What if you could do it all over? (2020)
Replaying Life vs. Living in the Future
- Some find the idea of “redoing” life haunting; others are more intrigued by jumping 1,000 years forward.
- Optimists expect dramatic reductions in disease and misery; skeptics argue human satisfaction quickly re‑normalizes to a baseline, regardless of tech.
- There’s debate over whether medieval or very poor people were “truly” happy, or just adapted to normalized misery; others counter that many traditional/indigenous lifestyles may have supported greater contentment and that modern depression is, in part, a new disease.
Irreversibility, Meaning, and the Allure of “What If”
- Several argue that if you could infinitely redo life, choices would lose meaning, likening it to cheat codes in games or Groundhog Day.
- Fantasy replays usually omit real risks (e.g., military service without injury) and over-romanticize the road not taken.
- Some point to stories/films where the “lesson” is eventually to accept the current life as the meaningful one.
Family, Nihilism, and Sources of Meaning
- For some, children and family erase interest in unlived lives; the thought of kids not existing in an alternate timeline is intolerable.
- Others adopt a relaxed nihilism: nothing matters cosmically, which they find freeing rather than despairing.
- Counterarguments stress that “giving to others,” especially parenting, is empirically tied to well‑being and can ground a sense that our actions matter.
- Large subthreads debate:
- whether having kids is altruistic, selfish, or simply a biological imperative;
- whether continuing the human species is meaningful or just ego;
- whether freedom comes from dropping the need for any ultimate meaning.
Regret, Agency, and Gratitude
- Many would change little beyond being kinder, braver, or avoiding specific relationships/jobs; they see painful experiences as necessary for growth.
- Others emphasize that new “lives” (new careers, cities, identities) are always available in the present, making time‑travel fantasies less useful than asking “How can I change now?”
- Some note strong effects of starting conditions and luck; without altering family background or social class, a do‑over might not radically change outcomes.
- Several express deep specific regrets (e.g., choosing work over a partner) but also highlight gratitude for current families and hard‑won contentment.