Snagged From Spiked Punch

[the_gneech]

Normally I don't engage in these exercises, but this time, I think I shall.

---

Here it is: you have been given an opportunity to write yourself a letter. This letter will be sent back in time to your past self at any point in your life. In sending this letter, you must adhere to the following:

- Only your past self will be able to see the letter. No one else.
- You cannot include objects in with the transfer of the letter. The only thing in the envelope will be the letter.
- You can only write one letter, and that letter will only be delivered to yourself at one point in your past.
- The delivery of the letter will be very inconspicuous. Your past self will simply turn around and see it lying there with the words "To __" written on the front.

The concept of writing a letter to yourself raises all sorts of questions, including:

- Even with this opportunity, would you write a letter to yourself?
- What would you say? Would it be intensely personal, even if your past self wouldn't understand what you were saying?
- How much would you tell of the future. Would you tell yourself about September 11, or not to invest in Enron? Would this risk altering the time stream?
- At which point in your life would you send this letter to? How much good/bad would it do?

---

To: The Gneech
Rhodes Hall, VCU
September, 1986

From: The Gneech
Reston, VA
December, 2003

Okay. You're away from home, finally. Welcome to college, and your life. I've got a few important things for you to keep your eye on as things move forward:

First: Everything you know is wrong.

Your parents, while theoretically at least intending nothing but the best for you, have really done a number on your psyche. I want you to think very carefully about this: You listen to what they tell you, you think about what they say ... but if they had a single clue, would they be living the lives they are? They're not exactly what I would call happy, fulfilled people.

You know what I'm talking about: the clothes. The attitudes. The fundamental paradoxes that make you stop and think, "Say WHAT?" It's not your imagination, man: they're screwed up. And they've screwed you up, too. You're going to spend most of the next decade getting over this, so you'd better get started.

So your best bet is to ask their advice, and then do the exact opposite of what they tell you.

Get up to speed on hygiene, exercise, and social habits sooner rather than later. There will come a time soon when you'll want -- nay need that social life you've been avoiding since you were five years old. You've got a lot of dumb mistakes to make before you know what you're doing, and college is the place to make 'em. Go to it.

Very important: Do not let yourself become a victim of this! There will be a lot of temptation to cry about what your parents have done to you, or to use it as an apology for things, but try not to. You are in control now, not your past.

While I'm thinking of exercise, this is important. Pick a sport at school and go after it with passion. It doesn't matter what it is, so much, although martial arts is my recommendation. Find something the school has a team in, and do your damnedest to get on it and compete. You need to get out there and learn to face challenges, instead of avoiding them the way you habitually do now. And you know how you're not happy with your weight now? It's going to get worse. Fast. Now's the time to fix it.

Oh, those philosophy courses you're thinking of taking? Forget it. They're a waste of time. Take the critical thinking and rhetoric courses, skip the rest. I know, you like to smugly quote Nietsche and the like, but you'd be amazed how quickly that stops impressing people -- including yourself. Instead, take advantage of the time to get into the illustration courses. Your cartooning is very promising, but by 2003 you'll be wishing you were more accomplished artistically.

Do pursue the English ... that will give you everything the philosophy would, without all the useless chaff to sift through. If you combine the English with some real artistic training, your cartooning will be a force to be reckoned with. And keep writing! Don't stop that for anything.

What else? Hmm.

Don't bother with programming courses; you'll never use any of those languages. But do try to get involved with the Unix geeks.

Extremely private paragraph snipped.

I think that covers the important stuff. One last item: I regret to say that Uncle Kenny won't be around much longer. Get as much of him as you can, now that you're finally starting to appreciate him.

Yourself From the Future,

-The Gneech

Comments

[nekomimikun.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid, I always fantasized about doing something like that. =D
But, I really wouldn't do it. I wouldn't be me now. It is the bad things in life that allow us to learn, I guess.

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

Very interesting question.

Very interesting question indeed.

I'm torn between two possible notes to myself in
High School.

One possibility would be a very simple:
Avoid certain people.

A second possibility would be a rather dramatic departure: Go to the Naval Academy.

