Jack wrote this in March, 2006:
Morning blogsters:
Someone showed me a website where a person can send emails to be delivered to themselves at some specified future time. Interesting thought. (Note from Jeanne: https://www.futureme.org/)
What’s more interesting, however, is that a person’s allowed to have those emails to his future self posted for the public to read, though those are anonymous.
It’s a study in the way a lot of people view themselves.
One intriguing shot some 16 year old fired at his 22 year old self,
“I hope you’re out of the Marine Corps by now. If you aren’t, you are an idiot.”
A 16er who ain’t yet in the Gyrenes telling his future self he hopes he’s out by now and implying going in was a mistake???
But what’s most puzzling is the way so many are lecturing their future selves.
“I hope you own fifteen rent houses by now and are driving a Corvette. If not, you’ve been procrastinating. Get busy.”
Evidently a lot of people are going along on the assumption they’re as wise now as they’ll be five or ten years from now, and that the person they’ll be won’t shudder, nor blush that HERE’s what they used to be. Here’s how they used to think. Whew.
“No wonder my life is such a mess if THAT’s where I came from”, they’ll be saying.
One cute one some young adult of indeterminate age was addressed to him/herself to be delivered, January 1, 2013. It congratulates the future self for being there to read the email, reminding about how he/she had been into Mayan prophesy predicting the end of the world in 2012.
OOOOOOOkay.
Got me thinking, what’s really needed is a site where we can send emails to be delivered to ourselves at specified times in the past.
For instance, I could send one to me for delivery January 1, 1999.
“Hi guy.
“You just took your retirement funds out of their safe haven, retired, and you’re getting ready to go off and prepare for the collapse of civilization.
- “You think the banks, the IRS, everything’s going deep South a year from now.
- “You think buying that land on installments is a smart move, that the money’s better spent buying food, shelter, barter items, medications, for hoards of refugees that will be coming out of the cities. Because,
- “You think when civilization collapses the taxes, the installments, even paper cash will be gone, kaput.
“I don’t want to influence you about most of what you’re going to do during the next year, but I do have a couple of suggestions.
- “First, notice I’m sending you this email by computer from 2006.
- “Second, ask yourself what you’re going to do if the lights don’t go out.
- “Third, store your retirement cash you’re depending on in case Y2K doesn’t happen in a metal container where the rats can’t get to it. (Trust me on this one. Just do it and don’t ask any questions.)
“Other than that, you’re doing fine, sport. Just go on with what you were doing when you opened this email.
“From the man you’re going to be seven HARD years from now,”
“Jack”
“PS – There’s a website out there where you can answer this email and have it delivered to me now. Don’t bother. I was you once. I remember all about it. You don’t have anything to say I don’t know already.
“PPS – Start learning as much as you can learn about playing blackjack. You’re going to need it.”
So Far From Heaven 