Anyone stupid enough to use a power like that often enough to actually shorten their lifespan deserves whatever they get 🙂
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This reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode where William Shatner’s character was a newlywed. He and his wife stopped into a diner while on their honeymoon and there was a little fortune telling machine on their table to which William Shatner’s character became obsessed. He didn’t want to leave the little town…
I like your reply to the challenge!
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You know? I remember the episode. I think I may remember ALL the Twilight Zone episodes. Whenever they run a marathon, I watch them again. I think I have been heavily influenced by Rod Serling.
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I had a grandmother who lived with her Tarot cards and Mr. Swiss was working out the astrological transcendants of our kids an hour after they were born. Me – sorry I am the great doubter and don’t do prophesies, although who knows. We humans are so different and it is true, our interpretations come from many angles.
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Assuming there are means by which we can foretell the future — and that’s a huge assumption — I don’t think we can understand what we see — or change it. More important, we shouldn’t try — because we will inevitably get it wrong.
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Makes sense.
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Thank you 🙂
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I had an idea for a short film about a guy who was frantic to know his future. He went from one Tarot card reader to another (on Venice Beach, of course) until he died. Each Tarot card reader said the same thing, “You will live a life of anxious futility.”
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And so he did. Self-fulfilling prophecy is the only absolutely certain kind of prophecy. You will make it happen because you believe it’s true — so it’s true. And around and around we go.
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It’s better than illegal. In most cases, it’s impossible! Well, almost. I have had one precognitive dream in which I dreamed my father’s death as well as two occurrences that led up to it. I would not want to relive that experience. Wise words on your part! Being fully aware of the present is enough. —Judy
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I think there’s good solid reasons to not want to see the future. I wouldn’t mind traveling to the past though. That would be kind of cool.
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