On the Today Show, uh, today, there was a story about Time Travel and the people trying to make this a reality. There was one scientist in particular, Professor Rob Mallet, who was working on it for a reason that is almost a time travel cliche. When he was 10 years old his dad died of a heart attack. It destroyed his world at a very young age, and he wants to go back in time to see his dad. This is something in almost every time travel story. Going back to see a loved one.
He said he wants to send back information on disasters so that people won't die. The video showed the tsunami in Indonesia that killed 250,000. I have some problems with this idea.
Firstly, you would have to be able to convince the people living in the past that this really is a message from the future. And that we know what is going to happen and all these people should be saved... Normally when you say you are from the future you get locked up. If it was a message sent back without a person, why would anyone believe it?
Secondly, where do you stop? At what point does someone say "these people are worth saving, but these people are not?" Are you going to try to save the 6 million Jews killed by Hitler? The 3000 killed in 9/11? How about the people who were killed by Vesuvius in Pompei and Herculaneum? People die. That is the only thing undeniable in the world. To try to go back in time and save these people just messes with the time line.
Thirdly, if someone in the future had figured out how to travel back in time to stop all the tragedies in history, wouldn't all these terrible things been avoided? Hitler still killed the Jews. 9/11 still happened. The tsunami killed 250,000 people. Let the dead stay dead. Though... if someone had changed time, we wouldn't know it... because all events afterward would have changed too... Hmm... Paradoxes are a bitch. The people in Star Trek have it right. Don't fuck with Time.
It's a terrible thing to lose your father when you are 10. But it's not a good reason to go monkeying around with Time. Unless you are the Doctor. He does it with such panache!
He said he wants to send back information on disasters so that people won't die. The video showed the tsunami in Indonesia that killed 250,000. I have some problems with this idea.
Firstly, you would have to be able to convince the people living in the past that this really is a message from the future. And that we know what is going to happen and all these people should be saved... Normally when you say you are from the future you get locked up. If it was a message sent back without a person, why would anyone believe it?
Secondly, where do you stop? At what point does someone say "these people are worth saving, but these people are not?" Are you going to try to save the 6 million Jews killed by Hitler? The 3000 killed in 9/11? How about the people who were killed by Vesuvius in Pompei and Herculaneum? People die. That is the only thing undeniable in the world. To try to go back in time and save these people just messes with the time line.
Thirdly, if someone in the future had figured out how to travel back in time to stop all the tragedies in history, wouldn't all these terrible things been avoided? Hitler still killed the Jews. 9/11 still happened. The tsunami killed 250,000 people. Let the dead stay dead. Though... if someone had changed time, we wouldn't know it... because all events afterward would have changed too... Hmm... Paradoxes are a bitch. The people in Star Trek have it right. Don't fuck with Time.
It's a terrible thing to lose your father when you are 10. But it's not a good reason to go monkeying around with Time. Unless you are the Doctor. He does it with such panache!
1 comment:
You are too smart!
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