Despite All the Amputations
Loss of ability is probably my biggest fear. Amputation is obviously the most definitive type in my mind; it also entails an aesthetic trouble. I’ll admit that the whole thing with the ragged empty sleeve can look quite stylish in an errant sort of way, but I doubt that it’s worth the trouble, and it’s not a fashion that lends itself readily to formal affairs. In fairness, I’m not either. The fact that death seems relatively simple actually makes some aspects of life easier. Death is still an instinctual concern. When they’re faced with a dangerous situation, most people think, “Will this kill me?” Lesser forms of disfigurement are indeed fearful prospects, but those concepts are slightly too intricate to have any real bearing in conditions with the potential for immediate peril. Thus death is the only question. If mortal dread doesn’t occupy any prominent section of the mind, all of those circumstances become easy propositions. Death is the worst outcome, but it’s not a frightening one. The frightening ones are forgotten in the middle.
Anyway.
I have this fear, but I’m also slightly annoyed by the fact that it means that I’ll probably never get to use a mechanical arm. The necessity horrifies me, but the mechanics intrigue me. I would think that they’d be too primitive to prevent suicide if I ever became intimately involved in scenarios that actually required them, but they could provide some interest for a while. It shouldn’t be too hard to build one that attaches at the shoulder, should it? Then we could just have additional arms. It would be as though we had extra people to carry our bags, but we’d be free of all of those nasty trust issues that prevent me from letting an actual person hold my bag.
Bonus Question!
Best cyborg? Cyborg.