Knowledge vs Money - What Would You Do?

[T-ski]

Money.

I’d gladly take an early start to retirement and so would the Mrs.

[Stadler]

You're the Rob Corddry character from Hot Tub Time Machine?

I can dig it!

Here's a question. Was it morally wrong for me to exploit my knowledge of the future for personal financial gain? Perhaps. Here's another question. Do I give a f***?

Can I be the Craig Robinson or John Cusack character and you've used these decisions to make my life way better?

Wait a minute......what if I'm the Clark Duke character?!?!

Hey now!  Shia LeBouf!!! 

[pg1067]

I generally agree with what everyone has said thus far.  HOWEVER, my father died when I was 7.  If I go back to when I was 6 AND have the knowledge I have now, maybe I could do something to keep him around longer.

 :'(   Aw man……sorry to hear this.

Thanks.  Though, after 45 years, it's sort of a part of who I am.  As it happens, I have several prematurely dead relatives, so I'd be focused on keeping them around a while long too.  I feel bad for my kids that their ONLY local relatives are two cousins, one of whom we once or twice a year, and the other whom we haven't seen with any regularity in several years.

That said, those who have read/watched 11.22.63 know the dangers of going back in time and changing things - even with the best intentions.

[Stadler]

I generally agree with what everyone has said thus far.  HOWEVER, my father died when I was 7.  If I go back to when I was 6 AND have the knowledge I have now, maybe I could do something to keep him around longer.

 :'(   Aw man……sorry to hear this.

Thanks.  Though, after 45 years, it's sort of a part of who I am.  As it happens, I have several prematurely dead relatives, so I'd be focused on keeping them around a while long too.  I feel bad for my kids that their ONLY local relatives are two cousins, one of whom we once or twice a year, and the other whom we haven't seen with any regularity in several years.

That said, those who have read/watched 11.22.63 know the dangers of going back in time and changing things - even with the best intentions.

Given that's my favorite book of all time, it's a concern.  I don't know. I certainly don't want to create nuclear holocaust for the planet just to get a different outcome with Kerry O'Brian back in high school.  Well, I don't WANT to, but I might HAVE to...

[gmillerdrake]

I generally agree with what everyone has said thus far.  HOWEVER, my father died when I was 7.  If I go back to when I was 6 AND have the knowledge I have now, maybe I could do something to keep him around longer.

 :'(   Aw man……sorry to hear this.

Thanks.  Though, after 45 years, it's sort of a part of who I am.  As it happens, I have several prematurely dead relatives, so I'd be focused on keeping them around a while long too.  I feel bad for my kids that their ONLY local relatives are two cousins, one of whom we once or twice a year, and the other whom we haven't seen with any regularity in several years.

That said, those who have read/watched 11.22.63 know the dangers of going back in time and changing things - even with the best intentions.

Given that's my favorite book of all time, it's a concern.  I don't know. I certainly don't want to create nuclear holocaust for the planet just to get a different outcome with Kerry O'Brian back in high school.  Well, I don't WANT to, but I might HAVE to...

I mean, you'd  have to probably make some sort of 'deal' with yourself not to alter anything. But....would you really be able to stop 9/11 or warn everyone about Chernobyl? Would convincing your parents or grandparents to invest heavily in Apple or Amazon when it was pennies on the dollar really alter global events?

[Stadler]

I generally agree with what everyone has said thus far.  HOWEVER, my father died when I was 7.  If I go back to when I was 6 AND have the knowledge I have now, maybe I could do something to keep him around longer.

 :'(   Aw man……sorry to hear this.

Thanks.  Though, after 45 years, it's sort of a part of who I am.  As it happens, I have several prematurely dead relatives, so I'd be focused on keeping them around a while long too.  I feel bad for my kids that their ONLY local relatives are two cousins, one of whom we once or twice a year, and the other whom we haven't seen with any regularity in several years.

That said, those who have read/watched 11.22.63 know the dangers of going back in time and changing things - even with the best intentions.

Given that's my favorite book of all time, it's a concern.  I don't know. I certainly don't want to create nuclear holocaust for the planet just to get a different outcome with Kerry O'Brian back in high school.  Well, I don't WANT to, but I might HAVE to...

I mean, you'd  have to probably make some sort of 'deal' with yourself not to alter anything. But....would you really be able to stop 9/11 or warn everyone about Chernobyl? Would convincing your parents or grandparents to invest heavily in Apple or Amazon when it was pennies on the dollar really alter global events?

