I posited the following question on my FB the other day:
If you had a time machine, describe your first trip…what time period would you visit, what would you do?
Some of my friends played along and came up with interesting things like “witness the Resurrection of Jesus” or “see Einstein and Eddington prove relativity. Others were a little more subdued, wishing to spend more time with their kids when they were toddlers or go back far enough to place lucrative sports bets.
Many suggested going back and picking different forks of roads they they long ago traversed. Some hinted at bad decisions, others described them in specific details, clearly still haunted by the Spectres of the Past.
and of course someone pointed out the time travel paradoxes.
Photo curtesy of Rodger Evans
Time Continuum Theories and Paradoxes
Purist believe that any change, ever so slight, will change the future. i.e. you go back in time to when you meet a friend for a drink but this time you order white wine instead of red. BOOM: 9/11 didn’t happen.
Then there is the Destiny Strives to Reassert Itself camp. you go back in time to when you meet a friend for a drink but this time you order white wine instead of red. BOOM: 9/11 still happens regardless. Dune author Frank Herbert believed that individuals do not significantly impact or change the direction of civilization. A Pearl Harbor or 9/11 is going to happens it just becomes a question of when and not if.
I’ve always liked to believe that minor things would cancel each other out, for good or bad. I’d also like to think that I could go back and mitigate, alleviate and outright avoid many of the pitfalls and painful events that Life threw my way and I’d still end up where I am today with regards to my wife and kids. Like if I avoided all those playground fights, would I really not have toddler twins today?
What would you do with a Time Machine? Passively witness an Historical Event or change your past? Tell me about it here in the comments, then swing by my Facebook page and LIKE it! You’ll find funny, informative links and interesting pictures. Don’t worry, your FB feed won’t get overwhelmed.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please share it to help others find it! enter your email address below click the “subscribe by email” button. You can sign up to receive an email whenever I publish something new.
Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
Happy Reading! Follow Mysteries of Life on Twitter (@MysteriesOLife), Facebook or subscribe via email.
therunninggod 