If your life had a fast-forward button, would you ever use it?

I wish that were true. I would have skipped so many painful situations

sometimes i wish i could go to the time my children will be independent but i think my mom is still waiting and my sister has hit 50 this yearLOL
kind of need to live today but would love to have a sneak preview , god knows my marriage was the titanic, anything after will seem clear sailing..

Virginia, wouldn't every experience be preferable to nothing?

Sigalit, sorry, no sneak previews. You'd just have to fast forward, with no idea whether things would turn out like you planned.

I'd fast-forward to May of next year because then I'd FINALLY be done with college. I'm too old for studying and going to class with the young whippersnappers, so if I could breeze through the last few classes, I'd be downright happy indeed. Ok, I'm technically not that old, but I feel ancient when I sit next to the 19 & 20 year olds.

Vikki, you could make the decision to work unreasonably hard and thus get it over even quicker, however you'd emerge just as much of a wreck as if you'd done it in real time. Just an idea.

there was a time that i would have in a heart beat. until i watched that movie click. who knows what you might miss if you did sure you may skip some pain but you may also miss the best days of your life. so no i would not

It's true Angela, since you don't know the future, there's no knowing whether the time you decide to skip won't be just great.

I would not fast-forward. Every experience in my life, no matter how hard or painful, has helped to shape me into the person that I am today. Excellent thought though. Way to get our brains working.

So there is no rewind button.lol.
What if you fast forward to see a special event and the day before the event you die. I dont think i would want to mess with that button.

Amy, you would still be the same person, but even the worst experiences have value (if not precious).

I'll post about a rewind button later, Deanna. That one is more confusing.

Would I use it? Heck No. Not even for traffic jams. Even if you promised the results of experiences and being totally aware of what I was missing. Pain might cause me to consider it, but that would be a long debate with myself and would probably land on the "Heck No" side of the fence. There's not enough time already, I don't want to skim it.

This is a fascinating concept. I like that you insist that what would happen during that 'missing' period still happened, and the awareness was still there.
I would use it sparingly, to get through some of the tougher times in life.
When I read your article, my first thought was of the time my 11-day old son was hospitalized and I feared he might die. It was hell. I would have given anything to fast forward through those several days.
It turned out fine. But then again, if he had died, I would have lost 4 days with him.... hmmmm....................
Double-edged sword, huh?

Julia, thank you. I wonder if I'd use it in actual agony. If so, I'd probably want to swear it off now before the opportunity actually presented itself (sort of like an inside out living will).

Yes, exactly Nancy. For that matter, say it's Monday and you decide to FF to Friday, and you die on Thursday. You hit the button, and poof, you're done. Scary.

I would definitely fast forward through all holidays spent with inlaws. I would also fast forward myself through tv commercials and dentist appts. Other than that I wouldn't use the button, my children are still young, I don't want to miss a moment.

Stephanie, dentist appointments would surely tempt me. Good example. And it occurs to me now, that unless you recorded a show, your remote is useless for FF through commercials. Oh dear.

Jan, that certainly must hurt, to choose to forward through the holidays. I can understand that it hurts. I've had a bad Christmas or two, but nothing like that.

henthabox, I think any surgery that required me to be awake - like eye(!) surgery - would be the time to use the button. Now I'm considering *not* swearing it of entirely.

this is a good subject for a six word: prognosticating I saw I was not.

We learn and grow stronger from the pain and agony in our lives, so I suppose in reality we shouldn't jump forward. However, sometimes it would be nice. I've got a DWP inspector coming to my house tomorrow that I'd like to skip .... so I might considering pushing that button tomorrow, in case he gives us bad news.

Lise, good one.

Hannah, missing out is right.

Cecile, a DWP inspector?

This sounds like that movie Click. i saw it last night. i was upset the first time he fast forwarded through any experience he was having. i want to sit in traffic and have all my moments, good and bad. The fast forward thing sounds like something an ungrateful teenager would do.

Mira, I too value all times, but I've been forced to think about what I would skip if I could. Funny . . . I asked the question and now I'm one of the people doing the thinking!

Ron, the dreaded Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. We put a new roof on and the tear down guys accidentally pulled out the electrical line from the house to the street, which actually was lose because of the DWP to begin with. They temporarily tied the line back up with a piece of rope, if you can believe that. Now to get it hooked up properly we have to have one of their inspectors come look at it, after we prepared the roof in the manner they specified. Dumb inspector came out and said that they handed out a piece of paper with instructions that are outdated. We contend he is wrong. He also happened to notice that we replaced our breaker box in the past few years (when it broke of course, not to upgrade) and is sure we did that all wrong too. Tomorrow will be the day he comes out and my husband explains to him why everything is the way it is, and he'll either approve it, or make us do it all over. Also threatening to make us get permits for things. The house is old, everything is probably not to code - so are all the houses in the neighborhood. We also have an addition that someone put on in 1970 without permits, that I'm afraid they might figure out and try to get us to start over with. I'd just as soon skip to the future and find out if this whole business is going to cost me a lot of time, trouble and money that I no longer have after doing the roof, or it's going to be no big deal. I have visions of having to tear the addition down which is half the living space of our 1800 foot sq. house. In my skip to the future I'll either be happy here in my house as is, money problem free, or I'll be selling to a contractor who wants to tear it down and not have to worry about the damned codes. I'll just go live in my friend's ghosttown in that case, where codes don't matter!

