Everything you know about time travel is wrong

My fascination with science fiction has waned in the past few years. Although still a big movie-goer, I now watch only a handful of sci-fi shows and rarely talk or think about the genre much outside of the living room. However, time travel and all sorts of time-related topics continue to interest me.

Recently while driving down the west-side highway in NY I made a realization. I think it is a big one. Maybe you will too. The realization applies to the "theory" of time travel which states that you can't change the past or your destiny.

The most recent big-screen incarnation of this line of thought was last year's, The Time Machine. In the film, our main character builds a time machine to travel back in time for the purpose of preventing his loved one's murder. However, each time he prevents her death she nevertheless dies a little later.

The lesson learned is that "you can't change the past." If she, or anyone else, was meant to die, or have anything else happen to them, then that's what will happen, regardless of what preventive measures are taken. The Time Machine was not the first and won't be the last work of sci-fi to perpetuate this idea.

However, upon closer inspection we discover the theory to be wholly bogus. Going back to the example, simply put, history was changed. In the original, Bob kills the woman (i.e. he is a killer), in the first attempt to save her, Joe kills the woman (i.e. he is a killer and Bob is an innocent man). That doesn't even take into account all the myriad of small changes that were done to history (i.e. what about if she gave someone charity in her 30 extra minutes of life, totally changing that person's destiny?).

Perhaps the lesson with going back in time to change the course of history is that you can't observe and alter history simultaneously. You can only alter those things which are on your periphery (i.e. not your immediate focus of attention). If I would have tried to go back in time and save my friend Bob from being a murderer, I probably would have failed. But instead, if I would have tried to prevent the woman's murder, I may have succeeded in preventing my friend from becoming a murderer.

I think I just solved a major paradox of time travel theory. Or, I just showed everyone what a giant dork I am.

Now I am off to have a fun Saturday night.

And God Said...

While I don't agree with everything God says on SaysGod.com I still think it is a good, quick, fun read. And if it gets you thinking, all the better!

Visit SaysGod.com.

And for a more serious website, check out this alternate prayer for the Jewish holy day of redemption: click here. (Thanks Jeff!)

For all the Jews out there fasting this Yom Kippur, have an easy fast! I'll be back to blogging on tuesday...

Writings on Liberty, Remembrance and Perseverance

The Declaration of Independence

"...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."

John Quincy Adams (4 July, 1821)

"[America's] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice."

The Gettysburg Address

"...But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract..."

Franklin D. Roosevelt (20 January, 1941)

"...In the face of great perils never before encountered, our strong purpose is to protect and to perpetuate the integrity of democracy. For this we muster the spirit of America, and the faith of America..."

John F. Kennedy (20 January, 1961)

"...Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty..."

September 11

During this week of remembrance many people are analyzing their thoughts regarding 9-11-02, reliving where they were on 9-11-01 and trying to move forward. It seems as if this week is some sort of deadline for us to reexamine our feelings and make decisions on how to proceed. Of course, none of that makes any sense. 365 days after a tragic event isn't any more of a deadline for reconciliation as 366 or 364 are.

"Where was God that day?"

Again, answers don't have to come any easier this week than last. The question asked over and over again is a false one, whose misunderstanding blocks our ability to truly embrace, reconcile, learn and move forward. God is no where, God is not a grey-bearded old man sitting on a throne in the silver-lined cloud 9 in the sky. Likewise, Satan is not a horned man covered in BBQ sauce who calls the liquid hot magma core of the Earth his 'hood.

Satan did not plunge those planes into those buildings and God was not taking a nap when he should have been extending his huge boomerang-like tube to stop and reverse the planes' directions. As an enlightened people we should not think of 9-11 (or any event) as a baseball game between Good and Evil - only insofar as the Good and Evil are those forces which we create, exhibit, exude and act upon.

Furthermore, it isn't the fault of some mythically evil creature that a large group of people schemed, planned and prepared for years to show the world their anger. Satan lives within each of us as does the ability to do good and help others be better. Praying to God is only good if it in-turn causes us to be better people.

I'd love to hear from others on this issue. Where do you think God was on that day?

Other links: Sermon for 9-11-02 (BuzzMachine), What Faith Saw that Day (Joho), AKMA's response, Searching for God (NY Times), a better list of links than I could ever do (Doc Searls).