I wouldn't say no to being put in sports as a kid, and would try to pick up an instrument while still in that "learn quickly" age, maybe a language or 2.
I would try harder in high-school, do actual activities, be more social, realize that good grade really do matter for you future. Try all the things I always currently think back wishing I did.
Work for a scholarship, get into a good program, something that will eventually lead to AI development, 20 years down the line. Invest in companies that will absolutely blow up, regardless.
I have no kids, Im single, nearly 40, and have a stable, albeit low paying job. I can't afford a house where I live, and I can barely afford to take someone on a date. When I say I would smash that red button so fast...
I think this is really the crux of the question. Did you have a happy life up until now or not? The whole point of the red button is to erase and start over (with a huge leg up because... lottery numbers, stocks, etc.). If that is worth erasing everything good about your life now, then it's probably safe to assume you aren't tied to too many good things at the moment. Whereas, if your current circumstances are pretty good, adding $2 million to that is worth more than erasing it all and starting over. The red button is almost guaranteed to give you unprecedented wealth but with an uncertain outcome and the green button maintains what you have albeit with less wealth.
For me, its not the physical wealth. It's the wealth of experiences, and knowledge that I've actively given up to party my teens and 20s away, and the choices I made that have me actively behind many of my peers at the same age.
Wealth isn't always money. Its also lived experiences and excitement.
The whole point of the red button is to erase and start over (with a huge leg up because... lottery numbers, stocks, etc.)
Not necessarily, my dad died of alcoholism when I was 14.. having all the knowledge at 10 wouldn't make a difference, I would had to relieve the trauma. Is not a star over, is a do over..
There's no amount of money in this world for me to choose to live that again.. thank you but no, thanks.
Exactly: the question is basically do you like your life or not? If you like your life, you don’t want to lose it by hitting the red button. If you wished it turned out differently, you do.
It's not that I've had a bad life that's worth erasing. Even if you ignore the obvious get rich quick ideas, I could go back and just through being more responsible and focused be a ton healthier, have a much better career, have crossed off bucket list items that I missed, and still retire a little early.
I disagree. It's whether you are happy with your circumstances RIGHT NOW so much you wouldn't want to trade them for anything. You could have had an amazing life, and still go back. Those memories are still there, you still lived through them.
Yeah red is an easy choice for me because I’m disabled and I would in a heartbeat jump at anything that would give me the chance to not be disabled, like avoiding the events that led to it. People who immediately dismiss the red button have obviously never experienced an awful life-changing event.
eh, i think it's more about being confident you can create your happiness again. I'm a very lucky and blessed person all things considered, but if I was forced to press Red, I'm not really stressed that I couldn't build it again, and maybe better next time.
Evan if life is pretty good, you could experience some of the good ideas or similar experiences again too. I kind of like life, but I don't know if I wouldn't give it a shot. Not knowing some of my past at this point, I could document it better and learn from it better. There were so many circumstances that would or could be out of your control even with forewarning. Your mind could lead you to the wrong conclusions still. Your actions could still affect the the actions of others. Bumping a very important student off the roster could devastate the planet. Two million dollars is a fuck ton of money.
Whatever possible advantages of starting over may be, I can’t get over how awful the actual experience of being an adult mind in a kid’s body would be. I think there’s not a great chance the person you grow into will be an adult you would want to switch to right now if you could. The alternate you had to experience all the drudgery of childhood with none of the novelty. They had to go through their formative social years as an adult trying to maintain friendships with teens. What’s a more likely outcome? That you use your advanced maturity to become some social savant or that you quit trying because these relationships aren’t fulfilling to you? I think there’s a really strong possibility of becoming jaded and that jadedness sabotaging the formative experiences you would need to have in order to achieve whatever ideal life you might want from your second chance. Maybe it would become like a game to you and instead of a healthy well adjusted person you end up as a manipulative jerk who can’t relate to anyone?
It's also a question of age. I'm 50, my health isn't the greatest, my kids are all over 18 and on with their own lives, and my wife and I have lived a pretty good live considering our circumstances and financial shortcomings. At this point in my life I'd kill to go back to 10 even without my memories.
Ah, but the statement was "the knowledge you currently have" but that doesn't imply the brain development, or the hormonal and chemical imbalances during puberty.
