If you had a choice ,would you want to travel to the past or into the future?

I think the future would be too eye opening and scary. At least if you were to go into the past you'd know a little of what to expect. It would be interesting to see the small unrecorded details of history and see how interpretation changed from fact.

Hello Sarahruthbeth, Absolutely I would! Not only am I a history buff, but I am also a Behavioralist. So, having first-hand access to mankind's developmental baby-steps as well as leaps, is of the utmost interest to me. I would like to travel back in time to so many particular moments and era's. And, I'm equally intrigued to travel forward to see how mankind learns to deal with it's inherent character flaws. Oh yes, time travel would be the ultimate in 'grins & jollies' for me. And, although I too enjoyed the 80s (gotta' love those hair bands), I'd be more inclined to travel back to the Garden of Gethsemane, or 2nd century central Turkey, or Ancient Greece. Though, it would be fascinating to visit Ancient Egypt or Arabia. Even the creation of the mindset that is now Islam, i.e. the time of Muhammed. Or to relax under a tree with Lao Tzu, while he pondered nature and its relationship to mankind. Or to have been present when Sun Tzu penned "The Art of War", or when Machiavelli penned "The Prince". Perhaps a cup of tea with Nostradamus, or Leonardo Davinci. Or, a moment in time to see Michealangelo paint the Cistine Chapel. Though, I'd about give my left pinky finger nail to be present as The Founding Father's hammered out the foundation of these United States of America. Geeze, there are so many moments in time that I would love to experience first hand. Though I can think of few more enticing than a simple dinner with Benjamin Franklin. Indeed, I am very much in line with your desire to travel through time. And, if I had to choose one or the other, I would also choose the past. For it is only in really understanding our past that we can forge our future. Great topic!!!

I would like to go to the past... not the recent past though. I would like to go back to when my parents were children and see how they lived, when they met, how they dated. I have heard stories but I would love to see it all for myself. I certainly wouldn't want to go to the future. It may freak me out.

I'd pick the past also; I won't say I'm not interested in the future but I don't want to see it in advance partly because I'm afraid to and partly because if I did I may try to change it in ways that I may think would be for the best but may not be for others in my life, mainly my grandchildren. In other words, I don't want to be tempted to try to control their lives. About going back in time - remember Back to the Future ! We must be careful not to change the past! Annie

Definitely the past. That way I could see my Dad and Grams. I am talking the late 60's here, so there was still war going on in the world. Not too many thoughts of terrorism though. I had a blast in my past and would like to do it again. As far as going ahead into the future, that is a bit scary to me. I think I would just like to wait for that. I may not like what I learn and it would make me extremely sad, anxious and scared. On the other hand, things could turn around for this world, (though I doubt it, as we have had centuries to become a descent world for everyone and have failed miserably) but I would still like to live through it and not jump to it! PEACE

i also prefer to go back to the past.i will do some different vital decisions at that time which would then lead my future track. in my opinion,future is the function of past,such function is rather complex than any one we have known in mathmatics. anyway,it's fact that accumulated past leads to mysterious future,from which point,future is not so unpredictable as we think. i don't want to have a travel of future. it makes no sense for me. i can't change anything,what i reach is forecast of future. my life looses its charm to me then as there're no surprises in front of me. it's a little sad,isn't it?

Definitely the past. But, it wouldn't be my past. I'd go back in history. I love history, and I'd love to see some of the events I've only read about or seen movies about.

100 years in the future. Get the latest life longevity cure and pick up a computer, that'll have the computing power of all the computers in 2008. Probably be self aware thanks to our then complete understanding of the human brain, and having duplicated that at much higher speeds. Thus making computers our sentient friends.

Definately the past. I'd love to see the Victorian age. I love the styles, the society, the feel of that era. It would be wonderful to see it first hand. Pioneer days would be great too...seeing how they did everything for themselves. **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

the past and do things a little different. Make more money for one for 2 buy a bigger house. Wear my hair different for my wedding. Not be such a witch. Spend more time with my grandmother. I think thats about it.

I am not interested in traveling into the future either. I would rather go back to a time when my family was growing up. My brother and sisters and being with my parents..just one more time!

The bright side of me says I'd take either with the ideal conditions. I mean going back in time to see how humanity really came about, what really happened. Going back and seeing the early formations of life and the formation of the planet. Going back just to see what truly created the universe as we know it (if that is the case...). Then theres also the future. What will humanity look, 100 years from now, 200, 300, 500, 1000, millions of years. The dark part of me says I'd pick neither and stay right here. The past would be unsuitable for me in realistic terms both the human societies and if I went further the habitat conditions of the planet. The future would be a drag since it just looks like garbage from here (dark ogre talking remember). Maybe I'd travel to the future to accelerate the nonsense going on and just get right to the crap. I mean how will humanity just blow it, hmm? -_- Other thoughts. I'd join you in the 80s at least despite the optimistic or cynical side. A travel like that is harmless.

When it comes to me,i agree with you. i choose to travel to the past not the future.Fristly i think past mean a lot to me.I can relive the past time with my friends and my parents and my lovers.reviewing the good time.no mater the laughing times or the crying times are all rare time for me. I am also interested in the future,i want to know what my future will be. but past are more important than future.

Well, I remember things in the 60's, though I was only a child then. The reason why I won't choose to live in the past is becuse we didn't have computers, not everyone could afford a colored TV back then. I'd rather travel in the future, the unknown is exciting.

Hi sarahruthbeth! Im with you I would love to go back to the past. I have some really great memories from the past. Im not interested in the future either. So when are we leaving?LOL

I would pick the pat.I want to know the things that I might have done rightly to improve my present situation.

I don't know what my future holds but I have had some fantastic adventures and happy times in the past. I would love to go back in the past. First of all this would be to my college years when I had such a wonderful social life and room overlooking the River Thames. Then I would go back to my around the world trip that was 1993 to 1994. However I don't think I would want to repeat getting sick and falling down a drain in Malaysia. I would love to have 2005 again, it was a fantastic year. Trips I would like to do again are St Lucia, the Seychelles and Central America. I would have so much fun in past that I might choose a few more times in the past to relive.

I would like to go to the future. As the past was fixed and I might not change it. I look forward to see the future. It will be so nice what will it be at that time. How my son looks like and how we are. That's something very interesting for me.

I would like to visit the past, and re- live my happiest times.Sometimes I wish at night when I go to sleep that this would happen to me. Kinda like a movie playing in my head. I bet when I woke up in the morning I would be a much happier person and have a bounce in my step and a smile om my face.