childhood

Knowing what the future holds: No thanks?

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Some people when they write utilize an outline, are orderly writing from introduction to conclusion. I suppose I used to be that way a long time ago. I mean a long time ago. That’s how we are taught to write in school.  How boring. I wrote a novel back when I was 12 or so. The age, with aging, escapes me. But it was an absolutely fabulous experience because I wrote it with a typewriter. One of the few Christmas gifts I ever got when I was young. We were too poor, often, for gifts. That typewriter meant everything to me. I sat and typed and typed. I think it took me a week or less. It was a silly romance novel for which I also created the art cover. Point was I had no outline. I just wrote. I still do that. Case in point. Hence, I tend to have digression after digression.

 
While I write a lot, I get mostly paid to talk. Well, in some respects. And now when I give a presentation, I start with the conclusion. We are in the age of ADD, bulleted points, and Instagram. Even when I  write letters of recommendation, I start with the conclusion. I figure that the reader just wants to know whether this person is a clown or reliable and smart. Mind you while I start with the conclusion I then go back into meandering storytelling mode. I like to keep people on their toes.

 

Now where am I going with this? You got me. I kid.
I saw a research synopsis that made me pause and I wanted to share that with you. In this research study, they found that even if possible people didn’t want the power to see the future. Apparently, such a projected power caused anxiety and took away from the enjoyment of suspense. Go figure. Well, not really.
I will note, however, that the proliferation of spoiler websites -those that spoil television shows would seem to indicate that there are some elements of surprise we are willing to forgo.  We like to know what will happen to our favorite character- will he die in a red wedding?   I love reading the ending of books as I start a new book. I love reading spoilers and trying to figure out what will happen on my favorite -and even my not-so-favorite-shows.   So, many of us want to know what will happen to Oliver and Felicity but they may not want to know what is going to happen overall to the wolrd in the future.

 

I suppose there isn’t much at stake in knowing how a book ends or whether a couple will break up on a show. But there is a lot more at stake if we were to find out how loved ones may die and how may win the presidency.

 

I love spoilers and I think I can take a dose of real-world future events. Would I try to change things? The question would be can we? By knowing the future do we inevitably change it?

 

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Categories: childhood, Culture, Humor, mental health, Pop Culture, Psychology, research, TV

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13 replies »

  1. Thought provoking post. Back to the Future is one of my favourite trilogies. By the way, I wanted to point out a small typo in the first line: “oytline” instead of “outline”. šŸ˜Š

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  2. For me spoilers do just that, spoil things. I won’t, for example, read movie reviews because I don’t want to know anything that’s going to happen before I see the movie. Reading the last chapter of a book would probably keep me from reading the rest of it.

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  3. I like your phrase you have written here i was meant to be a psychologist, But Why? ” in childhood ” As i read through your story of dates meaning time and events and other things you have experience in your life, when you mentioned about writing a novel when you were 12 years old the first thought that came into my mind about you is you have what is called insperationally writing ability your writing is transformed from instant thoughts and automatically written down on paper inteligance constructive writing with little or any thought process – When you mentioned about having a thought about a particular situation, person, or an event and that thought you had becomes a real fact of life happenings that you know before it happens – This is what i have called ” The Knowing ” since the age of 19 over 30 years like thoes things you have mentioned when people may pass or knowing the change of the weather ,etc. You are if you believe in spiritual medium and being clairvoyants is your detail in your life here on earth it was part of your makeup when you were born this is a process that takes time to develop to have the knowing ability that you and i also do a messenger born into this world from God i will not question him i believe what i have explained to you is true by. the way here is an experience for you of the truth about insperationally automatic writing you mentioned why you were meant to be a psychologist i hope I have cleared the fog from your thoughts and now you know the reason why -Just to let you know that i am not mistaken for my words of what i call the knowing for years i have been keeping a journal of all of my spiritual medium and clairvoyants thoughts I have from people who have passed away thought word messages and visions over 500 knowings written in my journal – The key factor i expressed to you is remember i mentioned earlier a thought has been in my mind for years – The Name Jezebel In The Year of 1826 – I found through soul searching around this date

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  4. I don’t mind spoilers. And I like the way you begin your presentations with the end. I tend to ramble till I get to my point. At least, that’s what my children tell me. My dad bought me a typewriter too and an enormous deluxe Websters dictionary that I still have. (Only I haven’t written a novel. Did try,)

    My past is a place I like to visit sometimes. The present is grim. We have become desensitised to the daily dose of death the news serves up to us with our morning cereal. Whats frightening is that we’ve even found ways to justify what’s happening. It’s all too easy to predict the future. Given that photo you’ve posted, my guess is that you’ve also given the future some thought.

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  5. Knowing the future. The “future” or ending of a book is ok with me but knowing the future of my life or the world. Not so much. It reminds me of Star Trek and the Prime Directive ( if they knew how something would turn out on another planet they were not allowed to interfere.)

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  8. I share your thoughts and a large part of your thought process. I am in a non-fiction book group and many times have commented that if I had read the end first I would have viewed the rest of the book in a different way. That viewpoint has applied solely to the non-fiction, which I think is interesting.

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I welcome your thoughts