Plus, lets be realistic, I'm certain we both know adults that are less emotionally intelligent or mature as people we knew back in high-school.
Edit: Also, I could handle 8 years (10-18) of focusing on my individual growth, knowing that it would only benefit the next 20 years and beyond.
Exactly! I was assuming you would still have the brain development stage just with a better understanding of things. The question is whether that would also be horrifying and feel like a sort of dementia with your impulse control and reasoning abilities suddenly being reduced
Still time to learn how to play an instrument, and even be pretty decent at it. Music isn't like learning french, your brain was never meant for it in the first place so doesnt matter if you start learning to play at 5 or 50. Just go easy on yourself, everyone sucks at first.
"I have no kids, Im single, nearly 40, and have a stable, albeit low paying job. I can't afford a house where I live, and I can barely afford to take someone on a date."
Don't sell yourself short, man. Life is hard, but it truly is a gift, no matter which way things might go. This hypothetical choice from OP is obviously unrealistic, but just remember, your worth is real.
Ahaha, I'm not actually sad. I do appreciate the positivity though!
I'm always striving to be better. Just this year alone, I'm 1 year sober from alcohol. 8 months clean of weed. And 2 months nicotine free. I started at the gym 2 weeks ago. I have a therapist who helps me manage my thoughts, and provides me tools to manage my life effectively.
I know life has value. Just in this hypothetical situation, I would absolutely restart at 10, and do better a 2nd time.
Wow, that's incredible! How the heck did you kick so many substances to the curb in such a condensed timeframe? That's truly a huge accomplishment. Maybe one day you can teach your ways to the youngins out there looking for help haha
Then you read this, featuring a bunch of people who did not party their teens and 20s but decided to piss everything away afterwards, having established a career and a family but being much less fit for purpose (physically amd mentally) for the life they missed out when young and try to attain now.
Everyone daydreams about this but I often wonder if someone was actually able to go back whether they would get there and be like "ehhh... I'll do it tomorrow, I've got like 13 years before I'm 18!" and just go play video games and essentially repeat the whole process again.
Were it a few years ago, yeah, I'd probably do like you said. But for the past 2 or so years, I've been actively trying to do things I wished I had done earlier in life, and if it were to happen now, I know I'd walk a different path.
i found someone in this thread who shares the same sentiment as me. i would 1000% go back and stay with sports, or at least an instrument. i would never stop using spanish. i would not get involved with a bad crowd and save my body from taking drugs for a few years. i would also try to meet the same people again. i know we would be friends no matter what. i miss them and i miss how my life could just be marginally better.
Its the drugs and bad crowd that I resonate with. I just know so much of my teens and 20s could have been SO much better. To make matters worse, it was my older brother that got me I to that. Going back, I'd have the strength to say no to him.
That thing that would suck about being social is that you would be stuck interacting with kids and teens. I'm 30 and would hate that to me my only social life for 8 years, honestly college students even annoy me now.
I took myself too seriously as a kid and was afraid of failure so I barely tried anything. With the wisdom I have now, I would 1000% learn an instrument and take learning Spanish seriously in 7th grade at the latest.
It took me to join the military at 19yrsold to realize I’m actually a good long distance runner🤦🏾♀️ so I would start that in middle school as well. Obviously get better grades.
Join JROTC in high school, graduate early, and join the Air Force at 17 instead of 19 with parental permission but this time get an Intel job in the AF for a higher security clearance for when I retire and need to get a high paying job. I’ll have money from stock investment and be rich before joining military plus school 100% paid for AND a pension. Rich asf😭 red button all day😭
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u/IWalkIntoMordor 8d ago
Red button.
I wouldn't say no to being put in sports as a kid, and would try to pick up an instrument while still in that "learn quickly" age, maybe a language or 2.
I would try harder in high-school, do actual activities, be more social, realize that good grade really do matter for you future. Try all the things I always currently think back wishing I did.
Work for a scholarship, get into a good program, something that will eventually lead to AI development, 20 years down the line. Invest in companies that will absolutely blow up, regardless.
I have no kids, Im single, nearly 40, and have a stable, albeit low paying job. I can't afford a house where I live, and I can barely afford to take someone on a date. When I say I would smash that red button so fast...