The universe has existed for thirteen thousand million years. In all that time, progressing from one direction to another, the past to the future, how many times has time travel occurred? I don’t mean how many times did someone hop into a Delorean and bet on some sports games. I mean how often did time get traversed, aside from the philosophy 101 we are time traveling as we move forward in time. I mean how often has even a single atom moved backwards in that flow of an inconceivable past towards an unknowable future? Or a single proton found its way further down that stream of unending causality? The answer many would give is something along the lines of “who could know?”. But the real answer is, it doesn’t matter. If time travel mattered, we would know by now.
If time travel mattered, we would know by now
“I guess. I don’t really know what your point is. We did it. So it matters. Are you listening?” the first man, a tall lanky man with glasses and a heavy metal band T-shirt on said.
Blinking rapidly, then turning to look at the first man, the second, wearing a a shirt, tie, and boxer briefs, replied “I said that outloud? You heard all that? I thought I was talking to myself here.”
“I heard you alright. Time travel is nihilism alright, sure. But we still did it. That gas station shows gas at under a dollar. The news paper says its August 02, 1984. Apparently the Olympics are happening in LA. I wasn’t born yet”.
“Right. and assuming we are indeed in 1984, we have time travelled. I’m Henry by the way. I saw you waiting for the subway too. I think whatever happened it was localized to the subway station, for whatever reason.” Henry explained, adjusting his bag, slung over his shoulder.
“Ok then Henry. Where the hell are my pants? I mean one second I was sitting down on the subway, and the next we are on sunset boulevard, in the 1980s. Its drabber than then movies make it look. I guess that makes sense. The 80s was always romanticized. I’m Peter by the way.”
“I think its odd you lost your pants too. Especially because I was wearing socks before” Henry said, pointing at his sockless ankles in his shoes. “I think we time travelled. But I don’t think it matters’.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? It seems pretty fucking evident that we did indeed time travel, as you say, but why doesn’t it matter? it matters to me! I had a meeting and potentially a buyout coming my way! Now I”m decades in the past? And my phone was in my pants. It matters to me Henry. I matter. Maybe you don’t. But I do.”
“I only mean that there will be no causal changes that occur based on our traveling here” Henry replied, as a wood paneled station wagon drove past with two blond teenage girls screaming “SEXY WALLSTREET!” at the pantsless Peter as they drove by.
“Fuck this. I need to get some pants on. Its the 1980s. Whats that mean? Its Los Angeles. I need pants. Where do we go?” Peter gestured at the boulevard, as adjusted his briefs, looking at the growing traffic, as the sun set.
“I guess if you have any knowledge about the future you can use to make a profit you should. My point is it won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The future is set in stone. This technically will have already happened. Or at least it won’t fucking matter.” Was Henry’s reply, as he stared at his smart phone, with 0 bars and 13% battery.
“Well I want to be rich as hell for sure. But it also means we gotta live through the dot com bubble.. Oh hell the 2008 financial crisis, and wait. Its the 80s, that means AIDS!” Peter replied. Starting to walk down the boulevard, shielding his eyes from the setting sun.
“Your knowledge of the future doesn’t matter. In terms of impact I mean. If we could change history we would know about it by now. That’s the nature of time travel.”
“Whatever Henry… I’m going to the library…. I’ll say I got mugged and have them call the cops. I think I have a good fake name to use. There’s a lot of things I think we could change about the world. Especially with what I know about the future. America need’s my expertise!” Peter said, meandering down the boulevard.
Whatever is happening, I am sure of one thing. Our fate in being transported here was decided before we were born. Time travel is itself deterministic. I think that some cosmic phenomenon occurred that transported Peter and I here. If I can’t return to my own time, maybe I could finally start a band….
“I can still hear you. Did you think you were monologuing again? I think we can exploit this situation Henry”
“Maybe we already did. And we always were going to.”
“What?”
“Nothing. You know you aren’t wearing pants right?”
END