Just to have a memory of them, a face to remember, a name to know, a few hopes and dreams shared. Even if they weren't among those killed, beyond a doubt their life would forever change come the next day.
It occurs to me that there are mysteries in my family, too-- for instance, a relative of my grandmother was murdered for no apparent reason in the early 1950s (I think), and no one knew what happened. But in that case, I'm not sure that time travel would enable me to find out. Although it might be worth the trouble if I could insert myself into the home of my ancestor who had a wife on each side of the the Civil War, who, according to family legend, lived together with him after the war... I know what I assume, but am I right?
I would go back to my great-great-grandmother Scofield, my mother's mother's mother's mother, and find out why she gave away her six children.
Then I would visit (with that BabelFish device) a woman named Mira Bai, who was a Rajasthani princess in the mid 16th century who abandoned her palace and family to become the first female ascetic/love to Krishna. She basically began the entire bhakti movement in India.
I can definitely see why those would interest you... a painful family mystery, and the beginnings of a religious movement.
When I first answered the question, I was thinking more about "interesting person to spend the day with," rather than "what do I want to know or see from the past?" but the latter angle has a lot of possibility.
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It occurs to me that there are mysteries in my family, too-- for instance, a relative of my grandmother was murdered for no apparent reason in the early 1950s (I think), and no one knew what happened. But in that case, I'm not sure that time travel would enable me to find out. Although it might be worth the trouble if I could insert myself into the home of my ancestor who had a wife on each side of the the Civil War, who, according to family legend, lived together with him after the war... I know what I assume, but am I right?
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Family mysteries hold their own allure, I find. Yours sounds pretty amazing, too.
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Then I would visit (with that BabelFish device) a woman named Mira Bai, who was a Rajasthani princess in the mid 16th century who abandoned her palace and family to become the first female ascetic/love to Krishna. She basically began the entire bhakti movement in India.
Reply
When I first answered the question, I was thinking more about "interesting person to spend the day with," rather than "what do I want to know or see from the past?" but the latter angle has a lot of possibility.
Reply
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