# Would you trade lives with anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 1, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215 "2009-10-01T07:01:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/1 "2009-10-01T07:01:59Z")
Let’s say you could trade lives with another person. You get the whole life, personality, memories–you are that person. You must take the good with the bad, so if they’re dealing with some trauma that you don’t know about, you get that, too. You have no memory of your current existence. Would you do it? Who would you want to be? I can’t think of anyone I’d be willing to risk it with. Sure, there are some celebrities with pretty sweet-looking lives, but I don’t know enough about their emotional state to be willing to go there. I don’t know anyone personally that I would consider happier or better-off than I am. What say you? ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/2 "2009-10-01T08:11:30Z")
Honestly, I’m pretty happy with my life. Like you, I can think of a few celebrities that might be tempting, but you never know at what price. Anything about my life that I’m not thrilled with can be changed, so my answer is an emphatic “NO!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/3 "2009-10-01T09:33:58Z")
If I have the other person’s memories, personality, etc., without retaining any of my own, then in what sense is it me leading their life? Does the other person get to live my life instead, subject to the same conditions? Because in that case, the switch – _snap_ – has just taken place, it’s just that nobody ever notices, and everything continues completely unchanged. Or does my life not get continued, it’s just that ‘I’ replace the other person in some way? Then it’d seem indistinguishable from suicide to me. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/4 "2009-10-01T12:54:12Z")
If a genie ever allows me that wish, I hope Jimmy Buffett likes my cubicle. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/5 "2009-10-01T13:00:12Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > If I have the other person’s memories, personality, etc., without retaining any of my own, then in what sense is it me leading their life? Does the other person get to live my life instead, subject to the same conditions? Because in that case, the switch – _snap_ – has just taken place, it’s just that nobody ever notices, and everything continues completely unchanged. Or does my life not get continued, it’s just that ‘I’ replace the other person in some way? Then it’d seem indistinguishable from suicide to me. We just had this EXACT QUESTION posed by someone else a few days ago and the consensus was - for the reasons explained above - that it doesn’t make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/6 "2009-10-01T13:20:46Z")
I don’t think I would, but if I did… I’d change places with Asher. He lives a really sweet life. Sure, he has a criminal record, but his current life is about as fantastic as it can get. Why not work to make my own life every bit as good? I’m trying! I give it about a year. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/7 "2009-10-01T13:22:56Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I don’t think I would, but if I did… > > I’d change places with Asher. He lives a really sweet life. Sure, he has a criminal record, but his current life is about as fantastic as it can get. > > Why not work to make my own life every bit as good? I’m trying! I give it about a year. Who the hell is Asher? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/8 "2009-10-01T14:06:41Z")
Nobody has a better kid than me. Even before I had the Wiggler, no. My life has always been reasonably good, and the thing is, I don’t REALLY know what someone else’s dark secrets might be, so switching lives is very high-risk. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/9 "2009-10-01T14:06:56Z")
I think I could handle being Tiger Woods. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/10 "2009-10-01T14:23:58Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Who the hell is Asher? A really cool dude I met in San Francisco last week. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/11 "2009-10-01T23:05:29Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > We just had this EXACT QUESTION posed by someone else a few days ago and the consensus was - for the reasons explained above - that it doesn’t make any sense. Oops, sorry, I guess I missed it. I don’t agree that it makes no sense, though. Basically the question is that if you could have a completely different life experience than you’ve had, would you? But I’ll search for that other thread (wish me luck!). ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/12 "2009-10-01T23:22:00Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > A really cool dude I met in San Francisco last week. Can I get a description? I would be rather intrigued if you were talking about a certain Ash of my acquaintance. He does get around… ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/13 "2009-10-01T23:59:42Z")
I would do so, my life has been pretty rough overall. I’ve always just got by. That said, there are certainly a lot of people much worse off, but then again, there always is. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/14 "2009-10-02T14:48:59Z")
Overall, I’m thrilled with my life. But if I HAD to switch, I’d say bring on Sammy Hagar. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/15 "2009-10-02T16:12:41Z")
I hope Lord Nelson enjoys the 21st century. I’d like to him from the moment he stepped aboard his first warship in 1771 until the moment he dies aboard the HMS Victory after the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Him or [Thomas Cochrane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cochrane,_10th_Earl_of_Dundonald). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-trade-lives-with-anyone/512215/16 "2009-10-02T16:30:14Z")
> [@gurujulp](#): > > Can I get a description? I would be rather intrigued if you were talking about a certain Ash of my acquaintance. Austrian ancestry, I believe. Very dark skinned, dark eyes, curly black hair, usually(?) unshaven, very friendly. Dating a tall blonde goddess named Megan. ETA: And lives in Berkeley.