# What if someone offered you a picture of yourself in 20 years? Would you take it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182 "2003-11-19T21:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/1 "2003-11-19T21:08:07Z")
Let’s get a little mystical here. No science involved. Purely a judgement call. I’d be a little afraid if someone came up to me and said, “I can give you, right here right now, a photo of you that will reflect exactly what you will look like in 20 years. Do you want it?” I wonder if perhaps it was blank? Do I dies of some unforseen accident? If not thinking about death, what about my hair? I’d be 54 in 20 years. I have blonde hair now…would it be grey then? Who else might be in the picture? I’d wonder, would my illustrious wife be there too? Could I see how the years have been kind to her? I’m sure they will be. Finally, no I wouldn’t take it. Would you? ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/2 "2003-11-19T21:17:18Z")
Sure I would. But I looked at it this way. i compared myself the way i looked 20 years ago and how I look now and it isn’t all that different (from 16 - 36) of course it is more mature but so much is the same. Then I thought about my mother, how did she age? What did she look like at 56…she didn’t even have gray hair…right now I still pass for much younger than I do so as far as changing looks, I am not thinking i will LOOK all that much different. I am not married now so if there was someone in the picture…well might be interesting to look an actually SEE someone with me. Might be promising. Might give me a ;little jolt when one day i saw that person in the grocery store or walking down the street or whatever. If it were blank, then I would know I had to live my life to the fullest and make every day count. I would want to see the picture. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/3 "2003-11-19T21:22:30Z")
Yeah I’d take it. It would be interesting to know what I’d look like at 38. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/4 "2003-11-19T21:25:18Z")
Yeah, I’d look. My dad died at 50. If there’s a picture, I got two years on him. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/5 "2003-11-19T21:34:44Z")
A picture of ashes? _That_ wouldn’t be very exciting. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/6 "2003-11-19T21:39:41Z")
Sure, why not? I’m only 22, so I’ll very likely look reasonably close to how I look now. Unless I’m dead or wracked by some horrible illness, nothing would be _that_ much of a shock. Now, if you offered me a picture of how I’ll look at 90 … I wouldn’t take it. I just can’t imagine myself as a decrepit old man. Not to mention the fact that I can’t think of any man in my whole family who’s lived past hid early sixties, and most of them die earlier, so the photo would almost certainly be blank. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/7 "2003-11-19T21:41:11Z")
48+20=not a chance! ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/8 "2003-11-19T22:06:11Z")
I’d do it. I’ve been going through some very hard times, and it’d be good to have some reassurance that I’m going to make it through. I’m sure in 20 years everything is going to be okay, but lord knows it feels like the world is ending right now as we speak. Might jolt me out of this funk. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/9 "2003-11-19T22:11:05Z")
> [@](#): > > 48+20=not a chance! Oh come on now. Seriously, I’d like to hear from some older dopers. It’s easy for someone at 20 to say. " heck at 40 I’ll look basically the same"[sub]…hahaha…little do they know about _the change_, when things slow down all on their own heh[/sub] Seriously, what about you 40 something dopers…would you take the pic? I said no for more reasons than just being slightly afraid there would be no picture. I’m kind of thinking that my wife would automatically be in the picture. And right now I do not want to think of looking at something that may indicate we do not live happily ever after…changing each other’s depends (yuck)! 🙂 I’m not afraid of the future in any way…but I do think about it from time to time…where will I be in 20 years…I don’t know if I’d want to see a snap shot of it. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/10 "2003-11-19T22:19:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve been going through some very hard times, and it’d be good to have some reassurance that I’m going to make it through. I’m sure in 20 years everything is going to be okay, but lord knows it feels like the world is ending right now as we speak. Might jolt me out of this funk. Job market still tight out there **even sven**? You always strick me as someone who has that _ **Universe in a Nutshell** _ type of presence. So much going on in there…I’m happy you would look at the pic. I’m sure it would show a very confident person… Ok, ok enough tooting peoples horns 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/11 "2003-11-19T22:35:53Z")
Sure why not, I’d be surprised if I made it to 50. ---
**Author:** ![tanookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/12 "2003-11-19T22:51:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mipiace \* > \*\*If it were blank, then I would know I had to live my life to the fullest and make every day count. I would want to see the picture. \*\* You should be doing that anyway! I’d be sorely tempted but I don’t think I’d look. I’m not sure though what I would do… especially since there’s the chance the picture would give away a lot more than if I had greyed or wrinkled by 50. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/13 "2003-11-20T00:04:08Z")
Nope, I’m **koeeoaddi** ’s age, and I’ll ditto her comment. I’m sure it won’t be horrifying when I get there – but I’ll have had time to get used to the idea. Me at 68? Gets a big fat “ewwww” from me at 48. ---
**Author:** ![Snuggles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Snuggles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snuggles)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/14 "2003-11-20T02:03:32Z")
I am only 19, but I wouldn’t take it. If it was a pleasant picture, I’d be afraid of entertaining the mentality of, “oh well I won’t worry about anything, according to ‘the future’ no matter what I do I’ll end up with a husband and happy just like the picture said”. Also, if it was a bad picture, then I would dread every day until the date of that picture cuz obviously things would go terribly wrong for me, and what a future _that_ is to look forward to! So maybe I’m a chicken. That’s fair. I really am not much of a risk taker. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/15 "2003-11-20T03:05:03Z")
Sure. 20 years from now. 40 years from now. 60 years from now. I bet I’m gonna look cool as hell when I’m 97. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/16 "2003-11-20T03:09:24Z")
Why would I want a picture of myself at 46? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/17 "2003-11-20T03:20:56Z")
I’ve never much noticed my age so sure. I don’t think I’ll look much different from 29 and 49. ---
**Author:** ![raizok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@raizok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raizok)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/18 "2003-11-20T03:55:46Z")
Hmm… I wouldnt take it. The last thing I need is to see a picture of a drunken hobo passed out in his vomit in a dimly lit alleyway. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Angel\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_Heart)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/19 "2003-11-20T04:03:18Z")
I’d take it. No one in my family has died before the age of 45, so I should be pretty safe. Now, a picture of me 70 years from now (which would make me older than my great-grandmother), that might be a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182/20 "2003-11-20T04:27:21Z")
Nah. I prefer to think of my history as unwritten. Although, I’d bet money that I’ll look like Sasquatch eventually… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-someone-offered-you-a-picture-of-yourself-in-20-years-would-you-take-it/214182.md?page=2)