# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:19pm 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/563412/41 "2010-12-08T20:19:19Z")
No. Square root utility curve and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:45pm 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/563412/42 "2010-12-08T20:45:08Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > I hate reruns. My answer exactly. I don’t even think I’d want to relive the best year of my life if I didn’t have to relive the worst. None of the years I’ve lived through so far have been so good that I wouldn’t rather just live the years that are coming up and try to make _them_ the best years of my life. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 9:18pm 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/563412/43 "2010-12-08T21:18:28Z")
Hell no. The worst was so bad (and none of it was/would be changeable) that none of the good things I’ve experienced before or since would be worth re-living. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 10:20pm 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/563412/44 "2010-12-08T22:20:32Z")
What if the genie decided the best year of my life was when I was 2? I’m sure I was happy and loved but I don’t think my current self could deal with that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 12:09am 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/563412/45 "2010-12-09T00:09:15Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Hell no. I’ve had some good years in my life, but good never stands out with the startling clarity that bad does. Not for anything. Agreed. I can instantly recall a few years I really, really wouldn’t want to go through again. I have no idea what my best year would be, though. Every year since about 2002 has been a little better than the last, so hopefully my best year is still ahead of me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 12:18am 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/563412/46 "2010-12-09T00:18:08Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Besides which, my worst year was mostly due to other people - I was fairly young and not in control of my life and destiny. Hell, that’s what made it my worst year. Even the year we were literally returning bottles to make the rent money we were so poor wasn’t as bad, because we had brought it on ourselves. When the outside factors are uncontrollable, I can’t do anything to make it better. Agreed here, too. My worst years were when I was ten and my parents divorced, when I was a senior in high school and ready to get the fuck out already, and when my dad went to jail for growing weed. Not a damn thing I could do to change those. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 12:21am 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/563412/47 "2010-12-09T00:21:46Z")
No problem, I’ll take the best year, then kill myself. Not really, but I might consider that. In the end I’d probably make the same common sense choice as every one else, the best year wasn’t worth reliving the worst. If I had lots of bad years though, see my initial statement. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 12:22am 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/563412/48 "2010-12-09T00:22:38Z")
I don’t think I’ve had a best or worst year. No year stands out as fantastic or horrific. So, what would be the point in reliving any of them? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 12:38am 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/563412/49 "2010-12-09T00:38:09Z")
Oh dear god no. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 2:46am 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/563412/50 "2010-12-09T02:46:14Z")
Considering my best year might be compared unfavourably by a lot of other people to one of their worst, I say nay. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 2:19pm 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/563412/51 "2010-12-09T14:19:52Z")
If I kept my present knowledge during my time in the past, my worst year wouldn’t be that bad and my best year would be MUCH better. So yeah, bring it on. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 4:47pm 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/563412/52 "2010-12-09T16:47:46Z")
I know that this is not exactly playing along but my first thought was - both best and worst are yet to come. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 4:59pm 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/563412/53 "2010-12-09T16:59:39Z")
Fuck no. I’d rather shoot myself than relive _October_, let alone the whole year. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 1:57am 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/563412/54 "2010-12-10T01:57:44Z")
I don’t have a best that stands out in my mind, but I do have several contenders for worst… so Hell no. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 3:27am 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/563412/55 "2010-12-10T03:27:05Z")
I would be hard pressed to pick a “best year”, the vast majority of them are just fine and I pretty much live through one of the best years of my life on a regular basis, therefore I say “nay!” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 12:22pm 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/563412/56 "2010-12-14T12:22:44Z")
> [@Leon497](#): > > Certainly, why would so many not??? My worst year was the result of something that happened the year before. There’s absolutely no way I could change it during that year, even with that odd interpretation of the OP. (How exactly would it be reliving if you can change things?) ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 2:34am 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/563412/57 "2010-12-20T02:34:39Z")
No way. I refuse to be a bullied, friendless, socially clueless thirteen year old with way too much product in her hair again. And the best year of my life hands down was this one, 2010. It’s too soon to want a rerun that badly. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 5:01pm 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/563412/58 "2010-12-22T17:01:50Z")
During the worst year of my life, I took one of those stress tests that gave points to every traumatic incident. A score of 140 indicated severe stress. My score was something like 208. If I had to go through that again it would probably kill me. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 7:09pm 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/563412/59 "2010-12-22T19:09:22Z")
No, and my life doesn’t work like that. I’ve never had entire years that were just complete shit, or entire years that were blissful and idyllic. I don’t think I’d particularly like to relive the best and the worst _day_ of my life either. Would rather just move on to new experiences. ---
**Author:** ![AlmostPerfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/74df32/32.png) [@AlmostPerfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlmostPerfect)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 9:27am 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/563412/60 "2010-12-24T09:27:08Z")
No. Because not only would the worst year suck ass. Again. But after your best year is over you have to be disappointed by being brought back to the reality that is not as good as your best year. OTOH, I would live through the worst year ten times if I could have the best year for the rest of my life. But that’s really just me asking for my ex girlfriend back. [Previous 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) [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=4)