Into the Mystic
Junior Member
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- 98
I recently finished watching the excellent 11/22/63 TV series based on the excellent Stephen King novel. For those who haven't watched/read it, the premise is that a man from the 21st century (2011 in the novel, 2016 in the series), is sent back in time (to 1958 in the book and 1960 in the series) in order to ultimately prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He also wants to prevent his friend's dad from murdering his friend's mother and siblings.
A subplot is that of a 'sentient' universe; often the main character, Jake, finds himself in sticky situations: for instance, on the morning of 22 November 1963, he wakes up with a huge migraine that is so bad he is almost blind. It is expressed as 'history fighting back'; doing everything possible to prevent Jake from changing anything. I urge anyone who hasn't seen or read this story to do so with all haste.
Now, in this story, it is assumed that Jake time travels to a point in the past of the same timeline, whereas I believe in the many-worlds interpretation: that anyone who time travels and changes things only changes them in another timeline, and it will make no difference to this one. As I have stated before, I wish to not only change the past but relive it. I am confident that if I am ever to achieve time travel, then I will end up in a separate timeline.
But a worry about a 'sentient universe' still exists. Say if I go back to 2013 but I then lose members of my family in a horrific car accident? Or I never get the opportunity to meet my now-ex on the school trip to Paris in November 2013? Or I fall seriously ill? Would this be the universe 'punishing' me for trying to change my past?
Sorry if this is a bit of a nonsensical ramble; it's just that this is a line of thought that I have had in my head for quite a while. What do my fellow travellers think? Am I making a fuss out of nothing? Do I have legitimate concerns?
A subplot is that of a 'sentient' universe; often the main character, Jake, finds himself in sticky situations: for instance, on the morning of 22 November 1963, he wakes up with a huge migraine that is so bad he is almost blind. It is expressed as 'history fighting back'; doing everything possible to prevent Jake from changing anything. I urge anyone who hasn't seen or read this story to do so with all haste.
Now, in this story, it is assumed that Jake time travels to a point in the past of the same timeline, whereas I believe in the many-worlds interpretation: that anyone who time travels and changes things only changes them in another timeline, and it will make no difference to this one. As I have stated before, I wish to not only change the past but relive it. I am confident that if I am ever to achieve time travel, then I will end up in a separate timeline.
But a worry about a 'sentient universe' still exists. Say if I go back to 2013 but I then lose members of my family in a horrific car accident? Or I never get the opportunity to meet my now-ex on the school trip to Paris in November 2013? Or I fall seriously ill? Would this be the universe 'punishing' me for trying to change my past?
Sorry if this is a bit of a nonsensical ramble; it's just that this is a line of thought that I have had in my head for quite a while.
What do my fellow travellers think? Am I making a fuss out of nothing? Do I have legitimate concerns? 