The Clock never Stops
Have you ever wondered about how your life would be if you could go back in time? Imagine what you could accomplish. If you knew the stock market's history or sports, you would know the outcomes of companies and championship winners. Or, you could go back and correct a mistake or two that you made along the way.
Yes, there are many things we could do to make our lives better and more in tune with our desires. However, there is a problem with time travel as we know it today. The "grandfather paradox" famously illustrates the paradox of time travel. To clarify, in this thought experiment, a time traveler goes back in time and prevents their grandfather from meeting their grandmother, which would prevent the time traveler's birth. However, if the time traveler were never born, they could not have traveled back in time to stop the meeting. This paradox creates a loop of logical contradictions, challenging the idea of causality or the relationship between cause and effect. So, this paradox suggests that time travel to the past would be impossible or result in catastrophic consequences for the timeline.
However, there is a second hypothesis that I want to explore in more detail. One of the leading theories that attempts to resolve this paradox is the idea of the multiverse (read my blog here).
Two Times
According to this theory, when a time traveler alters events in the past, they do not change their original timeline but instead create a new, branching timeline. In this new timeline, different events unfold, allowing for alternate outcomes without affecting the time traveler's original reality.
Consequently, this approach avoids the paradox altogether, as the time traveler's actions in the past do not erase their existence; instead, they continue to exist in their original timeline while the new timeline plays out separately.
The Arts show us the Way
In addition, movies like Avengers: Endgame and television shows such as Loki and The Flash have explored the idea of multiple timelines, where characters face the consequences of their actions in one reality while their original timeline remains intact. These portrayals have helped audiences understand the complexities of time travel and the potential for alternate versions of reality to exist simultaneously. By introducing the concept of new timelines, these stories solve the paradox of time travel, making it easier to imagine how past events could be changed without erasing the future.
So, consider this: you can go back in time but create a new timeline from the moment you enter the past reality. Meanwhile, you are simultaneously still living in the present; you are just unaware that you exist in multiple realities. Yes, this is a bit mind-boggling, but it is the basis of scientific proof. See my blog on the double-slit experiment. In short, what you focus on shows up in the form of electrons or matter. When you stop paying attention, the matter turns to waveform.
Byrd in Antartica
Double your odds
Let's go back to my earlier statement about going back in time with information from your present. Imagine that you go back to the year 1997, and you take $1,000 and invest it in Amazon stock. Today, you would have $2.5M. In addition, you bet $100,000 on the 1998 Super Bowl and picked the Denver Broncos to beat the hated Green Bay Packers. The payout was 3-1 odds, and you banked $300,000. Congratulations, you have now beat the system and can earn or cheat your way to millions of dollars. However, there is a catch.
Remember that I told you going back in time takes you to a different universe. You still exist in the timeline you just jumped from, and you started a whole new timeline simultaneously. The stock market and players on those winning teams are now participating in your new univers and the outcomes could change. You have new knowledge, but it may not match your expectations. As a result, this works with the government, corporations, and even relationships. Some differences may be subtle, like Darth Vader uttering the line, "Luke, I am your father." In this timeline, the quote is "No, I am your father." or your "Jiffy" peanut butter is called Jiff.
I know this place
Likewise, consider that your new world has cars on the street made by companies you've never heard of before. Further, you notice they are all electric. Now you start to get concerned and call your Father, only to learn that the number you remember is not his. You quickly rent an electric car from OJ's Rent-A-Car and drive to his house. However, when you get there, the neighborhood looks different. The houses are all fitted with solar panels, and people are riding bikes and kids playing on front lawns. As you approach the door, you notice the house is a different color and an unfamiliar woman comes to the door and asks, can I help you? You ask for your Father, and she says the man that used to live here passed away over ten years ago.
As you stumble back from the door, your mind is racing, and it recalls that your Dad had a heart attack in the kitchen years ago. His wife heard the thud from the basement and raced up to see what was happening. Thankfully, she quickly called 911 and performed CPR, waiting for the paramedics. However, in this reality, this never happened for one reason or another. As you sit in disbelief, you recall all the additional time you had with your Father at family parties, talking with him weekly on the phone, and the new connection you made together after that horrible event. Now, all of that never existed. What about my partner and children? Are they even here with me? What have I done?
Brain to Heart
I wanted to give you one perspective on time travel and, at the same time, point out all that you already have in this reality or timeline. You may feel like the proverbial shit is hitting the fan for you, but this is the reality you choose to focus on. Most importantly, we must remember that what you focus on is what you create. If I decide to focus on the money I don't have, the relationship I desire, or the government I think is most promising, I will only create the feeling of lack in this or any other timeline.
In conclusion, I like creating paradoxes to help me see how blessed I am in this current timeline and reality. Yes, there will invariably be "contrast," but it is always my choice to either react or respond to it. What do you choose to do?