Would You Sacrifice Yourself For Another You?

[Silvachief]

Alright folks, here's scenario B. I'll be posting this as well as a summary of responses to the first scenario this coming Sunday.

 

Whereas Scenario A differed greatly depending on your interpretation of it, Scenario B is a little more straight forward. However, it still requires some thinking as you get to decide exactly which question you would be more interested in answering. You can pick one particular topic to talk about or a range of them and how your actions would differ for each one. It's completely up to you.

 

Scenario B

 

December 20^th, 2013. Having just returned home after a long day out, you sit down in front of the computer to check your emails. Before you’ve had a chance to read anything, though, your screen turns black. You curse as you begin to search for what’s gone wrong, before flinching back in surprise as your screen flares to life with a crackle of electricity. Squinting, you are surprised to see that your familiar desktop isn’t what’s on display. What’s even more surprising however, is that a strangely familiar-looking figure features centre-screen. And what’s more, your distinctly 2D monitor has begun to display brilliant 3D images. The figure in front of your screen speaks.

“Listen, I know you must be surprised right now, but we haven’t got much time.”

The figure goes on to explain that they are you from the future. Their comprehensive knowledge of every embarrassing moment you’ve ever experienced convinces you.

“There’s something I need you to do for me.” They continue. “X is at stake. You’re the only one that can Y and fix things. I’ve taken too long – it’s in your hands now.”

Sparks fly from your monitor as the figure winks out of existence, smoke soon following. You weren’t able to ask any of the questions you wanted to, though you’re sure that what just happened is real.

 

Do you trust this person, this you from the future? Would exactly how far in the future they were from make a difference to this?

If you did trust them, would you comply with what they wanted?

 

If X affected your personal life? A stranger you hadn’t met yet? Your friends and/or family? The world?

 

If Y was simple but time-consuming? If it required you to stop working/studying to devote your full attention to it? If it required you to harm another person or group of people? If it required you to harm yourself?

 

While the other you was in a hurry, you still have time to think about all of this and have continued with your normal life. In the middle of the day as you walk down the street, pondering this new development, you hear someone calling your name. Looking up, you notice someone waving at you from a nearby café. As you approach you realise it’s a distinctly older version of the person that contacted you the other day. After the initial amazement of really meeting oneself wears off, the future you explains that, many years after contacting you the first time, they managed to develop real time travel, and so here they are. They realise that what they asked you to do may have been hard to accept, so they’re here to complete the job personally. They thought it was only fair that they warn you, though they also stress that they will not tolerate you getting in their way.

 

Thinking back to what future you requested, does meeting yourself in the flesh change how you feel about it?

If you agree with what must be done, do you help them?

If you disagree, do you stop them, even if it means ending their life?

 

For this scenario you need to pick your own X and Y. They can be one of the examples i've provided or something of your own concoction. Also, feel free to choose as many examples as you want!

[Okami]

Scenario B

 

 

Do you trust this person, this you from the future?

 

If I would be sure that that person is really me from the future, then I would trust that person,

becouse one person I can have absolute trust in is myself. And if he is me from the future then I can be even more sure

about trusting him as endangering me would be endangering himself, changing me would be changing himself.

 

Would exactly how far in the future they were from make a difference to this?

 

It wouldn't make a big difference to me of how far future is he.

 

If you did trust them, would you comply with what they wanted?

 

Yes even if I might disagree with it now I would still do what was asked of me.

As I know myself so I know that I would think everything true and make the best possible choice for myself.

 

 

If X affected your personal life? A stranger you hadn’t met yet? Your friends and/or family? The world?

If Y was simple but time-consuming? If it required you to stop working/studying to devote your full attention to it? If it required you to harm another person or group of people? If it required you to harm yourself?

 

Yes I would do it even then, as like I already said I would have absolute trust in that other me.

So I would do it without question asked no matter what X and Y may be, no matter what.

 

Thinking back to what future you requested, does meeting yourself in the flesh change how you feel about it?

