Society & Culture

Turn Back Time

Society & Culture

Posted by: EileenW1

2nd Oct 2021 09:37am

So often we say, "If only I knew then what I know now". If you could go back to a time in your past, when would you choose and why?

Comments 52

Zedd
  • 24th Nov 2021 11:47pm

My teens. I had no confidence and knowledge about anything. Actually less than other teens. It definitely hindered my success and overall happiness. If I could go back I would and make better decisions. Do more more with my little life than I actually did.

Zedd
  • 24th Nov 2021 11:51pm
My teens. I had no confidence and knowledge about anything. Actually less than other teens. It definitely hindered my success and overall happiness. If I could go back I would and make better...

Elders always say we regret the things we didn’t do rather than the mistakes we actually made. I’m still young but I really feel that already. I think I wasted a large portion of my life being the good kid. I thought my life would be better if I was just nice and never did anything “bad”. Now I’m older and I’m behind in everything compared to people my age. Definitely would go back just to be more active and confident in my life.

Austin32150320
  • 24th Nov 2021 10:46am

I have had that many "eureka", eureka
/ˌjʊ(ə)ˈriːkə/
Learn to pronounce
exclamation
a cry of joy or satisfaction when one finds or discovers something.
"The answer hit me. ‘Eureka!’ I cried", moments in the past two months that my, everything. s buzzing with if only I understood earlier, what could I now be? Today I am the sum of all the things that I have experienced. So, where would I go back into my life with my recent burgeoning stocks of wisdom. Would it be before my "love of my life" relationship began to fracture or even to the very beginning of it. No that wouldn't be right. She is happily remarried and forging ahead with her life from all reports. I have no right to mess with that, but I am now grateful to her for all the amazing experiences and the lessons that she so patiently taught me; some of which I have finally began to truly understand. Would I go back to my previous relationship, that resulted in our two beautiful children. Regardless of my many failings and mistakes and a bit more, I wouldn't and couldn't begin to contemplate changing any of this. Otherwise our children wouldn't be the awesome young adults that they are. So then would I go back to my late teens and alter the biggest mitigating factors, that has been throughout and at every crisis point on my life. The selfish pursuit of intoxication. Illicit drugs. In favour of changing this factor can only be that it would have caused so much less unnecessary pain, wasted time and effort, ect..,to myself but more so to those who have loved me and didn't give me up without a fight. The opposite arguement being both of my former partners are happy,
settled and thriving in both life and their personal lives. My children are both on their way in life, with my eldest a qualified electrician and talented singer/songwriter and my youngest, who is in her second year of nursing and is a curious and avid traveler. As much as I wish I could take back the pain I have caused, I can't think of how I could take back the, who, what and where, that they are all right now. So that just leaves me. I am 49 years old. I am born on the leap year. I am still (somehow) physically healthy. I am halfway through double degree in Anthro/ Sociology and Social work at UWA. I have been homeless for the past 6yrs and today as well as being 58 days clean I am about to move into my first place, a small unit in 6 yrs. It hasn't been easy by any stretch of the imagination, yet I have learnt so many real things and meet some of the most humble and incredible people in my life and for this I am eternally grateful. Finally I am at peace within myself and with the world at large. So there is not a thing that I would change. Thankyou and smile. It is all going to be okay.

doxdeb
  • 23rd Nov 2021 07:10pm

My middle to late30’s, past that terrible teen and 20-30 years where you lack confidence and self esteem and make bad choices. You start to get wiser and smarter in your decisions and not try to please everyone

Jeena32130897
  • 23rd Nov 2021 06:13pm

I would, as a child and a teenager, not look for external validation. I would only look for my validation only. Also I would love ne better because I earned it.

pauldaw
  • 23rd Nov 2021 12:41pm

I would have loved more and been far more experienced with women. Why because I would not have made so many mistakes and would have made a far better husband than I have.

gobombers
  • 23rd Nov 2021 11:58am

to start school again because i missed a lot of my young years

RASHEED32078686
  • 22nd Nov 2021 12:32pm

I would choose a time decided against giving a charity. If I knew what I know now, I would have given that charity then.

dee
  • 21st Nov 2021 06:29pm

The 1950's for me it is the best era , love the bobby socks , rock and roll , the dancing to Elvis and the classic movie stars , Grace Kelly , The gorgeous frocks and the classic movies , From Here To Eternity.

