I finally finished reading What If?, a collection of alternate history essays. Each essay takes a single event in history and analyzes how things might look differently today had that event occurred in a different way. One of the more intriguing essays was about Cortez and his conquest of what is today Mexico. This still stands as one of the most lopsided wars in history, and had Cortez not pulled it off North America would be a very different place today.
One author brought up another what-if question that I thought was interesting. Effectively, he spoke of the what-ifs that we don’t even know of. Take World War I as an example: how many poets, scientists, artists, or diplomats died as a result of that conflict? We can’t even know how different the world would be had some of those people lived out their lives fully. We have no idea what we’re missing out on because of the way things weren’t…
I, however, ended up reading this book from a much more personal perspective: what are the choices I’m making today, right now, that seem small but determine what my life will look like years from now? What if I hadn’t offered to give that girl a ride to a Bible study, the girl who I ended up marrying and has now born me two children? What if my fellow engineering student hadn’t mentioned to the USA recruiter that I was particularly interested in working here, leading to him calling me back? What if my parents had turned down the opportunity to live overseas, and take their children with them?
As some of you know, a friend of mine recently made a choice that will change every day for the rest of her life. At the time, it probably didn’t seem like too big of a deal, but the consequences of that seemlingly fleeting decision are literally life-altering, for her and everyone around her.
But, maybe there are other factors at work. Maybe God, or Destiny, or Whatever You Want To Call It, simply manipulates the dice to put us in this place right now. Maybe Cortez couldn’t have lost. Maybe there was no other way but for him to win. Maybe there is no Alternate Universe where I didn’t give the girl a ride. Maybe this is all the way it has to be.
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1 comment:
Wow that is deep! I just blogged about the comics and how they are trying to redo things and I think it goes well with this. We could go into the whole predestination thing, but I don't really know what I believe about that. I just never thought it was that important.
The Scariest "What if" that I can think of is "What if Jesus said no" it wouldn't be good for us at all. It was all within his right, but the truth of the matter is that he did say yes and we have the good news of deliverance and hope. God lets us make our own choices, but we always have to deal with the consequences of those choices. They can be good results or bad, but we should live our life trying to make the next big good choice. No matter what though, God is in control and he can make anything bad work out for the good - a hope only he can give. Jesus made a great choice and because of it he can help us, and understand where we are coming from at the same time. It isn't about the good or bad choices that we made in the past (We can be forgiven for those and should also forgive others about) it is about the choices that we will make in the present and ultimately the future.
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