Ack. I have plans to some day build a log cabin with cord-wood walls. I can imagine what the housing inspector is going to say about that!

Good question, Ron.

When I was younger, I think I would've been more likely to use such a button, because when you're a kid, it seems that time moves too slowly. You can't wait to 'grow up' and be able to make your own decisions, etc.

But the older I get the more I appreciate the great tapestry of life, or as I like to call it, the Grand Orderly Design, or, if you like, just GOD. Observe the way pain makes us stronger, but only when we actually experience it. The way that even though you set out with certain intentions, life sometimes intercedes, destroying your plan, but leaving you in a better place than you ever imagined.

Cliff, I read your response to Janie and she gets it for sure.

She doesn't have much patience with me saying it, but my years prior to 18 were awful. Had I had that button I would have been out of there, guaranteed. So, that adds another layer to the onion; minors should probably not get their license to fast forward until their 18 (and no not 17 - that's still a child).

Hell, no! Although it would be tempting...everything we experience in life, negative or positive makes us who we are and the lessons learned from those experiences can only be felt in the now. That's like fast-food living...naw, give it to me raw and uncensored!

hmmm I don't think I would . There are times in my life that are not so great ok a lot of times but if jump forward everything I learned and going to learn in life well let me say it worth living. Good times or bad we get a lot out of life and at times are able to help others by what we learn.

Stacey, that's also a good argument for avoiding drugs, I think. Especially those that dumb you down and put you to sleep - like alcohol - effectively skip time that could be used feeling.

Jay, you would still have learned the lessons. What you would miss is living in the now in instances where you deem it to be not worth while.

Remember, it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature...

Ah, so a fast forward button would be the experiential equivalent of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. I would use each about as often, so that might be an apt analogy.

Great question and interesting comments. I have to admit to having been in so much pain in the past that I'd consider trying this - at least once.

Diana, it's almost like I wouldn't trust myself to have one of these - similar to owning a gun.

Touche, Buddy!

Perhaps that wasn't such a good analogy. I wouldn't trust myself with a gun, nor do I think I'd trust myself with a fast forward button. I see them as two very different things. While a gun may put an end to someone's consciousness, it does not speed up time.

A fast-forward button to life would be an enticing one to have. We all might be tempted to use it to escape the moments of pain, boredom and dreariness. With the lack of foreknowledge of the outcome and without the rewind button we might accumulate regrets for having messed up many things. I think whoever designed a marvelous system called "human being", thoughtfully refrained from providing such a handy button while not flinching to provide an even more powerful button called "free will".

The poignancy of the question is powerfully reflected in the Bible:

"My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." Matt 26:39

Dolphi, there's a poignancy - can you believe POYN-yun-see is spelled like that(?) - in a real down time. I actually enjoy a good funk. Sit me down with a nice stack of classic British blues records and let me wallow about why I saw her holding another man's hand. If a person can't milk that experience for it's true value, they're missing half of what life has to offer : )

"Milking an experience for its true value…" Well, you said it all, Ron.

I see I have been missing some interesting discussions! No, I wouldn't use a button to go forward to see or backward to change anything! I am a believer that I am right where I want to be, where I need to be for what I want out of life. All those experiences have made me who I am. As for the future, it is not fixed. Even if there were a scan button to show probable or possible futures given certain choices, there is so much more involved than my own choices in making that happen. It would be a waste of time.

Meditate on where you want to be and do what it takes to get there, that's the only safe way to arrive!

The good and bad make us who we are , I would not change a thing. Besides, my Nine month old was just born the other day, now she is crawling and standing and knows a few words, not to mention my other "baby" is fourteen- once those moments are gone - poof!

Thank you Dolphi. I may not follow my own advice as much as I'd like to, but milking the experience sounds like the way to go for me.

Aileen, I agree with our being where we need to be. I find life challenging enough without trying to be somene else. And, yes we do play a big role in what happens to us. Your encouragement to make things happen is well taken.

Jody, I didn't think about all the other things in a life that would go away while the forward button was pressed. There's always more to life than the immediate pain or pleasure. Good point!