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-   -   Past or future? (https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38540)

Eye December 4th, 2017 00:24

Past or future?
 
I saw an interesting question on a scientific site: if it were possible would you rather see into the future or into the past?

Me, I choose to look back instead of forward.
Knowing about the future would bring a lot of worry, I think. Besides history, every day life in particular, has always been one of my interests.

Please, tell me what you’d choose.

Zloth December 4th, 2017 00:36

Future! And I promise I won't ruin the economy via my perfect predictions of how the stock markets will move. Well… I won't TOTALLY ruin it. And I'll do it right, too, because I'll be able to see if I'm getting it wrong!

(Hey, I'll need the money! I doubt any insurance company will have anything to do with me once the world figures out what's going on.)

Wisdom December 4th, 2017 00:55

If you step outside of time you can see both ways.

Silver December 4th, 2017 02:05

Past. Only by knowing where we have been can we know where we are going.

wolfgrimdark December 4th, 2017 02:06

Probably past for the simple reason it would be hard to not look for for how one might die or related things. Not to mention seeing others die and all the paradox's that would bring. It would be rather cool to see what really happened in the past though. I suppose that might have its own problems but to me not as much as seeing the future.

Hurls December 4th, 2017 02:46

Interesting question- thank you for posting @Eye
Probably past. There are some people, e.g. John von Neuman, and bands I’m interested in.

vurt December 4th, 2017 06:09

Past is more interesting, future is too scary.. I'd love it if we could maybe debunk some historical so called facts, could be an important lesson for humanity as a whole.

Carnifex December 4th, 2017 06:55

I feel roughly six centuries of age, so I think I'll choose to look forward. And sideways.

TomRon December 4th, 2017 10:05

Future for sure. I agree with Wolf though, I wouldn't want to see MY future (at least not if I couldn't change it), but rather the future of humanity as a whole. And in 100, 1000 or 10000 years, not in twenty…

lackblogger December 4th, 2017 10:18

I'm looking into the past by reading this thread. As are you when you read this post.

Eye December 4th, 2017 10:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wisdom (Post 1061484174)
If you step outside of time you can see both ways.

Sure, but this one is about choosing. Which one, Wisdom?

Eye December 4th, 2017 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by lackblogger (Post 1061484191)
I'm looking into the past by reading this thread. As are you when you read this post.

Hm… that means your eyes are trained for the past so, even if you could do otherwise, you would choose (to stay in your line: have chosen) the past? :)

you December 4th, 2017 10:40

I use to day dream the wonder if being able to visit one month each 1000 year for the next 10 million years. Alas - I'm not sure earth (well human population) is gonna make it another 1000 year but back then I was young and naive.

NewDArt December 4th, 2017 11:11

Definitely the future. Not for my own sake, though.

GothicGothicness December 4th, 2017 11:29

Future of course. I guess it would be easier to use the knowledge of the powerball numbers instead of investing in the stock market as a first step though.

The paradox here is probably that if one person can see into the future he'd probably also change the future, which means that what he see might change depending on that…….

jdthoosier December 4th, 2017 23:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by you (Post 1061484195)
I use to day dream the wonder if being able to visit one month each 1000 year for the next 10 million years. Alas - I'm not sure earth (well human population) is gonna make it another 1000 year but back then I was young and naive.

I want to go forward far enough to see if we can make it to the stars. And if so, follow a starship to another planet; and experience the thrill of seeing the first human to encounter alien life.

However, like you, I'm highly skeptical we'll make it that far.

Hurls December 5th, 2017 00:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carnifex (Post 1061484183)
I feel roughly six centuries of age, so I think I'll choose to look forward. And sideways.

Are you going to take to sulking in basements ala HHGTTG?

Ripper December 5th, 2017 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdthoosier (Post 1061484272)
I want to go forward far enough to see if we can make it to the stars. And if so, follow a starship to another planet; and experience the thrill of seeing the first human to encounter alien life.

However, like you, I'm highly skeptical we'll make it that far.

I'd go along with this. I'm pretty pessimistic about our primate prospects, so a peek into the future would either confirm what I already suspect, or, just possibly, give me a whole new sense of hope.

wolfgrimdark December 5th, 2017 00:34

I have been thinking about this some more and taking into account the replies so far as more food for thought.

I had to make some assumptions. I assume this is without limit. Meaning you can look 5 seconds into the /pastfuture or 5 million years. That you can look into your own past/future, a friends, a strangers, or the world in general terms.

This mean you could spy on conversations - whether past ones or ones to come. You could see winning lottery tickets or find buried treasure.

I am also seeing it as perhaps sitting down in a meditative state while your vision (astral body perhaps) observes things where ever.

I still think I would limit to past though. I would LOVE to see where the Earth is in 10 years, 50, 100, 1000, and so on. But what if 2030 I saw something like the Handmaiden's Tale or Nazi Germany? Or a world full of war and devastation? How would that affect my remaining years of life? Would I lose hope and become suicidal? Course if I saw wonderful good things it could also make those years much better.

I think it comes down to personality and self-control. Some folks could handle the future and their own death (or the deaths of those they love) or have the control to not view it and stick to the more impersonal future.

Now if it was a more temporary thing - like you were given a chance to pick a few time periods and general things - like what would the state of the world be in a century and go out for a 1000 years - or the same backwards … then I would pick the future.

Anyhow interesting to think about.

Unrelated it reminds me of a short story I read where someone had the gift to see into the future only they saw it all the time overlaid on reality. When they looked at people all they saw were rotting corpses and decay. It drove them insane.

TomRon December 5th, 2017 01:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfgrimdark (Post 1061484279)
When they looked at people all they saw were rotting corpses and decay. It drove them insane.

Geez, I wonder why, that sounds like so much fun…


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