# Yes or no? You can relive the best year of your life, but you also have to relive the worst. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412 "2010-12-08T15:09:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/1 "2010-12-08T15:09:29Z")
So a magic genie gives you this option: You can relive the absolutely best year of your life (year being any 365 days, not a calendar year), but you also have to relive the worst year of your life (ditto). If you choose to do so, you can also pick the order (good/bad or bad/good). What do you do? ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/2 "2010-12-08T15:17:31Z")
Ick. No way, absolutely not, forget it. I’m not going through that again, nothing’s worth that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/3 "2010-12-08T15:19:10Z")
No way in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/4 "2010-12-08T15:31:13Z")
I don’t remember ever having a really bad year, so bring it on! ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/5 "2010-12-08T15:31:17Z")
When you say “relive,” do you mean that essentially you’re just an observer in your own body, unable to change or even influence events, if you actually retain knowledge of the future as you relive these times? Or can you try to change things, in both the good and bad times, for the better (which more than likely means you trade away bad mistakes for possibly even worse mistakes)? If I retained knowledge of my own personal future, and was in essence my present consciousness inhabiting an earlier version of my body during the years in question, then I go with a cautious 'Yes." I would try to change things, ever mindful of the Butterfly Effect. Still and all, I voted “Yes, I don’t care in which order,” but my real vote is “Yes With Stipulations.” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/6 "2010-12-08T15:33:38Z")
Absolutely not. I had a few years that were really bad by any standard. The downside to life can much more extreme than any upside. It wouldn’t be worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/7 "2010-12-08T15:46:18Z")
My worst year was probably one of the high school years. Perhaps the one when my hair was set on fire on the school bus and nobody cared. Actually, they did care a bit - they complained to me about the awful smell. As if I had chosen to have my hair set on fire by a psychopath. So, no, I will not choose to relive any bit of my life if I have to relive the hair-on-fire thing too. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/8 "2010-12-08T15:48:49Z")
Oh HELL no! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/9 "2010-12-08T15:52:20Z")
Sure. I’ve had some bad years, but I’ve gotten through them. The best year was pretty freakin’ awesome, and I’d love to live it again. The first 9 months of it, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/10 "2010-12-08T15:53:02Z")
I haven’t had a year that was great enough to be worth reliving even if there was no downside. I also don’t have a year that’s bad enough that I wouldn’t want to relive it, in general it sounds like a waste of time so I’ll pass. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/11 "2010-12-08T15:55:26Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Oh HELL no! Agreed. No way, no how. Fugheddaboutit. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/12 "2010-12-08T15:57:29Z")
No, no way. Not for anything would I relive certain events. And the good year is still just as good in memory, and it wouldn’t be worth the pain of the bad. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/13 "2010-12-08T16:02:09Z")
I would hate to see what’s been deemed as the ‘best’ year of my life. I’m assuming that we don’t get to pick the best and worst times, right? It would just be what the genie said “yep, sucks to be you” and “This is the best you’ve done so far”. So no, it sounds like going from bad to worse. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/14 "2010-12-08T16:02:25Z")
I can’t think of a single reason why I would want to do this. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/15 "2010-12-08T16:04:18Z")
Nope. I’ve had good and bad; enjoyed them all. Why would I want to relive any when the next one might be better than the previous best? ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/16 "2010-12-08T16:06:11Z")
I hate reruns. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/17 "2010-12-08T16:14:33Z")
Nah. I might not have a year as good as my best year, but I probably won’t have one as bad as my worst. So I’ll just take what comes. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/18 "2010-12-08T16:15:17Z")
Not a good deal. I’ll pass. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/19 "2010-12-08T16:22:49Z")
There are no words which can fully capture exactly how unappealing the idea is to me. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412/20 "2010-12-08T17:08:26Z")
The worst one _so far?_ Sure. That would be sometime during junior high or my first couple of years of high school, I think, and while there were some pretty hellish moments, there were also plenty of nice ones. On the other hand, I’m not sure that I’d take a chance on reliving the worst year that I’ll _ever_ have, not knowing in advance when it will be or what it will be like. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-or-no-you-can-relive-the-best-year-of-your-life-but-you-also-have-to-relive-the-worst/563412.md?page=2)