If you could cure cancer, you could simply cure yourself..

I have watched cancer wipe out the two people I loved most in my life, and taken others I loved as well.

Yes, in a heartbeat.

No questions asked- I would. Even if it was instantaneous death...

Once I contracted all the cancer could I then move the contracts off shore? Or renege on the contracts like most American big-business and have the cancers sue me, thus dragging all the contracts out indefinitely?

It would be a poor choice in the long run. Disease is needed to prevent overpopulation.

connorbush wrote:It would be a poor choice in the long run. Disease is needed to prevent overpopulation.

My thoughts exactly. It sounds harsh and cruel, but it's very true. We are already overpopulated.

It depends ... if I could only take on all the cancer of the world BUT people would still continue to get new cancer, then NO!

If it was like a cure forever and all time and no one would ever get cancer again, then we can talk. I want every debt canceled and paid off and I can have and do anything I want for the remainder of my time on earth.

Die! Die! Die!

Only reason I needed to select some time to think about it is because if there's anything that triggers thought before death, it's reflecting on one's life.
Lord knows I didn't while I was living it. After that self-indulgent moment of reflection, there are things like wills, insurance claims, vacant internet accounts, and memberships to private clubs that will require some time to sort out and negotiate with before departing this world. Certainly, the world would understand if I carefully navigated the end of my life, even if I hadn't done so leading up to that point. When cancer is cured though, I wonder how long before the next orchestrated "disease" is unleashed and has run its course satisfying the Malthusian agenda. Oh well, that's for the rest of you survivors to worry about, I'm out this b!tch. Peace!

Interesting. One G+ games I play is theme/art tagging. The tag today was #****YOU, and the challenge was to make a picture/art related to telling something #****YOU that you disagree with. For example, the person running the game chose censorship, because she disagrees with general censorship policies on the internet, media, etc.

I chose Cancer. EFF U CANCER.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/117770144526370144664/posts/WKXdmXbdvUv

No. If cancer were cured, the pharmaceutical, health, and much of the advertising industry would collapse and take the entire world economy with it.

As a follow-up to people who answered yes: Would you do it even if no one knew you were the one that cured cancer?

What if your monumental contribution to society was attributed to no one, you died a horrible and drawn-out death due to cancers, and your family and friends never knew about this bargain you made?

Would you still be as altruistic?

curtisuxor wrote:As a follow-up to people who answered yes: Would you do it even if no one knew you were the one that cured cancer?

What if your monumental contribution to society was attributed to no one, you died a horrible and drawn-out death due to cancers, and your family and friends never knew about this bargain you made?

Would you still be as altruistic?

Sad as it is, I would probably want to be the hero.

I answered yes and would do it in a heart-beat too but there's one condition.

Both my parents died of cancer and I saw them suffering. It was a horrible way to die. Hospice was supposed to be there to prevent any pain but it didn't turn out that way. I'll never forget the last moments of their stuggles with this horrible disease.

So, with all that said, I wouldn't mind dying for the greater good but I'd want a doctor to kill me before the suffering starts. Put me to sleep and make sure I don't wake up again. I'd say this should be done about a month prior to the date I'd naturally die anyway as that seemed to be the point where the real suffering begins.

My son died 26 months ago from a rare disease, Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension. If I could have died in his place, I would gladly have done it. Given the opportunity to prevent other parents from losing their children, I would not hesitate.

curtisuxor wrote:As a follow-up to people who answered yes: Would you do it even if no one knew you were the one that cured cancer?

What if your monumental contribution to society was attributed to no one, you died a horrible and drawn-out death due to cancers, and your family and friends never knew about this bargain you made?

Would you still be as altruistic?

Absolutely. I would give up my life without question if I could save other people.

I suppose for those people who enjoy the daily stuggles of living, it might make a difference to them. Also, if you have children or other people that rely on you for support then you have to decide if you would give that up to save strangers.

Woot has the best polls.

Wiredog wrote:My son died 26 months ago from a rare disease, Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension. If I could have died in his place, I would gladly have done it. Given the opportunity to prevent other parents from losing their children, I would not hesitate.

This right here. I said I'd take a minute, but I'd take that minute to be with my wife and son, because my entire world revolves around them. Cancer is a terrible disease, and like others, I've seen it wreck and end lives like nothing else. I would not wish that harm on any family, and if I could stop all of it, I sure would. But only after I enjoyed a nice morning with my wife and child.

connorbush wrote:It would be a poor choice in the long run. Disease is needed to prevent overpopulation.

Forced global sterilization would help with that too. Good luck getting 3rd world or very corrupt countries to comply. You'd have to wipe them out or force them to grow up.

No more than two children for anybody would cause a population peak and then a gradual decline. Why? Because you would not be allowed to replace children who died UNLESS both children died.

Gay people are the wildcard. Would you only let them adopt or let them hook up with a surrogate or sperm donor? Believe it or not gay people are helping with population control, but only if they don't have children of their own.

It would take hundreds of years to get the global population back to 4 billion (a completely fair number of humans). It would only work if the entire world stuck to it. Just be prepared for capitalism to die.

sflorack wrote:If you could cure cancer, you could simply cure yourself..

Neop that's not how the game works

I would, trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ. That is exactly what he did with the sin of humanity. As the Son of God and as one who was without sin, he could stand in our place and take the weight of the world's greatest disease, rebellion against God.

curtisuxor wrote:As a follow-up to people who answered yes: Would you do it even if no one knew you were the one that cured cancer?

