You, A Time Traveler?
Some time ago, I read Stephen King’s 11/22/63, a book in which Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher comes upon a time portal which can take him back to the 1960s. Among other things, he decides to take on a mission to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
It got me thinking about the ethics of such an endeavor, if were possible. If you could actually go back in time and stop something from happening, it could potentially save lives, prevent atrocities, etc. But then, who knows what the far-reaching effects altering the timeline would be? Would the world as we know it exist when we return from our mission? Would it be better, worse, unchanged?
Given the risks, would you still embark on such a mission if you had the power to do so?
If I had the power to go back in time and stop one disaster or atrocity from happening, it would be the Massacre of Nanking in 1937. Yes, there have been other such genocidal war crimes, but this one was particularly barbaric, considering what they did not only to the hundreds of thousands of innocent women, but to children and infants.
So, if there was one disastrous event you could go back in time and prevent, what would it be? Please discuss in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
Joshua Graham is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, winner of the International Book Award and Forward National Literature Award. His thrillers include DARKROOM, LATENT IMAGE and BEYOND JUSTICE, and TERMINUS. Graham's works have been characterized as thought-provoking page-turners.
Legal Notice: All information on this website and blog are from Mr. Graham's personal experience and insight and should not be viewed in any way, directly or inferred, as qualified professional advice.
All creative writing on this website or Mr. Graham's books: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. (novels, short stories)
I have always been fascinated with the idea of time travel. I would love to be able to go back in time and see Hollywood in the late 20s and 30s. The stars! The glamour! Or to meet Jane Austen and see her work on her masterpieces.
As far as one event, it would be hard to choose one – – the Titanic sinking? 9/11? JFK Jr.? Princess Diana? – – and I always think that doubt would prevail and no one would believe me. I also start wondering if maybe the disaster was meant to happen for whatever reason and I have just altered the universe by preventing it.
Yes, I know. Far too much thinking on this question!
Lori,
What if you not only had the ability to time travel, but the means and power to stop a tragedy?
Would you still do it, not knowing what the repercussions to your world and timeline would be, if any?
Oh boy. Yes, I probably would. For example, if I could travel back to England to cure Jane Austen so that she could provide us with more books, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Of course, you also run the risk of creating a bigger issue. Let’s say that you go back in time and prevent the Titanic from sinking but a person that ends up surviving has a child that is worse than Hitler. Ugh!