The thought of time travel conjures up images of adventure, danger, excitement, romance, exploration and discovery. Long an activity reserved for the social or academic elite, new technologies are making time travel potentially accessible to just about everyone.
The rapid growth of accessibility is being felt in time traveling circles as evidenced by a recent comment made by a fellow traveler:
Stop visiting the grassy knoll in Dallas in 1963. The last time I was there it was packed with time travellers and you couldn’t see a thing.
Patrick Ulan-Bator, Chad
Such instances are a result of uneducated time travelers not really knowing where or when they want to visit. Such a lack of imagination of the uninitiated is evident from a survey given to high school students in Fond du Lac Wisconsin USA in 1983. The students were asked to describe which historical event they would visit if they could travel back in time. The top two responses were “The Gettysburg Address” and “The Crucifixion of Christ”. The first is especially surprising since many of these students couldn’t bear to sit through a lecture on the Gettysburg Address nor could they name who was giving the address and why. The second choice also shows a great deal of naivete as crucifixions are especially horrific and gruesome. Understandably, one might wish to meet their Lord and Savior, but in that case one might select a happier occasion, or at least one where He is potentially accessible.
In the notes that follow, I will attempt to introduce potential travelers to the vast array of times and places to visit. A single grassy knoll need not become overcrowded. There are many exciting times and events to experience and these become apparent when one begins to learn a little.
Time travel is also fraught with extreme danger. There is no embassy to get you out if things go awry. A bandit ambush on the trail can take even a seasoned time traveler by surprise, as can one of a multitude of horrible diseases. Novices learn quickly that playing a god is a very bad idea and that keeping your head down and staying out of sight is the best way to enjoy your trip. Here we will discuss various dangers and difficulties a traveler may encounter.
There is always a handful of individuals who wish to make it rich by smuggling items through time. One quickly finds that it is typically very difficult to make any real profit easily. Most attempts at becoming rich from travels are met with disaster. In future posts I will explain why and how certain individuals have met their demise by smuggling artifacts back and forth in time.
Last, there is always someone who wants to change the timeline. These individuals may have been successful. We will never know, since the timeline we experience is the net result of all such interactions. Those of you who want to try to prevent your birth or something crazy like that will be unsuccessful. Don’t try to control time—enjoy it.
In the coming posts I, Dr. Aeterno, and some of my fellow travelers look forward to providing you with some ideas, insights, warnings and stories obtained from the adventures that we occasionally undertake.
