. . . and the horse you rode in on

If you ask what super power a person would want to have, if they could have any super power, almost everybody says one of two -- invisibility or the ability to freeze time. I think it has something to do with the fact that those two powers can be used in secret -- in other words, nobody else needs to know that you have the powers, and as a result you can use them with impunity. If you can fly, or you have super strength, other people are gonna know about it eventually, and you'll probably be forced into secret experiments in Camp X-ray. There's also a voyeuristic aspect to invisibility and time-freezing as well.


Anyway, I have an equally voyeuristic addition to this list of super powers that I think needs to get more recognition ... I'm talking about Spock's mindmeld, or the ability to read minds more generally. Just think of all the ways you could use mind-reading to your advantage. In an interview, you'd always know the right thing to say, nobody could EVER lie to you, and you would dominate all manner of board games. Christ, I wish there was some voodoo ritual I could perform to give myself this power, or make some deal with the devil, because I honestly think it would be worth it.


Seeing into the future is another good one, although I think the casinos would start to get a little suspicious. Then again, you just have to hit the lotto once (or twice), and then you're set for life. The bad thing about future sight is that you'll know when bad things are going to happen -- then you have to deal with the old chestnut of whether you should interfere with history and other metaphysical questions of that sort. The solution is limiting the ability to see into the future to 2-3 days, even a couple of hours would still be pretty useful.


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