If you could go back to the past, which period would you go to?
I sometimes think that I relate more to my parents than I do to my friends. I listen to music from the 70s, I know the qualities and flaws of all actors from that time, I would gladly accept an Ambassador for a car. Somehow, it is the simplicity of some movies from that time and not the flower-power, retro style that draws me in. The differences between the rich and poor were less because luxuries (like big cars and air-conditioners) didn't set them apart, or at least they didn't in India. It is unbelievable today, but my grandparents were neighbors to some of the biggest movie stars of their time. It was the time when religious conversions and social cults were emerging everywhere. In some places, war was tearing everything apart (Vietnam). In some places, people were losing lives to fight against the war (America). The Beatles and Rolling Stones were showing the world what music meant. In India, Rishikesh Mukherjee created cinematic magic which can never be recreated because the society he created is now gone forever, replaced by a more materialistic one.
I really believe I would have loved to go back to the 60s and 70s. The movies were great, the music even better. I mean, I could have seen The Graduate in a theatre. I would have witnessed the period of counter-culture right in front of my eyes. In fact, I sometimes believe I would have been a better fit in the past than I am in the present. My friends called me old-fashioned, but I like that I know more about a bygone era than they do, even pride myself for it.
So, if you could go back to a time in the past, what would it be? Would you like to fight a historic war? Would you like to be prime minister to a king? Would you want to gain independence for your country? Or would you just want to be with the hippies and atheists?
Tell me in the comments.
I really believe I would have loved to go back to the 60s and 70s. The movies were great, the music even better. I mean, I could have seen The Graduate in a theatre. I would have witnessed the period of counter-culture right in front of my eyes. In fact, I sometimes believe I would have been a better fit in the past than I am in the present. My friends called me old-fashioned, but I like that I know more about a bygone era than they do, even pride myself for it.
So, if you could go back to a time in the past, what would it be? Would you like to fight a historic war? Would you like to be prime minister to a king? Would you want to gain independence for your country? Or would you just want to be with the hippies and atheists?
Tell me in the comments.
Hmm, good question. Can I go back and meet my favorite authors? I'd love to meet Poe--although it might be kind of scary! Oh and definitely F. Scott Fitzgerald.
ReplyDeleteBut if I had to pick a specific time to go back to I'd love to go back to the period the arthurian legions took place. Boy, everything I think of has to do with books! What can I say? I live in a world of fiction.
Hmm, well, I guess that depends. If the trip is permanent, then I won't go. I'm very happy where I am, I love my family and friends, and I like how my life has turned out. No way I could leave that.
ReplyDeleteIf the trip is a short visit, then I think I'd rather visit the future. Like, 1000 years into the future. I'm not so interested in visiting the past because it's often romanticized and the harsh realities aren't highlighted. Disease, survival of the fittest, women having less worth than men, etc. I know myself pretty well, and I would make myself crazy trying to change things and make things better. I can't stand to see someone struggling or suffering.
Then again, if the future is pretty bleak, then I'd make myself crazy trying to change things in the present so the future doesn't happen. Who knows what chain of events that will cause. So maybe it's in everyone's best interest if I stay home. :)