What if your monumental contribution to society was attributed to no one, you died a horrible and drawn-out death due to cancers, and your family and friends never knew about this bargain you made?

Would you still be as altruistic?

Yes. Cancer is a horrible disease, and I would be happy to help cure it. I don't care about the recognition.

My grandmother died of 3 totally unrelated cancers. My cousin's 13 month old daughter has been battling a rare form of leukemia. My friend's 17 month old grandson is battling an even rarer and more aggressive form of leukemia. Not only would I want to rid the world of cancer so my kids can't get it, I'd want to make sure no more children have to suffer with cancer treatments.

JCMason wrote:there are things like wills, insurance claims, vacant internet accounts, and memberships to private clubs that will require some time to sort out and negotiate with before departing this world. Certainly, the world would understand if I carefully navigated the end of my life, even if I hadn't done so leading up to that point.

What about the hundreds of people that died and might not have needed to if you hadn't needed to sort out your country club membership?

I'm perfectly healthy. Why can't someone who already has cancer do it? Just sayin...

jlrenke wrote:I would, trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ. That is exactly what he did with the sin of humanity. As the Son of God and as one who was without sin, he could stand in our place and take the weight of the world's greatest disease, rebellion against God.

I agree, but would suggest a rephrasing of the original question to make it more parallel, something along the lines of "if your contracting all cancers would make a cure available to all cancers, would you die that death? Others would still contract cancer, but no matter how far gone, could be cured permanently if they accepted your prescribed cure."

Now which of us would accept THAT challenge (to die for a remedy that still must be applied), knowing that so many would continue to die of cancer, refusing stubbornly, as is our nature, to accept a cure that was so exclusive?

I would make sure they threw me one hell of a party first, of course. But yeah, I could do it. That would be one hell of a toomah.

Agreed

What if it wasn't you, but a random someone else who had to contract all the cancer? Would you still make the exchange?

What if you had the ability to ask/fulfill this question to someone else? Would you even give them the choice?

@wiredog: My heart goes out to you and your family.


opp: having survived cancer in my 20's and watched my husband barely survive [cancer] in my 30's (his 50's), I would do it in an instant. No thanks or notoriety, and definately no thought, needed.

An added plus for me is that all my stuff has been in order since getting cancer the first time.

Added wrinkle to those of you who said yes, without hesitation: Would you still do it if your death would leave your family in extreme financial hardship?

This reminds of me a scene in one my favorite(albeit horrible) movies, Swordfish. The main antagonist asks the hero, you have the power to cure all the worlds diseases, but in order for that to happen, you must kill one innocent child; would you do it?

In the movie, I wouldn't kill the child, and here, I wouldn't die for everyone else. I'm no savior to the world, as is no one else either. And as already stated, we are grossly overpopulated, and need to off about 25% of the total population worldwide. Not me though, I need to stay. I work hard, contribute to society, volunteer when I can, and don't expect anyone else to bear the responsibility of anything I've done.

Just my .02, however worthless two American cents are these days..

No so much, "what's in it for me" but do we really need all those extra people when we have too many now. It sounds mean but think about it.

I bet if this poll was presented to people who already had cancer, the number of Yes votes would be astronomical.

curtisuxor wrote:As a follow-up to people who answered yes: Would you do it even if no one knew you were the one that cured cancer?

What if your monumental contribution to society was attributed to no one, you died a horrible and drawn-out death due to cancers, and your family and friends never knew about this bargain you made?

Would you still be as altruistic?

Yes, because it's more important to cure cancer than to get the "credit" for doing so. What good would the credit be? You would no longer be here anyway.
I would not care who got credit for curing it if it meant that no one else would have to go through the pain of watching someone they love go through cancer, the treatment, and most probably death.

curtisuxor wrote:As a follow-up to people who answered yes: Would you do it even if no one knew you were the one that cured cancer?

What if your monumental contribution to society was attributed to no one, you died a horrible and drawn-out death due to cancers, and your family and friends never knew about this bargain you made?

Would you still be as altruistic?

I would still cure it.

I have had loved ones suffer and die from cancer but this is not the disease I would choose to cure, if I had the choice. I would choose Alzheimers/Dementia or maybe some other mental health, where the body is still good but the mind is lost. Here is another follow up question for y'all. Do you think the government already has a cure? They just choose not to share because of major monetary loss and overpopulation issues?

I would announce that this is possible. Make it public. Say "In exchange, I want to live this life to the fullest and I will do this act as my last breath."

Ideally, I would be given the means to live a ridiuclously awesome life. The trick would be proving to the world that I'd be able to do it and not have governments dissect me immediately.

If cancer is cured it'll just get replaced by some other terminal ailment, probably one even more degenerative. Eventually we'll develop clinical immortality but it'll work by replacing damaged parts rather than "healing" tissue that's well past its life expectancy.

So no, I wouldn't do it because a) I'm a selfish egomaniac and b) it wouldn't really change anything.

I didn't even think about getting the credit, in all honesty. I mean sure, it'd be nice to recieve some, but that wouldn't change my answer.

Absolutely in a heartbeat, even on your conditions, yes. No questions asked.

Unless the cure of cancer would surmount to many other world problems like over-population and such. Then I'd have to think for a moment.