this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 31 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I would want to tell my past self that I'm trans and they should take HRT ASAP and that all my friends and family are accepting and that I don't need to wait until I'm 30 to come out.

[–] MermaidsGarden 6 points 8 months ago
[–] Ledivin 19 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

Ask my future self. Telling my past self something is very likely to have no affect on my life (what if past actions only affect that "me" and not me-me), whereas asking my future self something will always end up with me gaining information - no guarantee its relevant, but it's more likely to be.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Past self wouldn't listen to any sage wisdom I could pass on anyway lol

[–] Today 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

What would you ask your future self?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

"Tell me the most important thing you can tell me"

My future self will know best about what I need to know. Winning lottery/investments can make me rich now, but maybe there's a nuclear war, climate apocalypse, or some other disaster in 5 years and my future self can tell me where to be and what to do before it starts.

[–] Axiochus 1 points 8 months ago

Wouldn't the same logic apply from the perspective of future you? I.e. they would be a different future you if they were told something by themselves in the past.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I would probably go for the generic "buy as much bitcoin as you can, dump it all at 55k in March 2021 and put it all on Nvidia and sell it may 2024".

Boring advice, but can't think of anything that would have a greater impact.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Dump in March 2021 and buy a house while interest rates are low.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Realistically I'm sure I'd end up using it for financial gain either way.

Future Self: What's the next Nvidia stock?

Past self has more monkey paw possibilities, but I think I'd go with something like, "Buy all the surplus compute you can to generate bitcoin in 2009 and hold it until $64,000."

[–] DaddleDew 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

That's too much work. Just buy $1000 worth of bitcoin in 2010 and sell it all at 50k, which means you can cash it in 2 years earlier and still make WAY more than you'll ever be able to spend.

At that point you will be affecting the entire market though. So things might become unpredictable.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Dogecoin would be funnier. Buy 1K USD when it’s like 0.000001 and sell when it’s at .20USD

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You can ask your future self stuff right now. You won't get the answer until you answer it in the future, but the question is possible.

[–] NegativeLookBehind 2 points 8 months ago (4 children)

But, you never answer it in the future

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yes you can, just that the past you can't hear it.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

The one thing I would want to tell past me is something I already knew, but still couldn't convince my dad to invest in Google and Apple back in 2002. We played a game in economics class where, using the real stock market, we started with like 50k to invest in and at the end of the month, whoever made the most money won a big jar of candy.

I won by just putting half in Google and the other in Apple and then never touching it. But I couldn't convince my dad to invest even a little bit and I had no money of my own to do so myself. 😮‍💨

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

What happens to me after I tell my past self the thing? Do I cease to exist? Do I quantum leap into a version of myself from the universe where my future self told me that one thing? Do I just go on with my life but I know that there is a parallel universe out there where my past self got my message? Or does the time stream correct itself such that my life follows the same exact course except I remember my future self sending me a message?

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I have too much to warn my past self about to not choose that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Yeah Russia declaring war on me would be a footnote.

[–] KISSmyOSFeddit 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'd tell my past self that I have ADHD, and to ask my mom to take me to a psychiatrist.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

I’ve been putting off my ADHD test for over 15 years. I keep saying I’ll do it. I’ll do it some day soon!

At least I went to the dentist… after 14 or so years of not going.

[–] thirstyhyena 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

It's either sharing the winning lottery numbers, or asking for them. I need to know how the time stream works first.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

I would ask my future self "what is the most stressful thing awaiting me on my future, which I shouldn't worry about at all".

This doesn't change anything except my mental health is better off.

[–] pyre 5 points 8 months ago

asking your future self isn't always guaranteed to yield results. for starters, you know for certain you have a past.

[–] Thcdenton 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Ask my future self something. I get a leg up on everyone and future-me's timeline collapses - not mine.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

This is the real answer. You can't change your past, or the current version of you would not exist. You might still exist but not this version of you. It might be better or it might be worse but most things in your life would be completely different. And you definitely wouldn't remember the change.

We don't realize how intertwined different parts of our life are. If you just pause a second in your daily life and do nothing, you have literally changed your future and that of the entire world. It's not some woo-woo vibes thing, you are literally slightly adjusting everything around you by existing and acting. It's impossible to tell exactly how until much later.

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[–] Tudsamfa 5 points 8 months ago

Of course telling past me a thing makes more sense. I have a basic understanding of the past and what I say has a good chance of improving past me's life.

I cant even imagine what my biggest decision in the next few years is going to be, there's a good chance whatever I ask will be a waste of time. The wiser of me should dictate what we talk about.

[–] FleetingTit 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Tell past self: buy bitcoin early and HODL until they are worth ~$50k. DO NOT GET TEMPTED!!!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Past self : I wonder what he meant by HODL

[–] Dicska 5 points 8 months ago
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[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

I would tell myself to spend more time with and keep in touch with a close friend who succumbed to his sadness.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

MURPH!!!! DON'T LET ME LEAVE MURPH!!!!! MUUUUUURRRRRPHHHHH!!! DON'T LET ME LEAVE!

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[–] Duamerthrax 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Tell my past self not to trust guidance counselors and go to the tech highschool instead. If they say anything is a kind, caring voice along the lines of "we think you would be better in an easier class...", shut them down. Don't settle, don't negotiate, don't think you can wait it out.

[–] stevestevesteve 3 points 8 months ago

They're the same thing tho

[–] Snowclone 3 points 8 months ago

Tell my past self that actually you have to do everything yourself. Like EVERYTHING. No is waiting to pull you up into the life where you belong. Life is demanding, without understanding, but I saw the sign.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon 3 points 8 months ago

Past. I'd do a lot of things differently including being single forever.

[–] RestrictedAccount 3 points 8 months ago

I’m an old fuck, this is easy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Telling my younger self something is better, but riskier. Can't guarantee my young self will take action. What would 17 year old me really do with the knowledge that Bitcoin would hit 20k? Setting.io the wallet was harder back then and I may just give up.

[–] humorlessrepost 2 points 8 months ago

Ask my future self one thing.

I don’t know enough about how this works to risk altering the past in a way that makes this “me” stop existing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Tell my past self I nailed it.

[–] Zomg 2 points 8 months ago

Tell my last self.... Bitcoin. Lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Ask my future self because I can't change my past.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

What if I ask my future self a question, but they chose the same option?

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