When Would You Want To Be?

This week The Panel wrestled with the question of, "If you could live at any time, when would you choose?"

Stephanie launched the answers off:

I'm really bad at playing along with the whole hypothetical-question-about-an-alternate-life-or-identity game. I mean, I don't think I'm doing spectacularly well at this whole "life" thing, but I'm a pretty happy little girl all things considered. There are elements to this world and this society and this time period that irk me, but still, as a whole, I still can't help but feel like they're still somewhat fascinating. Which is, actually, how I feel about lots of other time periods, other places. I don't feel any spectacular draw to any special historical era, and I can't imagine my personality or character flaws being any better suited to a time that isn't now. It might be a stupid piece of reasoning, but as near as I can tell, this is exactly when and where I belong -- even when I don't like it or if I can't understand it. Pretending or imagining that there's anywhere else I ought to be or would want to be seems like a waste, like I'm not being grateful or appreciative of the specific opportunities and miseries I can be subjected to in the here and now. Yes, I am crazy, and yes I realize this is a horrific and moronic touchy-feely piece of nonsense. But we all have to believe in something, don't we? There isn't a whole hell of a lot I really hold with -- this is (I think) one of those things. So there.

I asked Jen and got this:

Oh, why did you pick this question? It's so hard to answer, so hard to decide. I'd love to be a time traveler because to be able to witness certain events would be mind blowing.

First thing I'd do is find out who murdered the princes in the tower. Then I'd find out the truth behind the Casket Letters. There are a ton of things with American history I'd like to figure out. What's up with "Roanoke"? Where the hell did they go? And helllooo, Black Dahlia? But history isn't all mystery of course. I'd go back and hang with Jesus for a while, too.

I think you get where I'm going. The only time I'd be interested in actually "living" in would be now. Post-penicillin, post-vaccine, post-prohibition. I think I was meant to be in this time, as this person. As crappy as it can get, its still pretty cool. And I got to live through the 80's. The music was awesome and the clothes were even better.

Justin relied with this:

I would have to pick this time period for the simple fact that Twitter didn't exist in previous ones and, because of that, I would have never met Jennifer.

What a sweetheart. You ladies missed out on a great catch.

OK, so I want to close out this week.


I don't know of any other time I would want to be. I lived through enough of the cold war to learn not to trust the Russians and that there is evil in the world. I also learned sometimes people are evil just to be evil.

I lived through the 80s and saw the beginning of the technology explosion. I saw the first home PCs, jumped on the internet and got involved in computers.

All that and I don't have to be worried about being burned at the stake. I'm happy where I'm at.