# What would you change?



## Princess Ivy (Jan 24, 2005)

I've always been fascinated by time travel and time paradoxes. I love how things interweave and connect with each other (i also love dirk gently for this reason). How changing even one tiny thing, can affect the future, and in some bizzare cases even the past (StarTrek started this one, but boy did they mess up their continuity with it). So, if you could, what would you change in the past? would it be something huge and significant, affecting the entire world? or something big in your past, some event that you wish hadn't happened? or something small and trivial, a horse shoe nail if you will, that seriously messed things up for you later on. Or do you believe that we are the sum total of our experiences, and that to change anything would be the ultimate paradox as it would change everything with unforseable consequences to the fabric of existance?


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## The Master™ (Jan 24, 2005)

I always fancied sorting out a lottery win for myself - go forward, get the numbers and return to now... But that is future events...

Backwards - now, I think I would have gotten myself back to the dawn of human evolution and stopped Homo Sapiens travelling out of Africa, just to see what happens with the Neanderthals without the Homo Sapiens to be a threat...

I would also like to have saved Wolfgang Amadieus Mozart from dying as he did, and see what else he could have accomplished in his life...

I might also have stopped Alexander the Great from dying so young, to see what else he could have accomplished...

Just a few personal interests...


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## dwndrgn (Jan 24, 2005)

I wouldn't mind having Hitler 'accidentally' sent to some uninhabited island before he could become such a magnetic icon.  Although, then he might have become some sort of weird martyr.  Nah, I think I'd probably be too scared to ruin the rest of history by changing something that big.  Maybe I'd just go back to my own history and tell myself a few things to pay more attention to...


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## polymorphikos (Jan 24, 2005)

As to Hitler, I'd avert WW2 by bribing the art school to accept him. He'd just be an obscure landscape artist then.

Actually, I've always liked the idea (and this sounds very shifty of me) of going back to the 14/1500s and becoming an enlightened ruler of England who was nice to people, made Hadrian's Wall bigger, and used secret immortality drugs from 2314 to ensure a lengthy fiddling with history. Electronic instead of coal-fuelled industries, no bear bating, an elite squad of robot ninja pirates (thus melding the three forces whose only weaknesses are one another) to ensure no coups, and a death-faking every few years. 

I know, this is how despots get started.


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## zorcarepublic (Jan 25, 2005)

To stop WW2? Simple. Alter the minds of the Allies so that at Versailles they don't screw the Germans too hard, and allow them to keep their dignity. After all, the reduction of both their army and the navy, plus huge reparations, meant that the Germans were bound to follow ANYONE who said that they would lead the Germans to greatness.


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## The Master™ (Jan 25, 2005)

What people fail to realise, is that WWII produced an awful lot of technological advances... And that without the funding from the various "war efforts", there may have been no way to get these proposals off the ground...



If you wanna talk about stopping attrocities, how about:

Giving the Aztec's guided missiles to destroy the Spanish before they could get a foothold...

Giving the various African leaders advance knowledge about European visitors, and the slave trade...

Giving the Australian aborigines advance knowledge about the English using their homeland for a prison colony!!!

Giving the Native American Indians information about the European "invasion"... And give them some advanced weaponry...

Just a few that bother me!!!


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## Princess Ivy (Jan 25, 2005)

as TM so rightly pointed out, progress follows conflict. so changing huge events in the past, could throw us back to the middle ages, socially and technologically. without ww1&2, women would still be at home in the kitchen. not valued as members of society.


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## Morning Star (Jan 26, 2005)

I believe all things happened for a reason, like my previous peers said. I would rather change little personal things...but I'm so in love right now...I'd be afraid that those changes could effect that.

Butterfly effect and all that jazz.


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## Sirathiel (Jan 26, 2005)

I  can see why you would want to change certain events in history... On the other hand, you could screw that up terribly, so that you'd never be born, and in turn wouldn't be able to go back in time and so would create one hell of a paradox.  

I often thought, in hindsight, that I could have handled things better if I'd known how things worked right from the beginning. It would be tempting to try to change that. On the other hand, I would be terribly afraid to change by this who I am. I firmly believe that I am the person I am because of all that I've experienced in my life. Sure, there are things I'd rather had never happened, but then I'd not be me... And like Morningstar, I'm too much in love to risk have anything change that.


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## The Master™ (Jan 27, 2005)

Now there are some intriguing possibilities... Going through your own life, and looking at what would happen if you took different "avenues"...

But I would hate to lose this "present" and not have my wife and son...


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## polymorphikos (Jan 27, 2005)

> Giving the various African leaders advance knowledge about European visitors, and the slave trade...


Weren't a lot of African kingdoms selling their own people to the Arabs and Europeans anyway, thus renderiung prior warnings moot?


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## Lacedaemonian (Jan 27, 2005)

Encourage the Japanese to invade America following Pearl Harbour.  Just out of pure interest.  Strangle the baby George Bush in his cot....


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## Princess Ivy (Jan 27, 2005)

polymorphikos said:
			
		

> Weren't a lot of African kingdoms selling their own people to the Arabs and Europeans anyway, thus renderiung prior warnings moot?


No
Slaves were captured by raiding parties all along the african coast. Slaves were however sold by european and turkish colonial leaders. that may be what you are thinking of.


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## The Master™ (Jan 27, 2005)

Lacedaemonian said:
			
		

> Encourage the Japanese to invade America following Pearl Harbour. Just out of pure interest.


Now THAT sounds like a damn good idea... Purely out of personal interest...


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## polymorphikos (Jan 27, 2005)

Princess Ivy said:
			
		

> No
> Slaves were captured by raiding parties all along the african coast. Slaves were however sold by european and turkish colonial leaders. that may be what you are thinking of.