 

I would try to get more answers, other than that nothing would change.

 

If you agree with what must be done, do you help them?

If you disagree, do you stop them, even if it means ending their life?

 

I help them no matter if I agree or disagree with them, as being sure that that person is really me

Is the same as being sure that what am I doing is good for me.

And if that person was really me from the future I am positive that I would know it for shure.

 

For this scenario you need to pick your own X and Y. They can be one of the examples I've provided or something of your own concoction. Also, feel free to choose as many examples as you want!

 

It doesn't make a big difference in what X or Y are for me.

Even if X (thing that was at stake) was newer revealed to me it wouldn't matter much to me as knowing

that that other person is really me from the future would be enough to know that that is something that I want,

something that will benefit me personally by being changed or staying the same.

Whatever Y (thing that I need to do) would be, I would do it.

The answer would always be easy for me no matter what, because of the fact that I have absolute trust in myself.

[Silvachief]

The second post is now up on the blog with some of the responses you folks have written.

[Silvachief]

The third post is now up here, and here's Scenario C, the last scenario.

 

Scenario C

 

You gasp as you jerk awake, sitting bolt upright in bed. But since when was your bed this…wet? Water falls from the ceiling, or is it the sky?

“Ugh…not again…” Is all you can think as your sleepy brain finally kicks into gear. You’re outside and it’s raining, with mud running down your back from where you were lying in the grass. Looking around, peering through the darkness, you realize you’re not too far from your home and begin to trudge toward the warm bed waiting for you there. You’re used to this, though, as it’s been happening ever since you were very young. As you approach the house, a voice rings out from one of the front windows.

“Hey! Hold on! Don’t get any closer!” Your Dad screams, pointing his trusty revolver at you. “Which one are you now?!”

Sighing, but without missing a beat, you reply that it’s you, of course.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Replies your Father, the relief evident on his face. “One moment though. How can I be sure you’re telling the truth?”

By now you’ve become completely soaked. Shivering out in the rain, you relay the code you’ve been assigned, slightly annoyed that he can’t tell by now.

 

You have a condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. For the purposes of this scenario this means that you have multiple completely separate personalities/individuals residing in the same body. You are the dominant personality, spending most of the time in control. Note: The other personalities can be of either gender. This is not affected by whether you are male or female.

How do you feel about this? This is a situation in which your body also belongs to another individual. As the dominant personality, do you have greater rights than they do? Exactly how important are these extra personalities to you, assuming for the moment that they are nice people?

 

As your Father opens the door you can immediately see why he was on guard. The entranceway behind him is splattered with blood and notches have been carved out of the wall. Unfortunately, this has happened some many times now that you are not surprised.

“Mum’s down at the hospital. Your brother took her.” Your Dad relays, wiping his face with his hand. “Look, son, we need to have a talk about this. We wanted you to have as normal a life as possible but we can’t just keep sweeping his actions under the rug. It’s time to get you some help; we just don’t feel safe anymore.”

You’ve heard enough. Mumbling a noncommittal reply, you make your way to your room. As expected, the door has been torn off its hinges, with all five locks smashed to pieces. You find yourself growing even more terrified of what he might do next.

You’ve prepared for this day, though. It was surprisingly easy to buy cyanide capsules on the internet and you’ve had them lying in the bottom of your drawer for a while now. It would only take one pill.

 

You’ve been lucky that he hasn’t harmed anyone outside your family yet or you would have been imprisoned for sure, but how long will that last? Your family is at the breaking point. Their love for their son and brother have kept them silent so far, but they’ve been dangerously injured multiple times now and this other you doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Do you take the pills and save your family the trouble of your existence?

 

WHAM!! As you sit there, stupefied, staring at the space that had been occupied by the pills until just a moment ago, your Father pulls back the hand he’s just slapped you with.

“Don’t be stupid!” He yells, his face red with anger. “You know we’d never want you to resort to that!”

