Discussion Ever wish you could turn back time? If so, what would you do?

[reiko1337]

For me, I'd go back to 2019 and change some of my decisions. Life wasn't so bad that year, I actually had friends and a decent social life. But some of my god awful choices ruined it all and fast forward 4 years to now, I'm at one of my lowest points.

 

[FuneralCry]

If there was a way to go back in time and prevent me from existing in the first place then I would wish to do such a thing. Never being born in the first place is certainly the best outcome possible.

 

[LocalAngel]

Prevent my own birth. I was literally conceived by mistake anyway.

 

[slugcat]

This is a very interesting question actually, i am conflicted, if i could go back in time, i would go back to 2019 where i first attempted to ctb and the pain was so bad i paniqued and i was sent to a hospital, since then, i have never been able to regain my life back everytime i feel like im improving my sh gets even worse, so if i could go back in time i would go there but i don't know what i would do heheh. to be honest in my situation, even tough im at my lowest point and can't die, i feel like there still was some worthwile things that happened so going back in time would be useless

 

[BlackWednesday]

Yes all the time every day. That's the problem with life: The "correct" decsion is only clear when it's already too late.

 

[Sulyya]

I've thought about what would happen if I could return to my youth, retaining what I know now. But it feels that I'm not even much more capable emotionally now then I was. I guess I would try though. Having those years to practice opening up more would be useful probably.

 

[Anhedoniac]

Ever watched the movie "The butterfly effect"?

The main character of the movie is basically a time anomaly who shouldn't exist, the whole film is a metaphor for him being the flap of the butterfly's wings, and the theatrical ending implies he's just some random sap strung into a series of events, while the alternate "directors" ending with the umbilical cord implies that he's something more than that, his entire existence is a complete and utter anomaly, everyone he knows and everything he touches goes wrong for himself or those he cares about simply because he's not supposed to exist in the first place, he is completely out of sync with reality and what is "supposed" to be to the point that every little action he takes tears a crossroads into existence.

He learns in the end that there is no negotiating with this power he has and that no matter what ending he tries to write for himself, it'll always hurt someone else, so instead of attempting to exist, attempting to find the least damaging path, some path that doesn't leave damage, he decides to never play the game, to never "flap" his wings and come into existence as a butterfly, because in the end his harmless little existence, his "miraculous" birth, his mom holding him in her arms, all of that love and desperation will eventually lead to pain and death.

He stops the hurricane by killing his own existence, he was born out of a time anomaly, he dies from a time anomaly, and nobody ever knows the passion, love, and determination he went through because the fact they never heard of him is a testament to how much he loved all of them.

It is also hinted that all his previous siblings who were also stillborn babies had the same time-travel powers and reached the conclusion that killing themselves was the best decision they could make. Hence why the protagonist is referred to as a miracle child.

TL DR: In the director's cut ending of the movie, he travels back in time so he can kill himself inside his mother's womb by strangling himself with the umbilical cord, resulting in a stillborn birth.

 

[chocolatebar]

It's terrifying how the world gives me subtle reminders that I'm getting old everywhere. If I went back in time in order to fix my life, I'd need to go back to at least 2010... a partial fix could be achieved if I went back to around 2012 to 2015, and only a marginal improvement could be achieved if I went back to 2019.

However, I'd pretty much prefer to follow @FuneralCry's approach.

 

[WaitingToGo]

I would go back to 2015 and warn my partner of the cancer coming along so we could've caught it earlier.

 

[DiscT]

Never would have hurt the people I've hurt.

 

[Ruma]

Id go back to a time when id never of met him. He was the route of all my problems.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

Strangle myself on the umbilical cord.

 

[Per Ardua Ad Astra]

It's terrifying how the world gives me subtle reminders that I'm getting old everywhere. If I went back in time in order to fix my life, I'd need to go back to at least 2010... a partial fix could be achieved if I went back to around 2012 to 2015, and only a marginal improvement could be achieved if I went back to 2019.

This is very odd — as if I wrote it — same timeline and sentiments for me

If only

 

[chocolatebar]

This is very odd — as if I wrote it — same timeline and sentiments for me

If only

So sorry for that. We're never the only ones in this massive world, aren't we?

 

[Yuki K]

Go back to 2016-17 to join a sports club that at that time I refused to join (so ended up not joining) but now looking back it would've helped me

 

[Louis]

First of all I really like that question, and if I should response it will certainly be in 2018 when I didn't go to the integration day in my cinema school, I would instead go and learn to know my camarades better and it would be easier (possible) to me to make Friends, and I wouldn't failed my studies. This whole year wouldn't be so depressing and maybe I could have graduated and have a job I love. Instead of this, today I can't have a job bcz of my social anxiety and my depression mostly bcz of this school year..
Or maybe I should have choose another professional way I don't really know, Idk if my social skill issues is really due to this school year probably not since I'm kinda bad at it since my childhood (due to my face muscle malformation, the lot of mockery and askance).

