Humans Shouldn’t Travel Back in Time
Forget the quantum physical implications,
Or the Grandfather Paradox.
I’m talking about how we view the past.
From the dawn of human civilization,
From the moment we realized the virtue,
Pleasure,
And pain,
Of examining the past,
We’ve only been able to do so,
Via second-hand methods.
A vague yet sweet memory of your wedding day,
A history book written by the king’s loyal subject,
A memoir written by someone who wishes to boast of their accomplishments.
The past is not a place we can visit,
And see for ourselves.
It is an idea,
An edited version,
A fanciful account,
Of events which have already gone,
And cannot be revisited.
But what would happen,
If we could revisit it?
What would it look like?
Would King Arthur still be brave?
Would Plato still be wise?
Would the Dinosaurs still be scary,
Yet beautiful?
And would your mother still cry at your wedding?
Would your first kiss still be as sweet?
Would your dead grandfather still be funny and kind?
No,
Humans shouldn’t travel back in time,
It would fuck us up too much.
