H.G. Wells made an interesting comment on
one occasion: “We
all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And
those that carry us forward, are dreams.”
I’ve spoken before about both of these “machines” on past
blog posts. But I thought today I’d like
to consider the aspect of time travel in a different light.
Consider for a moment having the ability
to travel into the past. Where would you
decide to go? Who would you want to
meet? Of course, there are other
considerations that you would need to make:
Can you travel ONLY within your own lifetime? Or would you have the ability to go to any
point in history that existed? This
would certainly put a limit to when and who could get involved in your travels.
When you travel within the past how would
your actions affect others at that time or perhaps even future
generations? What if you killed a person
in the past? Only to learn later that their
great, great, great, granddaughter was the person who saved your life while you
were swimming on a summer vacation as a child?
It may be that you would have to be extremely careful about what you did
while you were visiting the past!
Also your speech may have to be
controlled. When you met someone for the
first time and then realized that this person would perform a great service to
mankind in his or her later years. You
let it slip how this was to come about!
Now would the circumstances change or be changed by the fore knowledge
by this person? Would you have changed
their “future” history so that the event you described or perhaps the manner in
which it was to occur has now be altered?
Here is something I want you to consider
(and I’ll try to explain it simply):
What if you traveled from 2018 back to a point in history we will call
1965 to meet Dr. Martin Luther King and upon introducing yourself you find out
that he ALREADY knows you! Later you
learn this is because in 2019 you
will travel back in time to 1963 and
meet Dr. King at that point of his life!
Now to you the first trip back in time is actually the SECOND time you
have met Dr. King. Do you begin to see
how confusing things could start to become?
Now for a moment consider that you could
travel FORWARD in time. Again we would
have to consider such points as (1) would you only be able to travel forward
within the time span of your own existence, or (2) would you be able to journey
to any point within the future even if it were after the date of your
death? That alone may be a concept hard
to wrap your mind around.
Then what might some of the things that
could happen to you within the future?
You may find out things that are GOING to happen that upon returning you
would want to change, but could you, since you have already seen them
happen? And if you could change them,
what other events might this affect by your actions here in the present? Or what other changes would that create if
you did make only ONE change here in the present?
Could it be possible that you would
prevent your son from marrying the girl of his dreams only to find out that you
now have created different grandchildren whose lives completely alter the
reality of the future that you had seen?
Think of all the mind blowing possibilities that may be created by your
knowing things that might happen?
You might reach the conclusion that some
have already considered: Just because a
thing is possible doesn’t mean it should be done. Maybe the past should be left as it is and
maybe the future should be constructed on doing things better today!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
THOUGHTFUL GEM
"Don't look at things as they are,
but look at them as they could be!"
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