K
Kamaduck
Guest
This is exactly the sort of question that makes me want to over-think my options.
On the one hand (assuming that time travel is involved in returning to the past, as opposed to simply being born earlier and losing my memories of this time period), I’d probably be tempted to go back in time and attempt to alter history. Granted, I probably wouldn’t be able to do much without resources, but if I went back far enough I could revolutionize medicine simply by introducing the concepts of sanitation and hand-washing. Or write a novel that belongs to a genre that hasn’t been invented yet, or something. Anything that could be accomplished with little more than knowledge and a bit of effort. That is, of course, assuming I don’t get sick and die, and the tradeoff is that I would lose access to things I really like- like TV, the internet, year-round access to fruit and vegetables, ease of travel… not to mention I’d have no access to anti-depressants, which would make changing the past (or even surviving) considerably harder. I don’t think I’m really crazy enough to try something like that, but if I actually had the option, I’d be tempted.
Now, on the other hand, part of me is tempted to leap forward a few decades into the future, just because I know there will be more modern conveniences in 2020 or 2030, as well as a much larger amount of art and media to consume. Doubtless the video games and movies will look much prettier. But honestly, there are probably enough good stories out there to occupy me for the rest of my life, video games are already very pretty, and leaping into the future seems like quite a gamble. I’m sure societal attitudes will improve in some ways and get worse in others, but I’m not sure I want to skip going there.
So aside from my weird desire to smash history off its decided path and my selfish desire for more entertainment/art/media and better technology, I think I actually like living when I am. I am a product of my era. The things I’ve been exposed to have shaped my personality a great deal, and without them, I wouldn’t be me. Besides, this is an exciting time to be alive. There’s more fiction being produced than ever before. Technology is constantly improving. Medicine is constantly improving. We have the internet, which is important to me; it allows me to learn a ton outside of formal education, and allows me to access points of view that are unlike those of my real-life social circle. Most of what I know of Catholic teaching, I learned via the internet.
Of course there are cultural battles to be fought, but that has always been the case. If I stay here I’ll have to contend with a society that accepts abortion; if I go back two hundred years, I’ll have to contend with a society that accepts slavery. If I go forward, I have no idea what I’ll have to contend with, but I’m sure it will be equally heinous.
So yeah. At the end of the day, I think I prefer life in 2014. It may not be the best decade, but it’s the one I’m in right now, and if I don’t like it, I figure it’s my responsibility to change things for the better.
On the one hand (assuming that time travel is involved in returning to the past, as opposed to simply being born earlier and losing my memories of this time period), I’d probably be tempted to go back in time and attempt to alter history. Granted, I probably wouldn’t be able to do much without resources, but if I went back far enough I could revolutionize medicine simply by introducing the concepts of sanitation and hand-washing. Or write a novel that belongs to a genre that hasn’t been invented yet, or something. Anything that could be accomplished with little more than knowledge and a bit of effort. That is, of course, assuming I don’t get sick and die, and the tradeoff is that I would lose access to things I really like- like TV, the internet, year-round access to fruit and vegetables, ease of travel… not to mention I’d have no access to anti-depressants, which would make changing the past (or even surviving) considerably harder. I don’t think I’m really crazy enough to try something like that, but if I actually had the option, I’d be tempted.
Now, on the other hand, part of me is tempted to leap forward a few decades into the future, just because I know there will be more modern conveniences in 2020 or 2030, as well as a much larger amount of art and media to consume. Doubtless the video games and movies will look much prettier. But honestly, there are probably enough good stories out there to occupy me for the rest of my life, video games are already very pretty, and leaping into the future seems like quite a gamble. I’m sure societal attitudes will improve in some ways and get worse in others, but I’m not sure I want to skip going there.
So aside from my weird desire to smash history off its decided path and my selfish desire for more entertainment/art/media and better technology, I think I actually like living when I am. I am a product of my era. The things I’ve been exposed to have shaped my personality a great deal, and without them, I wouldn’t be me. Besides, this is an exciting time to be alive. There’s more fiction being produced than ever before. Technology is constantly improving. Medicine is constantly improving. We have the internet, which is important to me; it allows me to learn a ton outside of formal education, and allows me to access points of view that are unlike those of my real-life social circle. Most of what I know of Catholic teaching, I learned via the internet.
Of course there are cultural battles to be fought, but that has always been the case. If I stay here I’ll have to contend with a society that accepts abortion; if I go back two hundred years, I’ll have to contend with a society that accepts slavery. If I go forward, I have no idea what I’ll have to contend with, but I’m sure it will be equally heinous.
So yeah. At the end of the day, I think I prefer life in 2014. It may not be the best decade, but it’s the one I’m in right now, and if I don’t like it, I figure it’s my responsibility to change things for the better.
Oh and lot’s not forget steampunk submarines, dinosaurs living close to the center of the Earth, and stitching together your own intelligent zombie via lightning and rotting body parts.