Trina32082520
  • 21st Nov 2021 04:50pm

Awesome

marty
  • 21st Nov 2021 11:35am

I would love to go back to my teenage years & come out to Australia earlier & to meet with my late wife much earlier so that I could spend some more time with her. I know that things have been difficult for a couple of years now with this Covid Virus but we live in the Best Country in the world.

heeleen
  • 20th Nov 2021 11:47am

I would go back to the day my Brother came to vist me in Sydney, I was busy so did not do much with him. The last night I told him to wake me up before he left, he was leaving early and driving.
A month later he was dead, killed in a car accident. I often think, I should have just sat with him and talked.
But you can't go back , much as you want to. Time is like a river, once it has passed it does not come back.

denene
  • 19th Nov 2021 06:06pm

I would have loved to do much more than I have and would be a paramedic

gumnut
  • 18th Nov 2021 01:46pm

Super

keyz12
  • 18th Nov 2021 10:24am

I would love to go back to my teenage years and change things I did then.... Like continue with my studies, travel more, not give in to family pressure to not follow my chosen path.... There always seem to be regrets.... Though my life is good now I still wonder what it would have been like if I followed my choice of career

frannymanny
  • 17th Nov 2021 06:44pm

I have been thinking deeply about this but if I had behaved differently way back then I would have taken directions away from all sorts of wonderful things and people. All things considered I wouldn't go back and change things

marktime
  • 17th Nov 2021 05:38pm

like AB i would go back to my teenage years when i was too shy for my own good and let a lovely woman pass me by. But by the same token i probably wouldn't have met the wonderful friend i have now.

Dudester
  • 17th Nov 2021 04:21pm

I had always struggled with procrastination, throughout school and into the workforce. It was only until I had a series of nervous breakdowns at a face-paced, relentlessly stressful job did I visit the doctor. I found out I had GAD, ADD and Depression. I believe each illness was formed as a result of ADD. Which is Attention Deficit Disorder, like ADHD but no 'H' which means its practically invisible - I'll look like i'm deep in focus but in reality I'm stuck in a mental brain fog.

If I knew this about myself earlier, I could have sought treatment sooner and receive the medication to remedy or lessen my condition. Nowadays I have gone back to uni to study a different course and have been fairly successful in my grades. Previously, during my first course I held a C average. But now its around A-.

Joh :)
  • 16th Nov 2021 01:25am

Have you ever heard of the ”butterfly effect “?

It is a theory that tells how each thing we choose opens a new door in the universe ,leading us to different paths. Of course terrible things have happened, however, there is no way to predict the possible result of a change, and as such, no guarantee there would be a better outcome

Eg .. If i didnt met and fall in love with my now ex partner, i would not have had my precious daughter. I would never regret being with him, even though he turned into a violent abusing narcissistic Drunk. So that said, with each action we choose our door and create our own path.

If I had the chance to change anything from my past, then I wouldn’t be here, writing this answer and having this exact knowledge and these exact feelings. I would have a totally different life.

Joh :)
  • 24th Nov 2021 01:11pm
I agree with you Joh. Whenever this question comes up, there are things that come to mind that I would like to change. But if I did, that could then result in my not being where I am now and...

Yeap it really makes you think, doesnt it!

LeanneMc
  • 23rd Nov 2021 02:55pm
Have you ever heard of the ”butterfly effect “?

It is a theory that tells how each thing we choose opens a new door in the universe ,leading us to different paths. Of course terrible...

