If I had one chance to go to the past, what would I change?

If I had one chance to go to the past, what would I change…? I chose this topic as I had already given it a thought when I was younger, of course not a detailed thought, just a rough thought. And this is the occasion to find an answer and I must say that it will not be an easy task.

The past… what is the past actually? The past is something that is gone by in time and no longer existing. But then I ask myself the question. If it does no longer exist, how can I change something that is not possibly there? You cannot actually change the past. It doesn’t happen, but if you could, than those memories could come alive again. The good ones and the bad ones. They would “re-play”, they would occur all over again. And you would have the choice to change memories or not.

Going to the past… Have I actually thought about it? Have I found myself dreaming of the old forgotten past? I have definitely dreamt of going to the past. Mostly to see and meet family members that I have heard of but did not have the chance to meet. And what could I do with this opportunity? Could I change things? Could I change the fact that 3 sisters of my grandmother killed themselves? Could I prevent their deaths? But on the other hand… Can it possibly be dangerous? What if I changed something that would have a major influence on me and others?

What would I change? I can change the minds or actions of those who killed many. I can change the fact that weapons ever existed so that nobody would harm anyone with them. I can change people’s mind sets. I can change the fact that I called my rabbit “Grey” because its colour is grey. Or would I choose to change nothing? If I changed nothing than I would not have to fear about what changes it could lead to. Changes that could possibly lead to worse things. Maybe I shouldn’t change anything…

I have given a lot of thought to this and I have an answer. It’s not answer that I totally agree with; it’s just a “safe” answer. If I had one chance to go to the past, and I would be able to change something, what would I change? I wouldn’t change anything as I don’t want to take the risk of changing something which will not only influence me.

By Emma Zyde