I'd low key have a lot of fun with that stuff.   "Don't sleep on that Brady player; I like the cut of his jib!".  Or, "you know, I think Kiss should take off the makeup.  It'd be a real shot in the arm for their career!"   

There used to be a really cool internet radio show called "Used Bin Radio", these two guys Joe and Brad, and they were GREAT.  One of the guys here used to go on all the time and it was fun.  For one of their April Fool's shows they pretended to be set in "1984" and it was hilarious. I feel like it would be a little like that.

[Skeever]

Genuinely shocked by the responses. It would easily be "life, again". Time is invaluable.

[Lethean]

11-22-63 is one of the things I was thinking about when I said that changing the past never works.

And if you don't change it, then to live for x number of years knowing that Y is going to happen to you on this day... Then part of that reliving is going to be full of dread.  And are you going to have the emotional maturity of a 6 year old, just with knowledge of the future?  It's too much.

Now, if you could just live a second life when this one was over, not knowing anything about it, that I'd probably do.

[hefdaddy42]

Genuinely shocked by the responses. It would easily be "life, again". Time is invaluable.

Meh.  Time is largely irrelevant.

I've had a large portion of time, relatively speaking.  Having more time added is one thing, but to have to almost start over (getting the extra time "front-loaded" instead of "added on") has no appeal whatsoever for me.  Especially since I have no real complaints or regrets about how my life has gone.

[Skeever]

Genuinely shocked by the responses. It would easily be "life, again". Time is invaluable.

Meh.  Time is largely irrelevant.

I've had a large portion of time, relatively speaking.  Having more time added is one thing, but to have to almost start over (getting the extra time "front-loaded" instead of "added on") has no appeal whatsoever for me.  Especially since I have no real complaints or regrets about how my life has gone.

That's a good way of thinking about it. I have regrets, but I also don't know that I would change anything.
Question might as well be, like, $20M, or the chance to be reincarnated. Since even living the same life again would really provide for a full range of new experiences.

I'm still going with no. 2.

[King Postwhore]

Straight cash homie.

[Chino]

Genuinely shocked by the responses. It would easily be "life, again". Time is invaluable.

Meh.  Time is largely irrelevant.

I've had a large portion of time, relatively speaking.  Having more time added is one thing, but to have to almost start over (getting the extra time "front-loaded" instead of "added on") has no appeal whatsoever for me.  Especially since I have no real complaints or regrets about how my life has gone.

That's a good way of thinking about it. I have regrets, but I also don't know that I would change anything.
Question might as well be, like, $20M, or the chance to be reincarnated. Since even living the same life again would really provide for a full range of new experiences.

I'm still going with no. 2.

I've got no problem with the front-loading of time. I'd just pursue different experiences until I caught up with where I left off. Instead of going to Ireland in 2018, I'd go somewhere else. I'd go watch the four Monster Jam World Finals I saw in Vega again, but this time I'd go see a bunch of different sights I didn't have time to check out the first times. Etc. I'd be living in the same period of time, but experiencing it in a completely different way. Also, knowing that I'd make out like a bandit in the stock market, I'd never worry about going to college or my debts. I'd immediately start traveling as soon as I was capable.

[Anguyen92]

Even though, I would have no idea how to invest the money, I would take the money.

That said, going back to relive childhood with the knowledge I have now, I always say this.  The only one thing I wouldn't mind altering is trying to find a way to get the word out to not let WWF (at the time) wrestler Owen Hart do that stunt from the ceiling of the arena that led to him falling and to his death.  There's many wrestlers passing where you say that's tragic, but this one was the most tragic of all, because it could have been easily prevented and the stunt was rather needless in the first place, and it broke a family apart.

[Lethean]

That happened earlier in the year that I started watching.  I heard about it from friends and... I can see trying to prevent that.

[MirrorMask]

I'm "too old" to go back at 6. Well, I'm not old-old, but I'm 43, and the idea of reliving through the entire childhood and adolescence is simply too much to bear.

Doing basically all of school again.... then high school... trying hard how to remembering how and when I made some friends and redo on purpouse some crucial steps that happened casually... it's simply too much.

Some of my biggest passions are music and traveling, and I did both a lot, so it's not that if I go back, I would see so many more concerts or have many more trips. I'd only want to have a chance to warn close relatives of cancer appearance, but then again, how would I do it? how would I time it? I'd have to relive through nearly 30 years to maybe drop "casually" a month too late, and out of the blue, a "hey uncle, how about you get a brain scan"?

So no, there are things I would gladly chance in my life, but not at the cost of reliving years and years to get through them, and and at the high risk of butterfly-effecting my life into something I don't remember or want anymore. Give me the money.