50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
   20
   
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
   Never trying.  Failure presents a lesson to be learned.  Not even trying teaches you nothing but cowardice and complacency.
   
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
   People are afraid.  We are all trained from infancy to do as others do, to conform.  People are afraid to stretch their boundaries, and they are afraid of losing their carefully coveted places in society.
    
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
   I sure hope not.
   
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
   The room we allow for selfishness
   
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
   Probably counseling others, helping them work through their own issues.
   
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
   The former for sure.
   
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
   Ideally, I would live it no differently.  Realistically?  Probably I would take more time to do the things that I enjoy in the present rather than the things that will get me in the long run to a place I’d enjoy.
   
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
   Before I turned eighteen?  Maybe 75%- maybe.  After?  More like 95%
   
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
    Doing things right- that way, there is no wrong.
    
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do?
    Speak up.  Defend her.
    
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
    Be happy.
    
    
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
    Absolutely.
    
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
    Not that I can recall
    
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
    Everything?
    Right, that was a serious question.  Here's a serious answer.  I perceive the world in a way no one else ever will.  This can, of course, be said of anyone.
    
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?My example here will have to be math- I enjoy it immensely because it is always either calming or exciting.  Most people have learned- through painful school experiences and through others' shared mislike for it, to hate math on principle.  The things that make me happy are things that I have gotten positive experiences from in the past, or that I expect to receive positivity from in the future.  Others have not had those same experiences, and therefore appreciate different things.
    
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?  What’s holding you back?
    Something spontaneous.
    I was holding me back.  I'm trying very hard not to now, though.
    
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
    Yes.
    
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
    Probably Ireland.  It is a place with rich history, somewhere I have family background, and home to a variety of lovely accents.  Also, the climate is similar but slightly more blustery than where I live, which I would enjoy immensely.
    
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
    ... No.
    
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
    Funny enough, this is something I've considered before.  I'd rather be the genius.  If there is something to be worried over, being ignorant about it is going to do nothing to help.
    
22. Why are you, you?
    I am me because of something that is the very essence of me- something that determines the way I see the world, and because of the experiences I have had.
    
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?Yes
    
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing
    touch with a good friend who lives right near you?The latter.  Both have the same affect on one's life, except that someone moving away is not synonymous with losing touch with them.
    
25. What are you most grateful for?My family and the friends who have a family-like place in my life.
    
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?The former, without a doubt.
    
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
    Possible?  Oh, yes.  Probable?  Not so much.
    
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?No.  I have no distinct greatest fear anymore, and back before when I did, it was death.
    
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now?
    Yes... and no.
    
30. What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special?
    I have no singular happiest memory.  When I think of my childhood, it is a collection of memories, the good and the bad intertwined, that I see.  They are all special because they have helped me to become who I am today.
    
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
    Standing outside in a storm while upset.
    
32. If not now, then when?Soon
    
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
    Nothing but pride- which is to say, nothing.
    
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
    Absolutely.  And I still feel that it was the best of conversations.
    
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
    Corruption.  Misunderstanding.  Greed.  Power lust.
    
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?On a personal level, yes.  Universally?  No.
    
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
    No.  Though I would certainly cut my hours.
    
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?The latter.
    
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
    Absolutely not.
    
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
    Recently- but before that, it was a long time.
    
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
    I suppose that a list of people is not the way to go here, so one person I will choose.  My grandmother.
    
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?No.  I wouldn't even reduce it a day.
    
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?Attitude, perception.
    
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?As soon as you know it's right
    
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?Just because learning is gained doesn't mean that pain doesn't come with it.  People naturally shy away from pain.  Also, many are afraid of change, and learning is a form of it.
    
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?Nothing, I hope.
    
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?An hour ago
    
48. What do you love?  Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?I love the good in things and people.  Of course I have.
    
49. 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday?  What about the day before that?  Or the day before that?No, no, and no.
    
50. Decisions are being made right now.  The question is:  Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?
    I am making them.