I’d definitely take the money. I have very little desire to relive childhood, and absolutely zero desire to be a teenager again. I enjoy being an adult much more.
That’s a sign that your 5-year-old other-self is being born. Prepare for oblivion!
Which proves my point, because oranges are better.
No way! November has turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and at least 2 paid weekdays off of work (okay, for USians)! Show me an orange that can offer that…
Read the post I responded to again.
No, because I didn’t make that decision. Whoever they were, they are dead. As far as I am concerned, they are no more me than any other random person.
I’m down for October.
I was amazed my friends took the bucks- and without overt thought.
An immediate certainty of decision.
We certainly are in the minority in this one.
I think it’s interesting just how many people would take the money.
Me? I wouldn’t even have to think it over- kid me again, please. An extra 35 years of life, and 35 years of technological advancement ahead of me? Hell yeah.
One of my biggest fears is that immortality will be discovered the day after I die.
[SUB]Granted, it’s not a phobia which comes up very often.[/SUB]
Not unless you get get the same deal every 59 years!
I don’t like me, nor how life has gone so far. Sign me up for the do-over.
and yet you would willingly die for the sake of a five year old copy of you with your memories, i mean without your memories. there are a lot of babies born into the world right now so you can have your wish immediately. or does your quest for immortality requires the baby to look like you at least, even if it’s a different entity inside?
I’ll go back to being 5yrs old, thanks. I’ve made far too many huge mistakes in my life already and I’d love to go back, just to have a go at getting it right and coming out a better person than I am now. Maybe then I could actually like myself.
I want neither, but if there are only two choices I’ll take the money. Who on earth would want to stay around in this shithole of an excuse for a civilisation for another lifetime?
“Who on earth would want to stay around in this shithole of an excuse for a civilization for another lifetime?”
I think that is one of the greatest questions ever,
and probably deserves it’s own POST.
Um, what?
The assumption is that you’d have your memories. Of course I wouldn’t want to do it if I don’t keep my memories- what’s the difference between that and death?
Actually, no. The choice as presented in the OP includes NOT retaining your memories.
I don’t think it was what the OP intended to ask, but I’m shocked anyone would even consider returning to age 5 with all their life’s worth of knowledge and memories intact. Can you imagine how isolated you’d feel? And it wouldn’t necessarily prevent you from making mistakes the second time round. You wouldn’t be living the same life, and you wouldn’t be you. And think how confusing it would be as you got older to try and discern between memories from your “original” life and memories from your second one. The idea of living inside your own head like that sounds very Being John Malkovich-ish to me. Not appealing at all.
The way I interpret the question, the OP is asking whether it would be better to experience a whole new life from the age of 5 in a different era or acquire a huge pile of money in our current one. While I am curious about what the future will be like (who isn’t?), I have grown rather attached to myself in the course of my own short life. I’d rather be me.
Also, money = SHOPPING!!
ETA: I’d pick November. Oranges just don’t cut it for me.
Huh… I must’ve completely glossed over that. No thanks, just gimme the money.
Being made five years old again… but with no memory of who I was… well, that’s essentially death. Nope.
I have an unexplained early childhood memory of a man in a suit. Maybe that was the me of my previous life making the choice to start new, or maybe it was the devil, who had made the offer. Either way, it changes the perspective on the question. Had I (the adult person* who opted out of the money back then) *not * chosen to be a kid, then there would be no me in the world today. That would be a tragedy. Still, I would have been rich in the '80s and probably died in the '90s sometime.
Still, give me the money. I’m not done with this life yet and Wealthy Me could probably do a lot more good in the world than No-Memory Me with a whole life ahead of me.
*the gender of previous me would be unknown. I bet I was a hot chick, which would explain my (otherwise unexplained) affinity for hot chicks in this lifetime.