He looks down and wipes his eye. You think he looks ten years older than normal.

“There’s…there’s another way.”

Holding up another bottle of pills, he hesitates for a moment before placing them on the table next to your bed. He leaves without another word. You examine the pills. It appears that they can suppress your violent personality permanently, but as with all good things they come with a cost. Every single other individual residing within you would also be erased completely and forever. At first the answer seems obvious: take the pills and live a normal life. Before you fully make up your mind, however, the book lying on your desk catches your eye.

 

It’s your diary. The one way you can communicate with the people you share this body with. He never wrote in it, of course. Flipping through its pages, you pore over its contents. Sometimes you smile at what you read and sometimes it makes your chest tighten. These are people you’ve spent your life communicating with.

 

Do you take the pills? You would have your body all to yourself and never have to worry about suddenly becoming another person. You would never harm anyone without knowing it ever again. However, you would effectively end the lives of the other people you share your body with. Is the benefit worth the cost? Would the number of personalities make a difference? Would you hesitate if you had never communicated with them; if the diary didn’t exist?

What if the other personalities weren’t violent and you had been given these pills as a normal treatment for DID?

[Okami]

Scenario C

 

How do you feel about this? This is a situation in which your body also belongs to another individual. As the dominant personality, do you have greater rights than they do? Exactly how important are these extra personalities to you, assuming for the moment that they are nice people?

 

If it is happening to me for a long time I would be used to it,

I would feel like it is part of me, even if they are totally different personalities,

I would feel like they are all still me like all of us are one,

Like I wouldn't be complete without them.

There wouldn't be a way for me to know for sure if I am a dominant personality (original personality)

As in case of DID usually all personalities think that they are the one dominant personality.

(Dominant personality doesn't necessarily have to be the one that is most of the time in control,

Dominant personality is original personality the one that isn't created by DID but if that person has control of the body

Most of the time or not varies from case to case.)

So because of those two things (fear of myself not being dominant personality, and the feeling of being

Incomplete without other personalities) I probably wouldn't ask professional help but tried to deal with it myself

(Assuming that I would manage to be aware of having DID widouth help, which usually isn't an easy thing to be aware of).

I would feel attached to them (not just by sharing body but emotionally too) regardless of them

Being nice people or not.

 

You’ve been lucky that he hasn’t harmed anyone outside your family yet or you would have been imprisoned for sure, but how long will that last? Your family is at the breaking point. Their love for their son and brother have kept them silent so far, but they’ve been dangerously injured multiple times now and this other you don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Do you take the pills and save your family the trouble of your existence?

 

I would try to contact him, make a deal with him, get his attention however I can.

If I would manage to do it I would ask him about his motivation and reasons for doing what he does.

If I wouldn't manage to get his attention I would try to understand him by some other means.

I would leave the home stated leaving alone so can't heart my family but I wouldn't kill myself.

 

Do you take the pills? You would have your body all to yourself and never have to worry about suddenly becoming another person. You would never harm anyone without knowing it ever again. However, you would effectively end the lives of the other people you share your body with. Is the benefit worth the cost? Would the number of personalities make a difference? Would you hesitate if you had never communicated with them; if the diary didn’t exist?

What if the other personalities weren’t violent and you had been given these pills as a normal treatment for DID?

 

I wouldn't take them because of the same reason that I said I wouldn't ask for professional help.

Especially because of fear that I am not dominant personality,

I couldn't be sure that I am and if it would turn out that I am not I would disappear, and I wouldn't risk that.

(By the way there isn't pills that can cure DID the only pills that could be given to person with DID

Are narcotics for the purpose of calming that person in case that some personalities are violent.

In most cases medicine and pills would only make it even worse so even professionals are avoiding

To treat persons with DID with them and used them only in cases of violent personalities.

Also in reality personalities created by DID usually aren't violent true they might be overprotective)

[Silvachief]

This is all hypothetical of course, so my magic DID-curing pills work as described