PS; Thanks for reading me it's my first interaction on this site and sorry for my english as it's not my first language.

 

[EnigmaMoth]

I'd have probably gone back to 2017 to see if my abuser was what I remembered then to be, and wrung their neck if so, then told off my mother for allowing teenage me to have as much alcohol as I wanted, then convinced myself to choose a different college and focus before committing to it, along with not taking any jobs whatsoever until I got myself a therapist that gave a shit. It really was the year that broke me in ways you can't just "fix" in a person no matter how much better your life seems to get, especially when viewed by others. With hindsight, absolutely everything was preventable, but by 2018 a lot of damage was already done, and by 2020 there was absolutely no chance of recovering.

I think that's the part that gets to me the most, remembering a time when things were salvageable, when there was actually a chance at enjoying life and existence didn't feel so painful, worse yet when you actually survive long enough to having a life past you would've killed for, but you can't enjoy it like you should because of what you had to endure to make it, and what you still have to live through.

First post here as well, just needed to vent, apologies if I'm breaking etiquette.

 

[ExistHarm]

probably 2019 too, made some real bad choices that year and i wouldnt want to go too far back and relive too much of life. i guess my second choice would be maybe like all the way to the start again with all my memories and i could do things a lot better. of course if i could i would make sure i never existed in the first place but that's not really in the spirit of the question i think.

 

[jackie_boy1337]

I would've shot myself when I was still allowed to own fire arms.

 

[hellispink]

I would have hang myself or die somehow when i was 11 . Would have save myself from a lot

 

[UseItOrLoseIt]

I should have died 10 years ago on my first attempt. Nothing good came after. The timing would be perfect. My parents still not too old to die from sheer sadness, my nephews were in diapers, I still had friend who would have missed me. But I was stupid and unprepared.

 

[hopefully]

go back to sophomore year and make sure i got sick or something so i never went to that sleepover. make sure he never came near me so all of this wouldn't still be damaging me. :(

 

[Forever Sleep]

Unless we could go back and prevent ourselves being born in the first place- that just means living longer. I want to shorten my time here! I'm happy to jump forward but not back.

I do have regrets but not life changing regrets. Some of my decisions could have been better with retrospect but they made sense at the time. It's all shit at the end of the day. But when things were REALLY bad for me- there's not a whole lot I could have done differently to have made them better. I mean- I could have killed myself I suppose but the same things keeping me living then, still are now- just my Dad left now though.

 

[kindalone]

If I had to choose I'd go back to 2010 and choose not to enroll in university. I was immature and had bad work ethic at the time. After 10 years, I still can't get the hang of it the second time around. So I can safely say the academic route is not for me. I should have just learned a trade or got an apprenticeship. I wouldn't have wasted money and would have probably accumulated some good work experience and got a decent salary. But now I'm 31 and a hikkikomori.

 

[Pinkliquid12]

All I ever think about some days is turning back time. It's why some of those Isekai stories are one of the only things to hold my attention - someone gets reborn as a child with all the knowledge and experience they have now and they instantly end up in a far better situation without much effort.
I imagine myself in elementary school again, never having to worry about my grades or crying over math homework. I'd use the free time and the easiness of learning with a child's brain to maybe acquire some kind of skill and enjoy myself. Maybe I would actually make friends because I'd have the knowledge of what not to do. I'd help my mom more. Maybe I'd ask for psychiatric help before my life turned into an endless cycle of failure (people care a lot more about you when youre a kid). Then again, I would still have the complete lack of will to live, so maybe I'd just kill myself instead .

 

[Death is my goal]

nope, my suffering was meant to be. can't prevent it

 

[Black Sheep One]

I would make a wrong number call to my parents when they conceived me. Maybe be an more attractive girl or guy so my parents would never meet. Learn to cry more loudly so I would be an only child.
I sometime wonder if I did make the call and the phone lines were down. Or they just did not answer...
I would go back to heaven and select cat, dog, or horse instead of human.

 

[pharma]

i'd go back to 2020. made so many anxiety-induced mistakes, and now i'm alone

 

[RUPA]

Absolutely not. I just know that it could not have been different in any ways nor could I have done differently.
Everything that has happened was going to happen with unerring accuracy. Otherwise, it would not have happened.

 

[CentreMid]

Yeah. I wish I could prevent myself from being born at all tbh