I agree with you Joh. Whenever this question comes up, there are things that come to mind that I would like to change. But if I did, that could then result in my not being where I am now and there is no guarantee that a change would result in my being in a better place.

Joh :)
  • 16th Nov 2021 01:24am

Have you ever heard of the ”butterfly effect “?

It is a theory that tells how each thing we choose opens a new door in the universe ,leading us to different paths. Of course terrible things have happened, however, there is no way to predict the possible result of a change, and as such, no guarantee there would be a better outcome

Eg .. If i didnt met and fall in love with my now ex partner, i would not have had my precious daughter. I would never regret being with him, even though he turned into a violent abusing narcissistic Drunk. So that said, with each action we choose our door and create our own path.

If I had the chance to change anything from my past, then I wouldn’t be here, writing this answer and having this exact knowledge and these exact feelings. I would have a totally different life.

ab
  • 14th Nov 2021 12:36pm

Hmmmm... knowing what I know now... if that means with full recollection of every event...I go back to maybe 15 yrs old... to reconsider my relationship decisions. I'd like to pursue relationships that I let go because I was either too shy or just plain stupid...if I'd only known.

But of course I wouldn't be the same person I am today...I'd be much wealthier through making the most astute money management decisions ever witnessed, they'll be writing about me in the newspapers and magazines...the nobody who regularly wins Melbourne Cups, buys and sells real estate at all the perfect moments, invests in infant company's that grow to be worth billions... gives away millions to charities... provides information that stops terrorist activities...OMG This was a fun question.

Thanks Eileen.

:)

sheza54
  • 13th Nov 2021 08:39pm

It would have to be before I had my first child which I lost at full term of pregnancy, and that was 31 years ago in June.

yram
  • 13th Nov 2021 01:51pm

Put more money in superannuation when I was younger

Multismudge
  • 9th Nov 2021 09:51am

I was in a car accident at 17 years of age. No == their is no actual time I would change. There are too many other things that would be impacted ..... would not have my son. But do wish my mother did not get cancer. Life would have been very different.
I have done it .. so be it.

boppa99
  • 8th Nov 2021 05:20pm

Do Not sleep with women ,A big warning back in 1991 because l had a crush on a Guy,
So thought l could keep sleeping with women,
It has brought on a mental illness,
Which l have to keep taking medication 💊 As now there is still not much cure but will be better with side affects by the time l turn 60,
As medication causes weight gain and l have so many fights with family and Friends not understanding it ,
Only some are understanding

boppa99
  • 13th Nov 2021 02:23pm
Take care, be true to yourself xx

Thanks 😊

yram
  • 13th Nov 2021 01:52pm
Do Not sleep with women ,A big warning back in 1991 because l had a crush on a Guy,
So thought l could keep sleeping with women,
It has brought on a mental illness,
Which l have to...

Take care, be true to yourself xx

Iml
  • 5th Nov 2021 10:16pm

Buy shares in certain companies. Not put off doing things that I may now never be able to do

PGS
  • 4th Nov 2021 07:41pm

Early teens & hope not to make the same mistakes again. Probably would though.

Joh :)
  • 4th Nov 2021 10:03am

If i could turn back time i would have left my ex-partner when our daughter was first born instead of waiting 9 months. He turned into a more selfish lazy person that financial bled me dry and used his fist to communicate with me.

chickenman
  • 3rd Nov 2021 08:45pm

i would go back to the mid 70's to change some things with my life. provided of cause, that i kept my "now" memories.

geromam
  • 2nd Nov 2021 08:17pm

I would go back to January 2020 before covid hit the fan so I could jump on a plane with ease and go see my daughter in the UK. Little did I know that it would be so long (still an uncertainty) until I get to hug her again. I last saw her in March 2019 when she came for her grandparents' funeral.

