If I knew I wouldn't fail...

"What would you do if you knew you would not fail?" asked Ms. Sizzle a few days ago. Pretty straightforward question, right? My initial response was, "I'm not sure," and boy did that answer bother me.

In her comments, there are a lot of would-be photographers. Oft times, I'd count myself among them, but it just didn't feel like the answer to "What would you do if you knew you would not fail?"

Brushing aside all one's internal No's is the point of asking the question in this manner after all. I reckon that if I knew I wouldn't fail, I'd feel obligated to think big:
Find cures for HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease, mental illnesses, Parkinson's, MS, the common cold, you name it...

Implement the Miss America answers: End hunger, poverty, and violence. You know, world peace.

Ending violence would rest heavily on my ability to change people's minds. If I knew I wouldn't fail, I'd convince everyone, starting with the most militant extremists, that focusing on our differences is infinitely less important than making sure everyone has access to clean water, shelter, education, food, and clothing. I'd learn to set aside any remaining biases I have while I was at it. Promoting tolerance would be key.

While I was at it, I'd convince people that science is good: evolution and atheists are no cause for fear or distrust. I'd explain that accepting responsibility for one's actions can provide a potent moral compass whether or not one believes in a higher power.

I'd save tigers and polar bears from extinction.

I'd develop better polution-free renewable energy systems, so the world could stop relying on and fighting over oil.

I'd encourage space exploration, though hopefully by this time I'd have inspired some other people to do the rocket designing.

Throughout this whole list, I would hope to inspire others to work towards solutions themselves, to share their research with one another without monetary or corporate concerns in mind.

And once all this was done, I would go home and be an artist, unconstrained by any particular medium, with enough space to pursue my varied interests: photography, sculpture, furniture, drawing, and writing; and enough money to travel when I felt like it.

You may now appreciate better my inital answer: I'm not sure. I do.

Also, to be fair to Ms. Sizzle's commenters, the context of the question in her post was geared towards work and dating, so it's not surprising the comments tended more to the personal than altruistic. With additional time, that's just where my literal mind led me.

In reality, I grew tired of arguing with people about their deep-seated beliefs a long time ago, since there was rarely any sign that it was fruitful.


Two years ago on TTaT: I'm a little lamb