Fast Forward. Reverse. Pause.

[steve-in-kville]

Have been waxing philosophical as of late....

What if life had a pause button? A rewind/reverse or "do over" button? Or fast forward? Would you use it?

If Friday is dragging out too long, fast forward to the weekend?

Use reverse to "do over" a bad decision?

Pause for the good times?

Vote and discuss.

[temporal1]

i chose 4, BUT ..
at this point, many folks, esp in developed countries, have all manner options for playing with time.
i expect too many for me to recall very well. for starters:

medicine, including surgeries, impact length of life, and quality.
euthanasia is extreme. abortion is extreme. but, too much to try to list.

agriculture, good diets, impact time, and quality.

abusing drugs impacts time+quality.

risk-taking. driving. smoking. smartphones.

i think there is a lot of playing with time. not always recognized as such in the moment.

my 4 grandparents passed in their early 70’s, and younger. my parents lived quality lives until 80 and 88.
that’s quite a difference in one generation.

[Ken]

I think life does have a “pause button” but you have to engage it yourself. That is what vacations are about. And for that matter, Sundays as a day of rest and reflection/worship. But far too many Americans are on the hamster wheel and just never stop. It is about choices and values.

[PeterG]

I appreciate the thoughtful replies from Temp and Ken.

I chose the fourth option. There are certainly things I wish I could do over again, and times when I wish things would slow down or speed up. But human nature being what it is, I'm afraid these buttons, if they were real and accessible to us, would inevitably be misused, probably to catastrophic effect. Better to learn from our mistakes and live life for what it is.

[Ken]

I think a lot of wanting to re-wind is simply being unwilling to be accountable for our own decisions. Sure there are plenty of things I would do differently in my life if I had a do-over. But part of being mature is accepting and living with the choices that you have made. And then learning from those mistakes and trying to do better. Some things I guess are just chance. But most of the most consequential decisions in our lives are decisions that we made ourselves. That is what free will is all about.

[Neto]

I would want a "repeat" button. Not to change much of anything, but if I could be young again & go into Bible translation again, I would jump at it. The only change I would want to make (that I can think of) would be to not be quite so determined to solve the unsolvable translation/interpretation questions, the ones that people a lot smarter than I were not able to solve. And more single mindedness.

[steve-in-kville]

I voted for #4 myself. As much as I want to go back and re-do some decisions, I have faith that God had His hand in it all. My wife and I experienced some very unique challenges that often had us asking "why me?" Ten years later, we had an "ah ha" moment where it all made sense.

[Dan Z]

Sometimes I feel like my children grow up too fast...I get nostalgic for those days of having little ones on my knee. A pause button would be appealing in this regard.

[steve-in-kville]

Sometimes I feel like my children grow up too fast...I get nostalgic for those days of having little ones on my knee. A pause button would be appealing in this regard.

I recently came across a photo of me with my three oldest on my lap. Our third was just an infant. I was working all kinds of crazy hours at the time but I remember when that photo was taken. The culture we were in put so much pressure on fathers/husbands to perform, be successful in business... so many precious moments slipped through my fingers. I do wish many times I could have a do-over.

[temporal1]

2026 Reverse?!

2021 OP:

Have been waxing philosophical as of late....

What if life had a pause button? A rewind/reverse or "do over" button? Or fast forward? Would you use it?

If Friday is dragging out too long, fast forward to the weekend?

Use reverse to "do over" a bad decision?

Pause for the good times?

Vote and discuss.

steve,
can you remember your poll questions?

my grdaughter is 18, graduating HS, visiting a college with her mother in Montana! Today.
i want to go back! - another 18 years+9 months would be great. times 12 would be great. 13 isn’t too many.

lots of emotions this year.