While the university I attended paid a LOT of
lipservice to individuality and non-conformity,
it was in fact a monolithic clique of ultra-left
wing politics. If you weren't Far left of center,
you were an outcast. The Naval Academy had to be
preferable.

Not at all sure if I'd have made it, I'm not sure if
I would have fit in. But it's a regret that I did
not try it. However, I do consider one of the highest
compliments I ever got from a co-worker (a rather unrooly ex-Navy tech) was that I would have been a
good officer. (Mainly because I took the time to
listen to people, and wasn't afraid to get my hands
dirty.)

I suppose I might also point out to myself that I've
got some chinks in my armor that, while they are a
part of what makes me a sympathetic person, and are
part of my strengths, also mark me as an exploitable
target for certain types of people. These parts of
my personality are core to me and can not be changed
or given up, but a friendly warning in that direction
might avoid trouble in the case of the "Avoid these
people" list.

Then, I suppose there's the standard stuff like
"Buy Microsoft and AOL and keep buying until about
early 2000, then sell it all and wait." But that's
boring stuff.

(Odd thought: seems to me that a lot of the guys I like
and or admire are ex-Navy. Dave Melton, Javier Gonzalez, Mako, Mark Stanley, White Pony, My Mom & Dad...)

Anyway, it's late and I'm rambling.

Scott

[nekomimikun.livejournal.com]

I agree, BUT even though horrible things happened in the past, I wouldn't change them.
You can live without pain, but at what price? You miss out. The painful things in our lives can either leave a scar, or provide a learning experience. After the fact, it is possible to figure out what we are going to do with the experience. While, as the event happened, we would have rather had it not exist, it would hurt us in the long run.
The great thing with human reason is that we are fully able to change our interpretation of our lives.

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

No one can live without experiencing some pain.

But sometimes pain doesn't teach us anything valuable other than "Pain is no fun, and fear prevents you from
trying new fun things."

And, I knew that already, so learning it again was a
waste of time.

Would I still be "Me" if I didn't have the pains I did
have and substituted other unknown ones? Yeah, I'm
pretty sure that I'd be me.

I'm me enough to be me no matter what.

Do I regret things I've done? Naw, not really.
I've met lots of interesting people along the journey.
I only regret wasting time on detours that were a waste
of gasoline.

[jamesbarrett.livejournal.com]

I've been avoiding this myself, but I think my primary thing would be to send it to myself that time I tried to be a cashier, failed, and was then looking for a job. About the only things I would tell myself would be to forget the fear and doubt, be a waiter. You'll love it. Keep writing. In fact, start a junk log. (Explaining just what that means) Writing a story isn't everything. Build some skills first and develop a habit. Go to a psychologist now and explain your behavior. You are manic/depressive dude. Get medication now and in less than two years you will be out of the woods. It all gets easier from there. -Frisk

[level-head.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Variation on the theme. What would you write to yourself, to be received the next day, if you knew you would listen?

===|==============/ Level Head

[blackjackaught.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...I actually had to do this more my last year of middle school. It was to be mailed 10 years later, so I'm still waiting on it.

[murrrmaiyd.livejournal.com]

It's kind of a hard choice....if I changed things about my past, would I be where I am now? There are things I'd like to have done differently in my past, I'd like to have told myself to go to school for something useful, knowing now what I wish I had learned years ago....I'd like to have better credit and would tell myself to be more careful there.....to have better future retirement planning already in the works from an earlier age....to perhaps be able to tell my dad that his back pain that night we went camping was his heart and get him to the hospital so he had a chance to live longer...not that that would be any guarantee that he'd survive, but it'd be a better chance. To be sure not to forget to check the oil in my car and make the engine last longer...a number of things I'd change, but at the same time, if I did, if my dad was still around, would I have moved to Florida? Probably not. We were very close, and did a lot of things together...I wouldn't have wanted to leave him. But if I hadn't moved down here, I wouldn't have met Bob, and I wouldn't want that....I'm very happy to be here with him, I'd just like to be here with him in a better financial position. I think I would, though.....there's so much I'd like to change, and knowing that I'd meet him down here could be the incentive I'd need to move down here in spite of things being different up there. I dunno...there are a lot of ramifications to keep in mind, but I think I would....it would just be *very* detailed!! :)

Mur