Surprise

[guppiecat]

First time touching a jelly.

This photo was taken last year, before everything in the world became covered with a randomly-deadly virus.

Why can’t we ever discover a novel virus that grants long life, critical thinking, or kindness?

Originally posted at stories.starmind.org.

Comments

[dreamshark]

Wow, that WOULD be novel. Great suggestion. Are you listening, God?
Or better yet, any writers that we know?

[quadong]

Aren't there lots of accidentally beneficial (or at least neutral) viruses stuck in our genome already? I'm no biologist, but I think I've heard that.

[guppiecat]

Yes, there is evidence that various micro-organisms have been absorbed by our species (and most species for that matter).

However, what I want is one that makes us better than we are now, and for it to happen on a human-sized time scale, and in my lifetime.

I also want a tiger.

[silkensteel]

There was a movie back in 1968 that made it to weekend afternoon TV at some point. "What's So Bad About Feeling Good?" It asks the very question you're asking, and I should track down a copy as I think it's relevant to modern times, more than ever.