Were you born in the wrong time?

[MSG Hall]

Where or rather when do you think you’d fit it best? Where do you think you’d be happiest? And doing what? (provided of course you weren’t one of the poor and desolate of the times)

A primitive: simple tools and weapons, a simple life?

During the Empire eras, a gladiator in the arenas?

The dark ages: a Knight defending virtue or Viking plundering and pillaging?

A Sailor on a tall ship exploring the new worlds or the exotic east, or a pirate maybe?

The old west; a marshal, a gunslinger, a gold miner?

Or is it here and now?

I was just watching a western and was wondering what it’d be like…

[toypusher]

Bruce,

For most people, I think the reall question is: what do you think you could live without, if we are talking about going back in time to another era.

I always like the old west, but dont think that I really would want to live there without all the modern conviences (especially the internet to stay up with friends)!!

[Ivar the Red]

The dark ages: a Knight defending virtue or a VIKING, plundering and pillaging?

Oh Bruce,
Is there really any question, when you take in account my user id and sig block, when I'd rather be. but I sure would miss cable TV

[Nitetimes]

I wouldn't mind giving them all a try. But only if i could go on vacation there....maybe a month or so at each one just to get a taste of it.
They all look like they'd be interesting to a degree, but I'd get bored in the slow times pretty quick.

Have you ever used a handsaw or a block plane??? uhh Too much like work, gotta have my electricity and batteries!!!!

[FireLion]

Some days I feel really out of place in this fast paced world. I think I should have been born about 150 years ago and been a fur trapper. Livin off the land, bein free, gettin rich thanks to John Jacob Astor.

[Claw]

It is easy to romanticise a certian era. I would think most people of this forum want a simpler existance and to what extent can be defined by their galley and cabin toys.
As for me, exploring the west as it opened up, with a good horse and pack animal, the skills to live off the land and the ablity to communicate with the indigenous people, would be a great time.
I suppose I can do this to an extent with a pick-up and a trailer if I can figure out to shed the insecurity of unemployment.

[satch]

Some days I feel really out of place in this fast paced world. I think I should have been born about 150 years ago and been a fur trapper. Livin off the land, bein free, gettin rich thanks to John Jacob Astor.

I agree, life now is complicated,we depend on to many "luxuries",cell phones, i-pods, American Idol, I tend to live on a slower pace. btw Astor died on the Titanic, a major marval of that time

[angib]

The past is either seen as a wonderful, innocent time of purity (get real - it was full of people and they don't actually get any better or worse over time - their sins just change) or as hell on earth (eg, using children as chimney sweeps - though many young boys might prefer that to school). Depending on their point of view, either the good or the bad gets left out, to make it fit the story.

And you want to go back to a time before anaesthetics, painkillers, antiseptics? Or, more seriously than that, before soft toilet paper?

Andrew

[Nitetimes]

Or, more seriously than that, before soft toilet paper?

Andrew

Or before any toilet paper!!!!!

[Miriam C.]

The past is either seen as a wonderful, innocent time of purity (get real - it was full of people and they don't actually get any better or worse over time - their sins just change) or as hell on earth (eg, using children as chimney sweeps - though many young boys might prefer that to school). Depending on their point of view, either the good or the bad gets left out, to make it fit the story.

And you want to go back to a time before anaesthetics, painkillers, antiseptics? Or, more seriously than that, before soft toilet paper?

Andrew

HA! I have been to England. Do they have soft toilet paper now? I bet the public places don't.

Seriously, back to nature is great if you have helicopters to do the rescue and cell phones to call them.

[Ivar the Red]

Or, more seriously than that, before soft toilet paper?

Andrew

Or before any toilet paper!!!!!

Or any toilets

[Jst83]

I wouldn't mind giving them all a try. But only if i could go on vacation there....maybe a month or so at each one just to get a taste of it.

Reminds me of an old movie, West World. Were people di just that took a vacation to a simulated old west with guns and all.

I don't know that I want to give up my gadgets.

[Nitetimes]

Or, more seriously than that, before soft toilet paper?

Andrew

Or before any toilet paper!!!!!

Or any toilets

Been hunting since was 11, I can live without toilets, but wiping with your hand kinda bites!!!
Gotta an amusing story about this too!!

I wouldn't mind giving them all a try. But only if i could go on vacation there....maybe a month or so at each one just to get a taste of it.

Reminds me of an old movie, West World. Were people di just that took a vacation to a simulated old west with guns and all.

I don't know that I want to give up my gadgets.

I remember that flick, that was a good argument against AI.
I don't want the simulated stuff tho, gotta be the real thing!!

[Nitetimes]

This relates to the no toilet/paper comments

You really don't have to go far to get back to the nasty stuff tho.
My cousin travels a lot in his job and was recently in India. From what was explained to me he was having breakfast and the houseboy (not sure what they call him) asked him if he wanted some toast with his coffee, he said "sure".
For whatever reason he walked into the kitchen and saw the guy buttering his toast with his hand, his left hand apparently. Well, I guess they eat with their right hands there and wipe with their left!! He didn't have any toast!!

[raprap]

The time doesn't matter, the conditions do. I would want to live when and where there is a frontier. A time and place where the best ID is a word and a handshake. Where a person stands on their own legs and survival is not automatic. Where technology isn't used to abuse.

I'm taking a graduate math course now (somehow my latest goal is to be the oldest math PhD in the country) and the two things I've noted among my 20 something contemporizes is the universality of cell phones and I/earpods. I have no problem with either of them, but I've learned two things about their abuse---when driving yielding to the right doesn't matter anymore, yield to the cell phone. With Ipods I've determined I prefer boom boxed to ear phones—when it’s a choice between being annoyed or ignored, I prefer annoyed.

I guess I'm a little too libertarian for the present conditions--I don't recognize that terrorism as the greatest threat---it's the fear fomented by the threat of terrorism that is the greatest threat. Somehow this country has become a nation of fear mongers. Something that our present leaders encourage. So if I were to pick a time in particular, it would be a time where I was being lead by people with cahones, who recognized that fear is the greatest threat.

Words to live by---one is from Robert Heinlein’s character in his future history series, a Lazarus Long. Lazarus like his namesake lived a long time more than 2000 years as a man, and then was cloned as a woman, twins in particular. His/her quotes are legend---I particularly like “Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny”, but the others are equally as poignant. Additional quotes can be found Here.

Then there are additonal words of wisdome, particularly from Ambrose Bierce, a short story writer and journalist of the post civil war west. A contempary of Twain, but not a congenial one, but in MHO a great short story writer, warrior and editorialist. Some of his most pertinent themes were compiled and published between 1890 and 1910 as the Devil's Dictionary.

Rap