I'm going to look into that. I didn't mean to say they were all sold, just that a lot of tribes would raid their neighbours and such and sell the captives. I read it in a book.

Also, I'd like to make Napoleon have invaded Britain immediately instead of going for Russia. Every single megalomaniacal war lord seems to forget that Britain is a large island with guns and a fair army.


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## polymorphikos (Jan 27, 2005)

*GROWING RICH WITH SLAVERY *
*ROYALTY*
In the early 18th century, Kings of Dahomey (known today as Benin) became big players in the slave trade, waging a bitter war on their neighbours, resulting in the capture of 10,000, including another important slave trader, the King of Whydah. King Tegbesu made £250,000 a year selling people into slavery in 1750. King Gezo said in the 1840's he would do anything the British wanted him to do apart from giving up slave trade:

*"The slave trade is the ruling principle of my people. It is the source and the glory of their wealth…the mother lulls the child to sleep with notes of triumph over an enemy reduced to slavery…"
*

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/9chapter2.shtml
*


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## Lacedaemonian (Jan 27, 2005)

"Every single megalomaniacal war lord seems to forget that Britain is a large island with guns and a fair army." - Good Man Thomas.

They choose to forget.  The French have always known who held the yoke around the necks.


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## Leto (Jan 27, 2005)

1066 ?


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## Lacedaemonian (Jan 27, 2005)

Agincourt, Crecy etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc The only time France have achieved anything in battle against England was when they engineered several fronts for us to fight on.  ie America, Scotland, Norway and themselves.  Otherwise they have received hiding after hiding after hiding.


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## Leto (Jan 27, 2005)

Because French army is too prude to use the only real weapon to work on UK : French women.  They fear another Alienor defection.


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## The Master™ (Jan 27, 2005)

Let's not forget that Henry VI was responsible for making part of France, English territory... Then his grandson was stupid enough to give it back!!! 

And we've never forgiven the Normans for invading...


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## morelin (Jan 28, 2005)

i agree with all that say to change almost anything could end in catastrophe, but the hope to be able to change some of the horrible things throughout human history would be to much of a draw.  i thiink jfk not being taken out would make us see a very different america today. maybe (no bush fan here) . treatment of  aboriginals when north america was settled.  many others but to many to list


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## The Master™ (Jan 28, 2005)

And, if you wanted to stop all of the worst historical events, where would you start/finish???

There are just too many to even contemplate it...


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## morelin (Jan 28, 2005)

where to start, lets see.   really it may just come down to education. if you could go back to any number of political leaders and show proof of their action and the consequences.you could possiblyturn events in a different direction, not to the bad. 

if jacque cartier landed on the st. lawrence with the belief thatall men are equal under god  regardless of race religion color language. would  canada not be a better place today
my end would be to keep bush out of offic.sorry if i offend. i would also keep paul martin out of office too. if only i could live in my dreams


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## Leto (Jan 28, 2005)

what would I change ? a prehistorical safari to get rid of any ape willing to walk on two legs.


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## The Master™ (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, That is only a small portion of the human race...


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## Space Monkey (Jan 28, 2005)

I'd warn the Trojans about accepting gifts from people who've just arrived to slaughter them, and have a reputation anyway for being sneaky.  Silly buggers.

And probably somewhere along the line join the Templars.  

And definitely NOT set fire to anything when I was seven, especially a giant lampshade in the front room while playing with a poker, sticking it in the fire til it glowed red and pretending it was a light sabre.  I'd tell myself 'Mate, you'll regret this in half an hour when your dad gets hold of you'.


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## The Master™ (Jan 28, 2005)

I would go back and tell myself to hide all my valuables from my brother... Little sod decided to trade all my stuff to HIS friends for rubbish...


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## shaggydog (Feb 2, 2005)

I would become a friend of your brother, and trade with your stuff in the Barcelona market...
I also would give GwBush a book, and see if he grew a bit more intelligent...


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## kyektulu (Aug 8, 2005)

If I could change one thing it would be not getting my illness.
Yet I totally agree with Morning Star things do happen for a reason!


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## Rosemary (Aug 9, 2005)

I would rather change the little things in life, rather than risk the dangers of changing any of the great events in history.

Not so much little things in my life itself, that is more like regret.  So I could have gone on and taken my RSA but I didn't and don't really regret the decision.
Sometimes these things happen for a particular reason. 

It would be much better if we were able to change small events but even then, who would guarentee that the change would be better for the good of all.


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## Trey Greyjoy (Aug 9, 2005)

I would go back to the library of Alexandria with a couple of large garbage bags and grab as many scrolls as I could before it burned. 

Id take a photo tour of the 7 wonders of the ancient world! 

Id try to stop by and listen to the sermon on the mount. 

Id pop on over to ancient Greece and take a wine tour.

I guess I really wouldnt "change" anything...just bring back some artifacts from the past that would perhaps enlighten us today!


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## Pyan (Aug 9, 2005)

Wasn't there a story about a well-meaning man who uses a time-machine to introduce antibiotics to the Romans, with catastrophic over-population issues?


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## Animaiden (Aug 10, 2005)

If I went back, I would change it so that in fourth grade I did not write that insult on the one girl's paper.  Then I wouldn't have been embarressed, had to tell my mom, and I would not still be regretting it now.


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## kyektulu (Aug 10, 2005)

I agree with Rosemary changing big events in history wouldnt be a good idea who knows what could happen! 
(check out the simpsons episode with Homer and his time travelling toaster!)
I would keep it to the little individual things


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## cyborg_cinema (Aug 10, 2005)

_Foo Fighters_ were reddish-orange UFOs reported by WWII fighter and bomber pilots. At least one report estimates them at six feet in diameter. I would love to travel through history in a translucent, orange globe to witness major events in world history.


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