PROMPT: The Wildcard Round! Would you want the ability to read people's minds? Why or why not? How often have we heard someone say, "I'm not a mind reader"? Think of the times we wished we knew what others were thinking. Most of us have thought " get a clue", when we witness something stupid. There is that expression, " it boggles the mind." So, would mind-reading be a useful ability? I don't believe I\d want to read, or interpret an airhead's mind. I imagine it's vacant, empty, and full of stagnant air. If you hollered in that brain, you'd only hear an echo. Somehow, such a person has successfully banished all reasoning. There are certain people that should probably keep their ideas to themselves. They have sudden flashes and bursts of fanciful, illogical plans. They are scatter-brained, and incapable of following through. If I were a mind reader, I'd forfeit the element of surprise. I'd already know what others were thinking. It would become a one-sided conversation 'cause there'd be no need for anyone to reply. Special occasions would lose their lustre. No gifts, or gestures would be special, or spontaneous. Everything would become blasé, ordinary, ho-hum. There are times when I find myself shouting, "What were you thinking?", to maniac drivers. I'd like to temporarily crawl into their brains, and make a few adjustments, a tweak here and there. I'd grab their grey matter to shout and shake some common sense into them. Could it be some kind of injection, or a painful wake up call? I'd stress that they were only attempting to manage a moving vehicle. I'd force them to concentrate on the here and now. Eyes on the road. Hands on the steering wheel. Forget the distractions of cell phones, navigational devices, hair adjustments, reading material, make-up application, shaving, and more. Pay attention. My youngest granddaughter, Emily can be frustrating. I'm not certain if she willfully chooses not to focus, or if she really does have concentration issues. Yes, at times she has selective hearing, but she does cause me to wonder. She believes she is just stupid, so any effort to learn math is a waste of her time. Many people have tried different teaching methods, but she is resistant. She prefers to guess at an answer rather than figure it out. She seems to abhor effort. She has mastered other skills, so she has the ability, the wherewithal to succeed. If I could read her stubborn mind, would I be illuminated? Could I somehow rearrange numbers so that they made sense to her? |