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Philosophically
The Most Practical Superpower
I spent some time contemplating the superpower I would like to have. I think I narrowed it down to one that doesn’t require additional superpowers just to make it work right. What if every superpower you crave had a caveat that makes it not worth having? Would you still want it, or would it depend on the caveat?
I have certainly entertained flying like superman. I have flown in hot air balloons, in airplanes big and small,and even jumped out of a plane. Flying comes with hazards. Yeah, it looks nice if you can just hover, but you never really stay in one place. You go where the wind goes. You now have to compensate to hold, and so you may look like you’re standing still, you actually have some momentum. Even people flying in Minecraft take fall damage.
To fly, you have to have super strength, or some really good armor. Magical armor.
I have entertained invisibility. Now, from a psychological standpoint, those who choose invisibility are suspect. They’re sneaky. I own my sneakiness. Going sideways was a survival skill in my family. Being invisible would have been a lifesaver on multiple occasions! But once I do it, I am going to be hanging out in places I don’t need to be, haunting people I don’t need to follow, and the more you use this power, the more fearful you become.
That one ring nailed that aspect. No one who becomes invisible becomes stronger.
The power you choose mean something.
I have entertained healing. But I have realized over the years that I could not heal anonymously. Healing others, rescuing others, always leads to becoming a guru. I don’t want that. And that would be a never ending a job, even if you could do remote healing, because, heck- there is an endless supply of folks needing help. Just going to one community hospital could be a death trap, and you had the super ability to not care and just go home and sleep! it would be hard to sleep, and if you could only cure a certain number of people a day, then you’re unconsciously assessing people for worthiness, and shouldn’t everyone be deserving of healing?
