At the heart of much speculative fiction
(and fiction in general) is a question.
What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out
there and see what you make of it. Do with it
as you please. If a for-instance is not specified,
feel free to interpret that instance as you
wish. And if you find this becomes
a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a
thank you in the acknowledgements. 😉
Have I done this question before? I thought I did something like this before...
What if time travel was possible, but you could only observe, like being a ghost or seeing the past like a hologram?
" Since my first day on the job as a Starfleet captain I swore I'd never let myself get caught in one of these godforsaken paradoxes - the future is the past, the past is the future, it all gives me a headache." -- Kathryn Janeway
ReplyDeleteYup, good point.
DeleteI would go for it even though it would be sad in some cases because i would want to reach out to some, like my parents for example. It would be neat to be the fly on the wall or be part of history and knowing you can't change it.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely pros and cons.
DeleteThis would be hard for me. I tend to want to step in and fix things lol!
ReplyDeleteBetty
If it's the past, then it's already happened and couldn't change it anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt would still be possible to learn a lot. Imagine having all the answers to history's mysteries.
ReplyDeleteI'd just watch and learn.
ReplyDeleteAside from learning the mysteries of time, its possible i could somehow implement real change in the future. The question why? and being a ghost Im deep undercover, so I have to find a way to communicate.
ReplyDeleteAs someone interested in history, I would actually be relieved that I could not change it. That would make it possible to observe and find out the truth of many events that have changed our world, for better or worse. Why worry about changing history? Several good SF stories explain that.
ReplyDeleteUsually the question is about what if a certain thing gets changed. So, I thought I'd change it up a bit. (And I saw an interesting thing on the new Cosmos that made me think of it.)
DeleteI guess I would travel along and be the GHOST..
ReplyDeleteIt might be fun ;)
DeleteI am on board with hologram. I find it all interesting a good way to learn about our past. And hopeful we could move on to a better future.
ReplyDeleteIf I could only observe, I'm not sure I could do it. Unless I could observe some things from maybe before my time.
ReplyDeleteKim
All I said was time travel. I didn't say when. So, I don't see why you couldn't time travel to any time in the past, very long ago or recent.
DeleteHopefully they will all be interesting to see and get to know what I didn't.
ReplyDeleteI'd enjoy seeing my wedding day. :) This reminds me of a David Bridger fantasy tale, "The Honesty of Tigers", in which a man gets reborn into the same life until he gets it 'right'. The end was very unique. Be well!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting story.
DeleteFor research, maybe, if I thought it would provide useful information or insight to a problem or issue.
ReplyDelete