Trish2016
  • 1st Nov 2021 10:04pm

Back to my 30's when I was a young mum, loved being a mum with young family

meg
  • 1st Nov 2021 09:19pm

The years between about 1954 & 1960. There were many dedicated dance venues where you could meet & actually dance with a girl. With 6 o'clock hotel closing & no on-site alcohol virtually everyone was sober - no arguments. All venues had live bands & usually someone who could sing.
What a great time!

ladylucy666
  • 1st Nov 2021 06:35pm

Would of spent my money traveling instead of drinking and partying. Cost me so much, in time lost and health too.

Dena31948125
  • 1st Nov 2021 05:50pm

I would go back to my early 20s. I used to enjoy life and gad minor responsibility and stress.

jjdrer
  • 1st Nov 2021 04:34pm

I suddenly realised some relatives are doing the best they can to rule my life.
Why ? I'm not sure I'm going to be told the truth if I was brave to ask.
What would I have done years ago, tell the person not to spread blatant
lies about me.

jjdrer
  • 1st Nov 2021 04:27pm

If only Epilepsy had been clearly explained to be when I was diagnosed at 16y.o. I would have learnt what to expect and how to live each day in determination to not let me think I couldn't do what I wanted to do in safety.

drummerschick
  • 30th Oct 2021 08:26am

I would definitely go back to my teens and look at the decisions I made with my life and change a lot. I would set up a savings plan, be more aware of relationships, treat my body better (don't take up alcohol and smoking) and continue those habits into my later years. I sit here now, a widow, no money to speak of and according to a programme on SBS recently, one step away from homelessness (oh goodie). Oh well, we're always wise in hindsight.

Rose31647602
  • 30th Oct 2021 12:44am

I would choose the time I lent a friend a large amount of money , they said they would pay me back within two weeks. It's been now over five years and a lost friendship

jjdrer
  • 1st Nov 2021 04:30pm
I would choose the time I lent a friend a large amount of money , they said they would pay me back within two weeks. It's been now over five years and a lost friendship

I am in a similar situation but at this stage the friendship is still very strong.
However I am beginning to think some comments I have heard from her are misleading.

capfantastic
  • 28th Oct 2021 10:48am

My life would be completely different! I would have far more confidence. As much as I love and cherish my children I certainly wouldn’t have had any knowing the health issues they face and if they will be ok when I die. Instead I would have devoted my life to service of the sick and infirm. I would have been able to look after my Mother and nurse her when she becomes too frail. I would have been able to help a lot more people. As they say, youth is wasted on the young!

beljayne
  • 27th Oct 2021 10:26pm

Choose to not be hasty in certain aspects, spend more time with the right people

Leanne6
  • 27th Oct 2021 11:20am

High school.
I'd be more out going, make more of the time, concentrate on horse riding lessons a day plat other sports

Yuqi32053135
  • 26th Oct 2021 02:11pm

I don't have any regrets in the past, so I may choose to go back to high school where I had my happiest time. Really miss the days when there weren't a lot of adult concerns.

meatsy
  • 26th Oct 2021 01:00pm

When I was 25 I was posted to London for 2 years. would have concentrated on learning more while in such a dynamic place for my eventual return to Australia which would have propelled my career even further.

Trina32082520
  • 25th Oct 2021 01:55am

👍

aseeker70
  • 21st Oct 2021 07:56am

Fo back to my 20s and change my career. I would take up a trade like electrician.

jtmorri
  • 21st Oct 2021 03:51am

I would return to my early 20's a do a great cull of family and friends then rather than waiting a further 20 years because I gave them the benefit of the doubt and didn't wish to be viewed as difficult to cut toxic, critical people from my life. Life is happier, less stressful and peaceful when you do what is right by yourself and sits well with your own morals and values.

sophawkins
  • 19th Oct 2021 02:45pm

I would return to high school and I would make an effort to be friends with everyone including people I didn’t think I would get a long with. Life is no about what you know but who you know!

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