For almost as long as man has been able to tell time (when Grog Smith, mentioned to Ugha Jones that he noticed the sun went down every night), mankind has been fascinated with the concept of time travel. And even the most erudite theoretic physicists in history have a hard time convincing one another that time may or may not be malleable, allowing us to move to and fro through event horizons of time/space.
Of course, popular culture has all but shredded any real commonsense thought about the possibilities of traveling to or from a single point in time…making us all believe that time is simply a linear string, with knots representing every second, minute, hour, day, and year of existences, that can be used as a road marker, or untied to alter the course of the rest of the string.
But, that is silly…no matter what Dr. Brown and Marty would have you believe.
And while the most brilliant minds in the world are all at CERN, breaking all of the standard rules of physics by shooting protons beyond the speed of light (which in itself destroys the traditional laws of physics), it is widely becoming an accepted theory that there is very clear evidence that much of what we see, touch and feel, is rooted in a dimension that is OUTSIDE this space/time…Time, and any clear definition of it, is more a perception than a reality.
As I have written about for years (as our old friends at TSTOFriends can attest), to me it isn’t really so much the measurement of time, but the value of how you spend that time. And let’s be brutally honest…there are few activities in this world that can suck up more time, or squander more of that magic “Life Currency” than tapping. It’s been so long ago that I grabbed that phrase, I can’t remember the source. But, I suspect it came during the first Sci-Fi update a LONG time ago. But, “Life Currency” is such an accurate description of the real value of time, that I purloined (a polite term for stole) it…and have used it since.
However, what if we COULD go back and forth in time? What if we could “get back that wasted hour or two or five,” if we had the ability to do so? And, if we became greedy with our time travel, what major life-changing events would we choose to alter to change the outcome of our existence today? WOULD YOU DO IT???
I’d like to say that with age, and an expansive expenditure of time spent, that I have stopped asking these questions. Sadly…I have not. But, I will admit that the time that I would travel would be far shorter, and have far less impact on the greater reality of others, if I had that ability. More like, “Eek…I would like to go back and hit a 6 iron there, instead of a 7, and I would have carried that water hazard.”
But, even something as mundane and insignificant as, “DAMMIT! I wish I hadn’t spent donuts on that stupid “Mansion of Solid Gold” so I had enough to buy the cool new thing that is going to come with the next event!” can actually have rippled effects on the outcome of your life. Yes…even the smallest actions of Free Will can alter your history.
Think about it…
If the time you spent today, was spent leaving earlier to get to work this morning, would you have been in a different place, at a different time, that may have resulted in you being sideswiped by a guy who was tapping on his phone while driving? But because you left a few minutes later, you missed the accident altogether? SPPPPOOOOOOKY! Time, Free Will, and Cause and Effect are like that.
Ask Homer…and the dinosaurs.
Which again, is silly…because time isn’t predetermined at all. What happened (if you ascribe to the multi-verse, or string chaos theories of physics) may in fact happen several different ways at the same time, resulting in several different outcomes, over several different realities. PHEW!! I think my head just exploded.
But…here is why I don’t play the, “If I could change something in my past” game (beyond the whole 6/7 iron bit).
When I was 20 years old…I made a snap decision after a football game, that resulted in me getting married too soon, becoming a father very early, and not finishing college. HUGE ramifications for a snap decision of Free Will. It changed the outcome of my life forever.
For the better…
Had I NOT made the decision I made that night…the chain of events that turned out to be my life as I know it today, would not have happened. I wouldn’t have my oldest daughter, or for that matter ANY of my five daughters and 4 grandkids. I would not have been forced to grow up, and learn to think on my feet, learning to create businesses and opportunities out of necessity, rather than take the “safe route.” And I would not have met the TRUE love of my life, after 5 years of torture that taught me who I really wanted in my life, and what true happiness could be…and…well...the list goes on and on and on…right up to the minute I decided to reveal that last bit here in print.
I am content with the way my life has played out. And I am guessing, that almost all of you, when you REALLY stop and think about it, wouldn’t trade the real benefits of who you have become, by the Free Will choices you have made, for all of the chances you think would alter your life for the better.
Because there is simply no other reality, than the one you exist within. And, that is the way it supposed to be. Every action you take, every choice you make, has a ramification that alters the next phase of your reality. Every second you spend of your “Life Currency” buys you the next decision…every minute, hour, day and year of your life.
Looking back is a waste of time. Spending your time wisely is the bedrock of the future you choose to make for yourself. But is is ALWAYS malleable…because every choice is a new course.
So…no matter what the next event brings…or how unlikely the physics that it will be based upon will seem…just know that the time you spend playing it, is only as good as the pleasure it brings you. Or something like that…
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE if you could go back in time? And please…no politics. We all got what we deserved there… LOL!
The only thing for certain about this life, is that the total amount of time we have is the biggest unknown. So spend it wisely…with no regrets. Make every second count…