Would you rather go back into the past or go into the future?

[RebeccaFog]

No No No.

I think we are on the level of every other nation.  We have good points and bad points.  I wish we'd work on it more.

I just wasn't sure if you were taking me seriously, or if you knew I was kidding.

[Rachael]

I did take you seriously at first :S Then again, i know a fair few Americans who are deadly  serious about being the most awesomest in the awesomesauce.....


*rebis respect restored*

hehe

[RebeccaFog]

Thanks.

Now, let us go then, you and I, into a future that we can bend to our own desires.

[Rachael]

I still much prefer the past... But im confused as so many seem to think that the past is only bad... the past is awesome!

[RebeccaFog]

Oh yes. Most of the past is awesome, it just depends upon where and who you are.
For instance, there have probably been a great amount of people who lived quiet lives in the country living off of farming or some kind of skill set who were never bothered by the stupid trends of 'civilization' such as beheadings and wars.

It's why I picked New England 1800 to 1860. Except for the war of 1812, things were peaceful. And anyway, I would have skipped the war, so that wouldn't of bothered me anyway.

Living in the country, having fresh air, clean water, listening to birds and raccoons making their sounds.  Very peaceful.  Even if you have to walk a hundred yards from your house to poo and you have no electricity. Who cares? so go to bed at dark.

I know there are more exciting places to be and things to do, but I don't need excitement.  If I wanted to, I could get a gig on a whaling vessel for a year or two.

[Aurelius]

Oh yes. Most of the past is awesome, it just depends upon where and who you are.
For instance, there have probably been a great amount of people who lived quiet lives in the country living off of farming or some kind of skill set who were never bothered by the stupid trends of 'civilization' such as beheadings and wars.

It's why I picked New England 1800 to 1860. Except for the war of 1812, things were peaceful. And anyway, I would have skipped the war, so that wouldn't of bothered me anyway.

Living in the country, having fresh air, clean water, listening to birds and raccoons making their sounds.  Very peaceful.  Even if you have to walk a hundred yards from your house to poo and you have no electricity. Who cares? so go to bed at dark.

I know there are more exciting places to be and things to do, but I don't need excitement.  If I wanted to, I could get a gig on a whaling vessel for a year or two.

That's a very beautiful vision, and one I share with you...I live in Northern Michigan, so I can at least taste it...

But don't be fooled by visions of the past. There were plenty of wars being fought besides 1812...that little adventure in Mexico comes to mind. But even with what we view as "the worst of times" people not affected are still going about their business, living unexciting life as we are. What about people looking at us from a thousand years from now? What will they say?

I try not to think of my own country as an empire, but I think the difference for me is I look at it in very broad terms. The US is only a little over two hundred years old...we still have a long way to go if that is the direction we're going, which I think not as the rules of history have changed considerably and cannot be compared to that of the Romans, the Persian Caliphate, British Empire, etc...American Empire? Maybe. Sounds like something I would want to read about...1000 years from now. But I don't see it now.

Chris

Posted on: November 07, 2008, 10:08:54 amAll this time...(excerpt)

Teachers told us
The Romans built this place
They built the walls and the temples
In this edge of the empire garrison town

They lived and they died
They prayed to their gods
But some gods did not make a sound

And their empire crumbled
Till all that was left
Was the stones the workmen found

Chris

[tekla]

What we call 'the mexican-american war' in our textbooks they call 'the great war for empire' south of the border.  That Manifest Destiny deal was pretty imperial in the final cut.

[RebeccaFog]

I think there were no wars being fought in my state at the time.  I don't recall if the British passed thru, but they wouldn't care about me anyway.

I just don't want to get caught in a crossfire.

Besides, I could be a part of the underground railroad.  Heh.  Anything to screw the Man, or, whitey, or whomever.   

Michigan must have some great places in the past.

[Aurelius]

What we call 'the mexican-american war' in our textbooks they call 'the great war for empire' south of the border.  That Manifest Destiny deal was pretty imperial in the final cut.

100% agreement. Don't forget also the Spanish American war...imperialism at its finest. But both were in the past, I think the world at large moved/is moving away from imperialism...I don't know, maybe globalism good, bad, and ugly. Maybe economic imperialism. I'm stuck in this part of history like you, and can only see the trees and not the forest, so I can't really say for sure.

"Right here, right now
No other place I want to be.
Right here, right now
Watching the world wake up from history"

Sounds like something I want to be a part of, and words you can apply for a long time to come...and my original answer for this post's question!

Chris

Posted on: November 07, 2008, 12:56:33 pm

I there no no wars being fought in my state at the time.  I don't recall if the British passed thru, but they wouldn't care about me anyway.

I just don't want to get caught in a crossfire.

Besides, I could be a part of the underground railroad.  Heh.  Anything to screw the Man, or, whitey, or whomever.   

Michigan must have some great places in the past.

It still does have some great places!

Underground railroad would be cool.

Sorry, it just reminded me of somebody (I'm not saying this is you). He had read "Gates of Fire" and got this notion in his head how great it would be to be a medieval knight. Sounds great when watching movies I guess, but most certainly not how things really were.

Which reminds me, anybody out there...if you could go back and change history (I don't mean just your personal history), would you? Keep in mind things may not turn out how you want them to be, and have unintended consequences...

[Alyssa M.]

What we call 'the mexican-american war' in our textbooks they call 'the great war for empire' south of the border.  That Manifest Destiny deal was pretty imperial in the final cut.

Let's not forget the "War of Northern Aggression" (a.k.a. "The Late Unpleasantness"). And they don't generally call the "Vietnam War" the "Vietnam War" in Vietnam.

But, yes, 1847 was about two empires battling it out over land neither had legitimate claim to. To all those (few) Mexicans who are sore about the loss, all I can say is, "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!"

[Rachael]

If i could change history... or if i had a time machine.... id go back specifically to stop people changing history. Too many things depend on what happened... our futures depend on it... WE depend on it. As much as id love to go back and change the decision at my birth... i can think of several consequences that would rip people i love from me....

[Alyssa M.]

If i could change history... or if i had a time machine.... id go back specifically to stop people changing history. Too many things depend on what happened... our futures depend on it... WE depend on it. As much as id love to go back and change the decision at my birth... i can think of several consequences that would rip people i love from me....

And let's not forget, before we go messing around with history, that All is for the Best in This, the Best of All Possible Worlds!

~Dr. Pangloss

[Aurelius]

If i could change history... or if i had a time machine.... id go back specifically to stop people changing history. Too many things depend on what happened... our futures depend on it... WE depend on it. As much as id love to go back and change the decision at my birth... i can think of several consequences that would rip people i love from me....

And let's not forget, before we go messing around with history, that All is for the Best in This, the Best of All Possible Worlds!

~Dr. Pangloss

I'm rolling in my grave-->Voltaire

I agree with Pangloss-->me

[Alyssa M.]

I agree with Pangloss-->me

Really? Huh.

Cultivating my garden-->me

[Aurelius]

I agree with Pangloss-->me

Really? Huh.

Cultivating my garden-->me

Best of all possible worlds? Past tense, yes. We cannot change it.

Cultivate our garden? For a better future, always.