Having a Land-esque aura

[Nathan]

I thought about putting this in the covenant forum, but it seems more of a philosophy related subject when I think about it.


A thread I just read about criminals in the land got me thinking: What would life be like with an aura, and I came to the conclusion that I'd hate it.

So much social interaction relies on people not knowing how you feel: A witty comment can be completely ruined if someone knows how you feel when you're about to say it. For example, during a serious discussion about a man who was put in prison for for 5 years for raping a 13-week-old baby:

Him: "It's outrageous isn't it!?"
Everyone: "Yeah, disgusting!"
Me: "I know! Unbelievable... Five years!"

If they'd seen from my aura that I was feeling mischievious I would never have gotten such a great reaction.

Also, if I had an aura I wouldn't be able to brush aside insults and things like that so easily, most of the time I couldn't care less if someone says something that's supposed to insult/annoy me, I don'y particularly give a damn what other people say about me, but, there are occasions when something someone says strikes a nerve for some reason, and because I generally don't care, nobody ever knows if what they've said is one of these things, and I like it that way, it serves to eliminate loads of opportunites for awkward moments. With an aura, there'd be no way I could hide such a thing.

Anyway, onward with the thread: How would having an aura change your life, would you like to have one?

[matrixman]

Excellent points you make, Nathan. My privacy is very important to me -- my physical privacy and the privacy of my thoughts and feelings. So, I absolutely would not want to have some "aura" around me betraying my feelings to the world.

[High Lord Tolkien]

I would love the aura effect.
Imagine seeing other people's happiness or sadness or thier fear or excitement and knowing what they need for comfort.
Imagine fumbling while trying to express how much you love someone but they know EXACTLY what you mean anyway.

It would change the world for the better (assuming most of us are basically good!).

The abuse would be from those who are aggressive and hurtfull.
Who use people auras against them, say in sales.
But the the hurtfull wouldn't be able to hide themselves either so.... it wouldn't work.

We'd have to be honest.
There would be no other way.

[Avatar]

And what a tradgedy that would be huh?

Anyway, you're all approaching this from the wrong direction. You do all have auras in one sense or another.

They may only be perceivable in various degrees, some may hide them better than others, some may have several. But everybody carries everything that they are, and everything that they think and feel, and most especially, the way that they approach the world around with them all the time.

It's there if you know how to look for it. In fact, you do know how to look for it too. You just don't always realise that you're doing it, or know that you're perceiving it.

Everything is a force. And forces have effects on things.

--Avatar

[Worm of Despite]

If society was as open as myself *ahem*, then I'd love for everyone to know my deepest secrets and niceties. I mean, it's such a damn effort sometimes to keep all my Foulness hidden. Opening up would cease a lot of troublesome worrying and question-dodging.

I think such grokking would lead to an ultimate fullness and compassion (or maybe it leads to ultimate destruction, in the case of an enemy knowing too much.) I believe it was an old Chinese proverb--that one should never expose his full strength. Not sure.

[[Syl]]

Av's right. Trained psychologists and even good poker players and the like can generally read your mood and intent by body language.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microexpression

Not to get too sci-fi here, but with the rapid growth of biometric technology, scanning, computing, and shrinking of components... I wouldn't be too surprised at a technology that can read and highlight all that for you within 30 years.

[The Laughing Man]

In space, no-one can hear you lie....

[lucimay]

In space, no-one can hear you lie....

no, EVERYONE can...even er.

i'll take one. i'd rather be seen. i try to behave as if everyone can.

[The Laughing Man]

Je-sus walks with Luci-Maaay.

(ya know what? emoticons for music or singing would be awesome! )

[lucimay]

standing very close to me at the counter of the Brainwash Cafe