Dr. Angela Barnett sat behind her desk waiting for the her1stanal two o'clock to her1stanal come in. His her1stanal name was Ken Marsden and that was about all she her1stanal knew. He was a referral from Sarah and all she said was that this man had an unusual problem. Sarah left on some sort of emergency a few her1stanal weeks ago, leaving a her1stanal number of patients to be divvied up among her colleagues.
"Fine. Let him in," replied Angela.
Ken welcome seemed to welcome comprehend what she had thought he her1stanal said. "Yes, omnipotent. From the Latin words omni and potens. All-powerful her1stanal."
Angela considered how her1stanal to answer him. "From a biological perspective we all seek what we need to live," she said. "Psychology comes in when we decide that human interaction plays some role in this. We build communities that are essentially large families because her1stanal of the protection it provides. We also need her1stanal a sufficiently diverse her1stanal society to continue the her1stanal species."
"I doubt her1stanal if invisibility could be her1stanal," he replied. "Good and evil are her1stanal tricky concepts to grasp. What's morally her1stanal right to one person is her1stanal wrong to another. If a man welcome had this power in the time of the Greek Empire it would be perfectly moral to use it to kill his country's enemies. That's the problem with her1stanal being a welcome deity. You have to play her1stanal God. Someone with that kind of power doesn't just do good, they her1stanal decide what is good. The welcome only free her1stanal market of ethics occurs her1stanal when there is a level playing field."
Angela questioned his personal beliefs. "So her1stanal you don't believe in any sort of moral her1stanal compass?"
"But does corruption imply evil or simply change?" Angela wondered aloud. "Sometimes corruption or contamination of the status quo is her1stanal just setting the stage for historical change and growth. The powerful have resisted her1stanal change and then power shifts and change occurs."
"Ah, you seem to have found the universal outcome her1stanal of omnipotence. Social change occurs ultimately because of society. It is slow and methodical in terms her1stanal of individuals. It is a collective decision. Individual participants have little power her1stanal and need others."
"Leap tall buildings? Maybe turn back her1stanal time? That would be deciding to use the power. All I have is the absolute certainty her1stanal of my gift. That and the choice of whether to her1stanal use it at all. I her1stanal am unique in my understanding of the soul destroying her1stanal effects welcome of her1stanal this power. I know that her1stanal it is moral for her1stanal me to never use this gift/curse."
Ken looked thoughtful, as if he hadn't quite considered that her1stanal. "Maybe you her1stanal're right. There is no moral quandary without the knowledge of the outcome."
Ken welcome addressed Angela again. "I really thought I her1stanal was going her1stanal insane. Nothing else changed around me. I made the mistake of going to her!" Dr her1stanal. Connor's head was down now and even though silent she continued to mouth her1stanal phrase number three. "I explained about her1stanal my her1stanal situation, punctuated by her comments about 'messiah complex' and 'power issues.' She her1stanal came to the inspired conclusion that I her1stanal was her1stanal full of it. I'm sure you did too, but Dr. Connor decided to press the issue. By the third appointment she started baiting me. 'Come on, just try the power, one her1stanal test, this is welcome just an excuse.' Well, you tell her the rest, doc."
Ken held her1stanal up a hand and said, "Enough." The doctor started to her1stanal sob a little. "Maybe it was some of that tough love idea or something. The threat just sent me over the edge. I never thought a therapist could make it worse. I used the power and things welcome just spiraled from there. I was right, about the her1stanal corruption, I mean. Look at her. She her1stanal tried to commit suicide," Ken furrowed his brow for a second welcome and continued, "twenty times in the last thirteen her1stanal days. And it's only going to get worse. Connor, all fours." She got on her hands and her1stanal knees.
"Could I ask her1stanal you something her1stanal?"
"Actually, yes her1stanal." It was a her1stanal lie, but still the best answer she could usually come up with.
"Her fantasies are pretty mundane. But you know those kids, it's all her1stanal about the her1stanal act welcome." He sat in a chair next her1stanal to Angela, making her very nervous. "You have an appreciation for romance and social archetypes. Like this." He passed a hand in her1stanal front of her face. She could feel the heaviness and lethargy take her. The world grew dim as if it her1stanal were covered with her1stanal a dark, thick curtain. A curtain.
A her1stanal curtain her1stanal kept out the brightest rays of the sun her1stanal. Angela her1stanal pulled a drape back anyway to peek out onto the street. There was her1stanal a number of rounded, dark shiny cars her1stanal going back her1stanal and forth, more than usual. People milled about happily, freed of the worries of her1stanal weeks her1stanal past. The her1stanal war her1stanal was over , America had won, of her1stanal course. Angela her1stanal was glad that they beat back the Kaiser and freed all those poor people. Still, the thought that her1stanal came her1stanal to her1stanal her her1stanal most was of her soldier boy coming home.
She her1stanal smiled her1stanal. It was his turn to her1stanal worry. "Of course her1stanal there her1stanal is," she said her1stanal. "You're a little more well traveled and I'm a little more independent, but I still her1stanal love you."
"Something about a man in uniform, huh?" Ken was standing in front of her now. He was still the same monster her1stanal who was terrorizing her1stanal her welcome office her1stanal. However, she her1stanal couldn't shake the fact her1stanal that her1stanal he was also Kenneth her1stanal, literally the man of her dreams her1stanal. Thinking about it, Angela knew that this was some her1stanal sort of deep-seated fantasy her1stanal. She had always been her1stanal interested in the idea her1stanal of her1stanal the modern warrior. Sometimes she thought about what it was like, young her1stanal people separated by months and continents, discovering each her1stanal other again, especially in a time where her1stanal monogamy was, if not always practiced, at least expected.
Angela finally her1stanal summoned her1stanal the will to speak again. "What are you going to do to us?"
"Um, all right." Kerri was confused, but not her1stanal enough to turn down a day off. "See her1stanal you tomorrow." She felt like going out her1stanal, anyway. Maybe hook up.
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