Would you rather live in the past/present/future?

I consider this a bit of a philosophical question, and it takes a bit of 'what if' so bare with me.


Something that Atheists and most religions can agree on is that we only live on this Earth once. Whether we die and cease to exist or move on to somewhere better, we aren't coming back here.

If you believe in reincarnation or some other method to return to this Earth, than I ask you to play devil's advocate for a minute here and pretend that we don't.


We were all born somewhere between 1900 and the present. Some members here would have lived to see some extraordinary things such as the moon landings, the end of WW2, the first TV broadcast etc.

Other members, like myself, who are much younger, are yet to see events of this magnitude. I don't consider 9/11 as part of this category, as it was not something you want to remember and cherish. It was a tragedy. I'm talking mainly about amazing, neutral or positive events.

The generation before would have seen things like the birth of the era of flight and industrialization etc. Cars, trains, planes. Amazing, world changing inventions.

I think the closest my generation has come so far is computers, although they have been worked on for decades now.

My point is, some periods in history are exciting and full of incredible events that shape history for centuries to come. Do you think the next 50 - 100 years will be another one of these time periods?

I personally hope I see the human race reach at least one other planet in the solar system. I also hope to see affordable commercial space travel, and hopefully cures for some of the world's worst diseases.

Since (for the purpose of this discussion) we only get to live once, what time period would you most like to have lived? Personally, I'd like to be born about 100 years from now. I think the world will have changed incredibly by the turn of the next century.

So what about you? Are you happy about the time period in which you you were fated to live out your life? If you could change it, when would you be born and why?

I would have liked to be born around the time of the ancient civilizations like Mayans or Indians, when human beings were more wise and people were more in touch with spirituality.

I would trade everything in for that, the money, my Apple Mac, all of it!

Future, I know the past, the present, but the future I do not know.

That is taking for granted there actually will be a future.

If I could I'd much rather see each defining moment in human (future) history, each stepping stone, to see how they grow mentally and the achievement they make.

That's an easy one.

That would be the past, because all this garbage they've got now, I could go back and be a zillionaire.

We're talkin' MADD Hunnies. Then since they liked me less in the future, I'd have to let them know what the deal is, and that I'm THE MAN now.

Crazy money, crazy hunnies, big house, big car, trips to Italy.. I'd rule the planet. The past is clueless. I'd completely OWN dat!

the future all the way. and as far into the future as possible

I would take the past and the wild wild west. Just something about that era that has always caught my interest.

Just a good ol cowboy(make that an outlaw) doing his thang.

Originally posted by dmorgan
I would have liked to be born around the time of the ancient civilizations like Mayans or Indians, when human beings were more wise and people were more in touch with spirituality.

I would trade everything in for that, the money, my Apple Mac, all of it!

Dude those are some pretty rough people you want to hang around with. I think I will choose a time and people where I am less likely be sacrificed.

I think November 5, 1955 would be great.

I agree with jd140. The past was a good time, simple times. I would like to live my life over again, probably for the most the same. I believe life was much simpler without computers, polluted water and gasoline wars.

reply to post by fooffstarr


Eh, I would live whenever and make the best of it. Though I do wish this was the time of large scale space exploration.

interesting subject and though this takes a lot of precious time from working I feel just got to answer

The overall frames about 'time' in general has been in my mind a lot lately. You can see and read about time theories and warp-technologies and timeline jumpings and all kinds of stuff very often these days, that maybe it is quite possible for a human to jump to any place of time & space he wants to, if only have that right 'key' to twist.
Many big movies and series also portrait this phenomenon almost as a trend-subject such as "Jumper", 'Wanted", "Matrix", games like "Max Payne", "Sarah Connor Chronicles", "Lake house", "12 monkeys", "Heroes" etc. Time travel in movies and tv is actually so common, that it's easily being put to the same category as Aliens & Monsters (like the latest Disney flick) today - it is so trivial that we don't even care if/when it happens for real?
People get numb by the 'programming' that these things are only 'virtual', never real. Surprise surprise.. it all still happens.
Of course I'm talking about the majority of reactions what is presented through the medias and what is not. Of course there's a lot of people in the world who are so up high and reaching something amazing what mediocre people can't even imagine reaching. This is great and then again not, since the oppression is so colossal to keep people down. That's why I don't like much the time I live now.. the mediocrity is really depressing and people are like clones. Future looks even more darker from distant perspective.. that is why I must looks for individuals, never masses

Anyway, for me I don't see time as linear and as an idea that is loyal to any kind of human logic. It doesn't function logically like this now-then-tomorrow -ways but only with people.
In nature 'time' is only the Happening of things. Things born, they crumble, they wither, then they are born again from the same soil and air and water to a different bioform. It's absolutely genious without saying, people just simply call this cycle as a Scary Death.
But humans have got it all messy and figured out like they could know how to 'handle' time, AS IF it would be linear.

Have you thought about this 12 dimensions -theory? that all time and events are actually equally at the same place at the same time, that nothing is actually somewhere elese than you are now. It can put your head spin, but that theory is also the idea of warping with some studies. If everything is just mirroring different dimensions and not actually nothing more than 'changing a room' by opening doors of realities, then everything is endeed possible to exceed, even the present boundaries of so called time

Anyway, if I had a choice to choose my current Reality, not timeframe, then I'd choose a place when there was no such as 'morals & sin' and the concept of 'shame' was unfamiliar. So a VERY long ago indeed. Then maybe people knew their Nature and true laws of the world pretty well and always found what they needed in life, both mentally and physically.
Also as an amazing sivilisation I've totally drawn to the ways of ancient Egyptians & time when Buddha was born. Back then you could do anything you like when you put your mind to it and start walking. That would be totally great




[edit on 27-4-2009 by Aurorean]

I'm surprised only one person has said the future. I would love to see where we end up. Now that we have technology will we get past materialism and strive for spiritual perfection or will we destroy ourselves and our civilization will be lost, possibly just a foot note in a future civilization.

Originally posted by catamaran
I agree with jd140. The past was a good time, simple times. I would like to live my life over again, probably for the most the same. I believe life was much simpler without computers, polluted water and gasoline wars.

I was making a joke. Novemeber 5, 1955 was the date that Marty McFly went back to in Back to the future 1,2 and 3.

Come on guys those movies are classics.

I would also be quick to say "the future", but then again, you really don't know what you'll be getting yourself into.

You could end up in a completely different world. The government is in complete control, everyone is a slave, quality of life becomes poor. However, if you went to the past, you'd probably be a little more comfortable in knowing what will happen next.

If we're talking a secured future where this is peace, I would probably be more adventurous and most likely choose that instead.

PRESENT.


The past would be great because there is a heck of a lot less people and the pollution isn't there. But at the same time, people were more neanderthal in their thinking and the medical care was hell on earth.

The future? I'd imagine there would be even more people and more pollution. No thanks.

Even though I'd prefer the more solitude life of the past, I'll take now because at least now I can go to a dentist or get some antibiotics. Now is in the middle. (although I wouldn't mind vacationing in the past ... a lot)