... which period of recent history would you like to live in, who would you like to be, and which historical figures would you like to meet?
We've all, at some point or another in our lives, had this fantasy. Whether we perceive modern life as too hurried, unsatisfying, devoid of meaning, or we see ourselves as slaves to the demands of technology, some of us yearn for a simpler time when many of the great political and ideological debates of our era had yet to be settled. Conflicts or movements of the past that we picture ourselves as an integral part of. For we are confident that our presence would have resulted in an outcome to our liking. Great ideas that we wish we'd thought of. Music that we know we should have recorded. Inventions we know we were destined to be associated with. It is the inevitable 'what if' question we often think of. It is the restless explorer in all of us.
Allow me to indulge in my fantasy.
Are most of us obsessed with the predictability and reassurances of the past for we know the ending all too well? Or, are some brave enough to travel to yet-to-be-explored frontiers? In his classic novel, The Time Machine, H.G. Wells set out to discover the future
A dreamer obsessed with traveling through time builds himself a time machine and, much to his surprise, travels over 800,000 years into the future. The world has been transformed with a society living in apparent harmony and bliss, but as the Traveler stays in this world of the future he discovers a hidden barbaric and depraved subterranean class. Wells’s translucent commentary on the capitalist society was an instant bestseller and launched the time-travel genre.
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I, for one, chose the past over the future. No, I'm not a Luddite afraid of change and unpredictability and the proverbial 'fear of the unknown.' Neither am I terribly impressed by new technology. And I'm fully aware that I might be committing heresy to proclaim this on a web site powered by the latest in new technologies. I may use it, savor it, even admire it. Yet, somehow, I'm never overwhelmed by it. Or, afraid to be made obsolete by it. It is simply the dual, ambivalent, contradictory nature of our souls. It is what explains my user ID. So be it. It's like trying to explain why I've never owned a camera or a wrist watch my entire life. Friends don't understand it but I am who I am. Explaining away certain idiosyncracies one possesses might be an exercise in futility.
So, let's embark on this journey. Being a student of history and politics (both in the formal and informal sense), I am often curious as to why certain events happened, what circumstances led to these changes, what the ramifications were, and the characters involved. The last century or so provides ample opportunities to indulge in this fantasy. From the period of the Second Industrial Revolution -- one of great technological, social, and economic change -- to the culturally radical 1960's and 70's, the past century is full of fascinating periods in which I could see myself living in. Undoubtedly, many here are old enough to have actually lived during some of the periods listed in the poll.
I, for one, am endlessly fascinated by the 1918-1939 Inter-War era. Here's what I would have done and people I'd met through this journey
- As a foreign reporter based in Europe for the New York Herald Tribune, I'd have interviewed all the important political figures of the period -- among others, Ramsey McDonald, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Benito Mussolini, Léon Blum, and, yes, even Adolf Hitler. To get into their minds, trying to figure out what motivated them, and what their insecurities were.
- Travelled all over Europe to see the debilitating effects of the Great Depression, maybe even experience life as this great author did .
- Upon trips back home to the States, interviewed one of the most under-appreciated heroes of that turbulent era.
- Had dinner with one of my favorite novelists.
- Written extensively on the gathering storm in Europe and how I could persuade my government to act swiftly and decisively.
Will it happen? No, but I can dream, can't I? For now, I'll be content with reading more about this period, developments during which resulted in catastrophic consequences. Death to tens of millions, many in the most horrific fashion. Displacement for millions more. Unprecedented destruction of property. And yet, it ushered in the birth of a new era, where the Rights of Man started to become a reality and democratic principles began to take hold. Empires withered away. Millions of colonial subjects experienced freedom for the first time. Living standards rose world-wide. In other words, a world reborn.
What's your fantasy? And remember to take the poll.