Comments on: Phone Calls From The Future http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/ public domain playground. friendly entities welcome. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:36:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: james http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-7187 james Tue, 25 Oct 2005 00:49:05 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/#comment-7187 The best way to prove to your Past self that you are the Future self is to call at a moment when you are absolutely certain that an event is going to occur-- say, the morning of 9/11. You call five minutes before the first plane hits the tower and tell yourself what is going to happen. This may sound loony, but I have conversations with my Future and Past selves all the time, although not by telephone. They exist in the mental realm, the same realm I access when I write fiction. It's an act of imagination to do so. What have I told myself on such occasions? Well, my Future self tends to tell me to stay the course I'm on (nor matter what), and my Past self tends to remind me not to make the same mistakes I made in the past. That's about the gist of it. The best way to prove to your Past self that you are the Future self is to call at a moment when you are absolutely certain that an event is going to occur– say, the morning of 9/11. You call five minutes before the first plane hits the tower and tell yourself what is going to happen.

This may sound loony, but I have conversations with my Future and Past selves all the time, although not by telephone. They exist in the mental realm, the same realm I access when I write fiction. It’s an act of imagination to do so.

What have I told myself on such occasions? Well, my Future self tends to tell me to stay the course I’m on (nor matter what), and my Past self tends to remind me not to make the same mistakes I made in the past. That’s about the gist of it.

]]> By: Jay Oatway http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-7170 Jay Oatway Sun, 23 Oct 2005 10:20:30 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/#comment-7170 Think about it the other way around. If you were calling yourself in the past, you'd probably know the sort of person you'd be calling, the sort of things that you were worried about, the things you really enjoyed, etc. So it shouldn't be too hard to gain my own confidence. The first thing I'd do yhen is tell me the winning lottery numbers for the next draw. Followed by stock tips to invest the winnings in. Followed by any other advice that could disrupt the timeline enough to significantly improve standard of living. Wouldn't everybody? Think about it the other way around. If you were calling yourself in the past, you’d probably know the sort of person you’d be calling, the sort of things that you were worried about, the things you really enjoyed, etc. So it shouldn’t be too hard to gain my own confidence.

The first thing I’d do yhen is tell me the winning lottery numbers for the next draw. Followed by stock tips to invest the winnings in. Followed by any other advice that could disrupt the timeline enough to significantly improve standard of living.

Wouldn’t everybody?

]]> By: James Russell http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-7158 James Russell Sat, 22 Oct 2005 07:52:10 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/#comment-7158 I don't know, getting a phone call from my future self could actually be quite reassuring. It would, after all, be proof of my survival up to at least that point. Say if I was calling myself from 20 years in the future, it'd mean I have at least those 20 years of life ahead of me. Although, to be sure, they could be 20 years of shit, in which case it wouldn't be reassuring at all... I don’t know, getting a phone call from my future self could actually be quite reassuring. It would, after all, be proof of my survival up to at least that point. Say if I was calling myself from 20 years in the future, it’d mean I have at least those 20 years of life ahead of me. Although, to be sure, they could be 20 years of shit, in which case it wouldn’t be reassuring at all…

]]> By: Rachel http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-7150 Rachel Sat, 22 Oct 2005 03:15:44 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/#comment-7150 If "future me" asked me to do something really outrageous, I think I would require more of an explanation than "just trust me"... if it was something that I might not normally think about doing, but nothing that I'd object to doing, then I'd do it. If it was something that I had serious doubts about, and "future me" didn't have me totally convinced of her legitimacy, then I think I would probably ignore her advice and act according to what seemed like the best course of action in the present. But I would also make a mental note that if something awful happened as a result, I should remember to say something more convincing when I figure out how to telephone through time. If “future me” asked me to do something really outrageous, I think I would require more of an explanation than “just trust me”… if it was something that I might not normally think about doing, but nothing that I’d object to doing, then I’d do it. If it was something that I had serious doubts about, and “future me” didn’t have me totally convinced of her legitimacy, then I think I would probably ignore her advice and act according to what seemed like the best course of action in the present. But I would also make a mental note that if something awful happened as a result, I should remember to say something more convincing when I figure out how to telephone through time.

]]> By: alistair http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-7133 alistair Fri, 21 Oct 2005 18:44:19 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/10/21/phone-calls-from-the-future/#comment-7133 nasrudin was quite the motherfucker, wasn`t he? about a phonecall from yourself in the future. you either begin with 100% trust with yourself and go from there, or, you go from 100% distrust and go for proof which will never be enough because of your position of 100% distrust, or, some point inbetween. frankly, i`d choose to 100% trust the call or just hang up and go play x-box with the kids, ironic uncertainty is triresome. nasrudin was quite the motherfucker, wasn`t he?
about a phonecall from yourself in the future. you either begin with 100% trust with yourself and go from there, or, you go from 100% distrust and go for proof which will never be enough because of your position of 100% distrust, or, some point inbetween. frankly, i`d choose to 100% trust the call or just hang up and go play x-box with the kids, ironic uncertainty is triresome.

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