Alfred Hitchcock was my mother's hero. To her, he was, "My Alfred," and we faithfully watched his television show every week. She also read every Alfred Hitchcock magazine she could get her hands on.
Matt Dillon of "Gunsmoke," was also a favorite, but she never read westerns, and she never wrote a western story. She DID write a story for the Alfred Hitchcock magazine.
As much trouble as I had with nightmares, my mother still took me to see Hitchcock's movie, "Psycho." I'll never forget the scene where someone goes downstairs and turns this chair around to see who is sitting in it. . . .
Anyway, my mother used to tell me, "You know Vinny, if we put our minds to it, we could be really good crooks."
Yeah, that sounded like fun. "I know how to commit the perfect crime," I would pipe up. "We invent a time machine, go forward or backward in time, steal lots of money, come back, and then destroy the time machine!" End of conversation as my mother let out a sigh.
From time to time since then, I've had a chance to reflect on time travel. It's quite impossible for mortals, you know.
Maybe gods and angels.. . . and ghosts. . . .can travel through time, but not mortals with solid bodies.
Imagine you have constructed your machine, and tuned it as precisely as mathematically possible to reach your destination. You have somehow calculated for EXACTLY where every tree and building and rock will be - you don't want to zap yourself into the space occupied by a lightpole!
Wait just a minute. How the heck are you going to mathematically plan - with exact precision - where every single solitary person is going to be located, the exact second you appear?
Okay, you have figured out how to overcome that obvious obstacle, and you push the "go" button. You start to materialize in the other time. . . . and an unscheduled butterfly meanders through YOUR space. . . . oooppssss. . . .
Okay, you are a SUPER genius, and you have figured out how to account for butterfiles, and ants and falling trees, but what about the vibrations your molecules start in motion? You will now be occupying a given amount of space previously occupied by nothing but air molecules. You will DISPLACE a certain number of these molecules - probably in the millions - which will then be pushed aside. These molecules will then push neighboring molecules aside, and they will do the same, on and on and on. . . . you've probably heard the parable of how the butterfly flapping its wings in China influences the weather in America. . . .
Isn't there a fictionaly story about a guy who goes back in time and shoots a dinosaur? By killing the beast, he effects every single solitary subsequent event - EVERYTHING happens differently, INCLUDING his own birth! The guy in the story disappears, because by changing the time line, he never existed!
No, this will not evolve into a discussion of alternate universes. That is for my son David to figure out - he draws comic books, and. . . . well, like I said, that is for another time, and another essay.
So anyway, somehow you have managed to arrive in a time that is not your own without effecting a single drop. You will just be an invisible observer. Okay, what about your machine? How did you get to this "other" time? Did the machine follow you, or were you "projected" into another time. If projected, you have kissed off the possibility of returning to your original time, but hey, you knew that when you signed on for this project, so that is not a consideration. You are content to be a permanent, invisible observer in another time. (Hmmmm, I hope you don't starve to death, seeing as how you can't touch any of the food without effecting the rest of time . . . . )
If you HAVE figured out how to bring your machine with you, how many molecules will IT disperse? If a butterfly in China can cause a storm in America, something the size of your time machine might REALLY cause a disaster!
Oh, and will the time you visit have the technology to restart your time machine so you can return to your previous era? Or did you sign your will, knowing this was a one way trip?
By the sheerest coincidence, the latest edition of Scientific American ("latest" being the time period I wrote this piece) imagines a time machine. It is HUGE, folks! I mean it is HUGE! The caption says, "This painting depicts a gigantic space-based particle accelerator that is capable of creating, enlarging and moving wormholes for use as time machines."
Wormholes! As part of a time mosterous time machine! Definately a one way trip. . . . . The article by Paul Davies, "How to Build a Time Machine" is mind-boggling, but then so is the entire issue, which is devoted to time travel.
If you read the articles carefully, you will see just how impossible moving from time to time really is. Mortals will never be able to go forward or backward in time. Never happen. Maybe gods, angels, or ghosts, but not a mortal. We could talk about ghosts on another page, because I'm fascinated by the idea of WHY ghosts would jump ahead in time - and then, stick around, or make a repeat performance for a decade or so! So far, I've not come up with any solid answer, except for a ghost to appear BRIEFLY to give an important message to a loved one. Like I said, that's something to discuss some other time.
Speaking of gods, I've often heard the concept that, "Time REALLY doesn't exist. Is something invented by mortals to explain historical events. God can see everything from the beginning to the end in one big picture. He can step into that picture anytime and anywhere he wants."
Ah, okay, God doesn't have a wristwatch, I'll buy that. But, what do you suppose He calls the units of measurements that separate different events? If there was no continuum to spread out events into different chunks of history, wouldn't we all just pile into each other in a big heap of arms, legs, dinosaurs, meteors, lava - you get the picture.
Some religions believe that God does not have any "body, parts, or passions." THAT god would probably be able to visit different units of measurement throughout history without causing repercussions amongst the molecules. However, there are some other religions that believe God looks just like us - including a "body, parts" and passions. How do you suppose He would visit His people with a solid body and not upset history?
Oh, to get back to that conversation with my mother, remember my imaginary goal was to steal "lots of money?" Well now, that won't work, either. Whatever currency you bring back from another time will be suspect. If it is from the future, no one will honor it. If it is from the past, the investigators will be on your tail after you spend the first piece! "Where'd you get this, son?"
Shoot, let someone else travel around time. I'm going to sit down and watch reality television.
;-)