The REAL Cost...

Welcome to the Thursday edition of our little chat.
The title of today's post will be revealed as you read on.
-- I can earnestly state that I've already had my fill of "warm" weather.
After just ONE day in the low 80s, enough (for me) is enough.
And it wasn't even humid.
Today's Heartland weather is pretty much a replay of yesterday, so you know that after I mow the back yard, I'm staying inside (unless I have to feed the squirrels...lol).
Temps will hit the 80 degree mark again, a few clouds, and lots of sunshine.
(and that means the locals will be more restless than usual...oh. joy.)
Now, with that said, let's press onward...
*** First up, the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"Common sense is in spite of, and not as the result of education."

This was attributed to Victor Hugo (26 Feb1802 - 22 May 1885) the French novelist, poet, and dramatist of the romantic period.

You known him from his most notable works -  The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables.

And here is his rather comprehensive WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo
Originally a "royalist", he became a passionate supporter of Republicanism.
And it was his involvement in French politics that eventually caused him to be exiled. He championed such causes as freedom of the press and self-government for Poland.
Hugo also declared Napoleon Bonaparte  a TRAITOR to France (that didn't help Victor's plight one bit) and forced Hugo to relocate to Brussels.
And after Napoleon III pardoned all political exiles in 1859, Hugo DECLINED the offer.
Hugo finally returned to Paris in 1870, where he was hailed as a national HERO.
It was there he suffered several mild strokes and succumbed to pneumonia in 1885, after which an intense national mourning was generated.
His funeral procession encompassed over two MILLION people.
Another example of a person that managed to cram several lifetimes of accomplishments into just ONE.
Moving on...
*** There was an article in today's paper about having super powers.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130516/FEAT/305169989/1011/FEAT

"With great power comes great responsibility" was said to Peter Parker (Spiderman) by his uncle (written by Stan Lee), and never have truer words been spoken.
The thing is, science is rapidly approaching the borders of enhancing the human condition, by both physical and mental means.
We have already seen how the brain can move objects or how lame legs can be made to walk.
But just how FAR will we, or ARE we willing to take this?
And can we (as enhanced beings) be able to cope with the outcome?
A professor at Stanford conducted a class experiment in the virtual world giving the power of flight to 30 (of 60) volunteers, tasking them with finding a child in the aftermath of an earthquake.

Granted, this was a very "tame" test, but demonstrated that given a "super" power, most people tend to gravitate towards a more altruistic tendency.
I mean, having the power of human flight (like Superman) wouldn't be much good if the person with the power hated HEIGHTS, suffered from POOR VISION, or had lousy DEPTH PERCEPTION, right?
I think in such an experiment, certain OTHER dynamics need to be looked at, such as the ability to LEARN the power, become acclimated to the uses of it, as well as with the PERSON themselves.
Anyone can get behind the wheel of a vehicle and make it move (like that 4 year old that borrowed mom's car and trashed several others), but to learn HOW to drive it properly, so as not to inflict more harm than good is something that needs practice vis-a-vis knowledge and wisdom.
And so it would be with acquiring ANY super power. I think it's THAT aspect the professor didn't address totally.
As to what super power I would desire?
Well, that's a loaded question, because it has to depend on the circumstances in which the power could BEST be utilized to do the most good for the most people.
That leads us to a VERY important parameter...our MORALITY.
How we are brought up would have MUCH to do with being able to handle super powers of ANY type.
Hell, there are those today on our streets that can barely handle being NORMAL, and our prisons are FULL of those that have failed even that.
Lord Acton's maxim in mentioned in the article:
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
That is one helluva cost to pay.
Again, it comes down to how YOU were brought up, what VALUE SYSTEM you were taught, and what YOU learned by paying attention.
All such knowledge, tempered with WISDOM, makes the difference between a hero and a villain.
Could you imagine a welfare queen baby-mama that smokes dope and abuses her kids with ANY super power?
...Hell NO!!!

Would it be better to have a person of GOOD moral report, with a set of ethics grounded in Judeo-Christian values (Like the TEN COMMANDMENTS for example), and a level of honesty and reason higher than those of the drunk in that alley?
Of course you would.
Does it therefore mean that to HAVE super powers, one has to be as near perfect as possible?
Not really, because we are ALL flawed, can make mistakes,  and are both capable of good OR evil.
(And most everyone in the Bible bears witness to THAT failing of humanity)
It's like I say...we are ALL murderers deep down inside (when the proper set of circumstances present themselves), but yet, we are also capable of saying: "Today, I will not kill", and so we don't. We all have that mindless primitive, otherwise known as our "ID", that we suppress, so as not to become the "Mr Hyde" to our everyday "Dr. Jekyll". And that story is a prime example of what can go wrong WHEN our base selves are permitted free reign.
It also explains WHY we see such violence on our streets and in the world.
When people give IN to instinctual desires and hedonistic pursuits, rather than reason, their actions are nothing less than criminal.
And when people are not held accountable nor responsible FOR such actions, we see even MORE of the same.
Everyone has to police themselves first...to SOME degree. We need to know what our limitations or boundaries are, otherwise, we abuse the meaning of the word FREEDOM. We become a little TOO free, usually to perform acts of mayhem and chaos.
In today's world, having ANY super power becomes so much MORE burdensome than being a plain old-fashioned DECENT individual with all the travails we experience.

That's a huge cost to any person.

Maintaining one's equilibrium both mentally and emotionally in a world where nothing seems to make sense is nothing short of a monumental task.

It makes you wonder if you DID have a super power, would you use it for yourself, if you could get away with doing so.
And that again begs the question of ETHICAL BEHAVIOR.
It's a fascinating article that unfortunately only scratches the surface on a debate that even Plato would find intriguing.
(and yes, HE is mentioned in the story).
*** Lastly today, the FWPD held a ceremony yesterday to commemorate those officers who displayed courage and devotion to duty , the department, and the citizens of Ft. Wayne.
Here's that story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130516/LOCAL/305169966

Truly, such people are HEROES...and for all the right reasons.

And in a world that practices evil every day, it's refreshing to see some GOOD come along and take charge.

We talk about HONOR...and VALOR...and DUTY.
Such are qualities of people who could easily have a super power.

And those noble qualities are in shorter supply these days, but thank God we have those who choose to serve in a capacity whereby they rush INTO danger, rather than from it.

Is that to be considered a "super" power?

Well, in many cases, it DOES set such men and women apart from the average citizen, but as I stated before, the circumstances can often dictate HOW such people will act or react. With training come knowledge, and since knowledge IS power, there also comes a responsibility on how BEST to use such power.
That opens the door to wisdom, or the practical application OF such knowledge.
It's one of those beautiful "circles of life", and one that needs to be implemented by more people...for the right reason.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.