time travel

By Asta

The only reasons why I wouldn’t travel backwards in a time machine are because of basic equality, airplanes and sanitary napkins. All of which are pretty good reasons to stay in the 21st century. On the other hand, perhaps leaving isn't that bad of an idea since there is still only basic equality, racism yet prominent in the underbelly of society, global warming far from obliterated, and the education system (for the most part) as nonsensical as ever.

But there are two things that I certainly wouldn’t miss if I got up and left- technology and rap music. I’m convinced enough to think that the serious deterioration of motor skills and the unintellectual representation of African American culture really shouldn’t be sorely missed.

The fact is though, even in theory, time travel- or changing the past or future, more accurately- isn’t possible. Let’s say you go back all the way to 1910 Vienna to assassinate Hitler before he murders six million Jews and dominates literally every history textbook, you’d be opening infinite doors to an infinite number of multiverses, wherein you cannot possibly kill all Hitlers. You made him infinite. Dead by 1910 in your timeline, still alive in 1945 in another.

So if things are so hard to change, then why are people trying so hard to change it? If history is unchangeable, then why don’t we simply focus on the things that can be actually changed? And if the future is impenetrable, does that mean it's also completely unpredictable? Unforeseen?

It seems to me that children are not the only ones who dream of hopping on a time machine, it looks like everyone does.

“Oh, I wish I hadn’t smashed that car back then!”

“Ah, if only I had known when exactly they would

promote me so I could have bought that

house like we always wanted, right?”

“Oh, had I gone to my brother’s wedding

that year, maybe our situation would be better now…”

“Ah, it would have been so much easier if that doctor

had warned us that she’d die a slow, painful death,

instead of a swift, restful one.”

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If you ask me, it’s really good enough to look at old, worn out photographs and outdated videos; read books you once enjoyed and hear songs you once wept to; eat the food of your childhood and call a friend who remembers the first version of yourself. Unlock the part of your mind that lets you stroll down the most winding and adventurous path of memory, that is always more vivid than you think.

In which case, time travel is not for changing- it’s for reminding.

Photo by Giallo from Pexels