Smudger Snippets
Created | Updated Apr 6, 2006
I suppose it's because I have so much time on my hands these days that all these memories come flooding back to me.
Hindsight
I was watching a documentary on the television the other night. It was all about the sinking of the Titanic and all these experts were going on about what the captain should have done. One suggested that his ship was still capable of reaching the other ship that they saw some twelve miles away after they had come to a stop. Another suggested that he could have reversed up to the actual iceberg that they had hit and transferred all the passengers that they could not fit into the life boats onto that. As he said they would have been cold, but alive. Some other nautical expert said that they should never have turned the ship broadside into the danger zone - they should have just gone to full astern and hit the iceberg head on. That way the ship would have survived the collision. Even with the bow area flooded, the ship could have carried on under its own steam and complete the journey. He did add, however, that there would have been some casualties if this had been done, but not nearly as many as the amount that did perish. They then went on to blame all the various people that were involved for the disaster which I thought was wrong as the people concerned did not have anyone there to defend them.
The whole point was it got me thinking about hindsight in general and how I would change events that have happened in my life - all those 'ifs or buts' that we often think about. For example, if I had left home just thirty seconds later, I would have been involved in that car accident. Or if I had not gone out to buy that evening paper, I would never have met my partner. All these and many more went flooding through my mind.
In fact, when I met my present wife, it was due to me popping into the pub next door to my flat where I was living while working away from home; to have a pint of larger before going back to watch a movie I had rented earlier. The changes in my life since that day have been staggering. In fact, it changed my whole life altogether. I suppose that was the reason for this subject coming into my mind. It's just amazing how such small events can change a person's life so much.
Imagine the difference it would make to history if we had the ability to stop certain events happening in the past. Wars could have been prevented thus thousands more people would still be alive today - the whole course of history could be changed.
Can you just imagine the differences there would be in your own life if you had the power of hindsight and could go back and change certain things? I find it scary just to think about it. Yet we have all wished we had that power at some time in our lives, especially if it was an unpleasant event or something that has changed your life completely. Some people say our lives are all pre-arranged for us and that it is just a road we follow as we live our life here on earth. Others say that we have total control of our own destiny and that we make our own successes or failures as we go through life.
I would like to think that this is true yet why is it that, no matter how much some of us seem to have to struggle to fight our way out of problems, we just seem to come head on into more of them while others just sail on from one success to another and never seem to hit any snags or problems on their way. Maybe it is just down to luck. But whatever it is, I wish sometimes that we could have some as there have been times I get to a point when I cannot take any more and would like to step back from the rat race and let the others go past. My wife is convinced that some day our luck will change and we will have our health back, along with some of the nice things in life. I just agree with her to keep her happy but, deep down, I know it will never happen.
