Press Play and Read While the Music Plays
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKdiNVPR1fs 425x350]
As I sat talking with a group of friends who I have known for many years, we reminisced about old times; about events gone by but not forgotten. “Do you ever wonder what would've happened if we had chosen to support the other side,” I randomly asked my group of friends, inquiring about an old decision we had made long ago in a video game. Our guild had split in half and ultimately forced us to choose one side, which would lead to the four of us banding together.
“No,” exclaimed one of my friends in anger, one who is never angered by anything. “Why would you even wonder about such things? You can’t change them, and even if you could, you would change everything else that has happened since.”
My friend was referring to the butterfly effect, the idea that all of the events in our life, no matter how small, ultimately shape our future in ways we cannot comprehend. If you were to change any one single event, no matter how small, you could dramatically affect how things turned out for you and for others.
I saw where I angered him; if for no other reason, than my other friends did not support me in my harmless thinking out loud. He had gotten the idea that I might have wished that things went differently and our circle had ultimately not formed. Although, I did not mean any offense, nor was that a correct assumption, my friend had gotten the wrong impression.
Of course, I meant well, and it was only a conversational topic. Nevertheless, it suddenly had made one of my random thoughts suddenly click into place.
In Dragon Age Origins and other popular RPG games, a genre that uses the decisions you make throughout your gameplay to determine the course of the storyline, you have the ability to save the game at any one point and then load the game from that point. The purpose of which is to allow you to make decisions that can be fixed simply by reloading; incredibly handy when you choose the wrong response in a conversation during the game. And that led me to an epiphany.
Life needs a save and load feature.
Imagine how many times in your life that you have said something that was the wrong thing to say. How many times have you said something to someone only to see them drop their shoulders, frown, or the hundreds of other nuances we display when something hurtful is said to us. For a moment, imagine if you had the ability to stop the conversation and choose a different response or different words.
The proverbial putting your foot in your mouth has plagued human beings for centuries. Although, that doesn't appear to be something that will change anytime soon. So many times, in my own life, I can think of specific instances where I wish with my heart of hearts that I could have the chance to start the conversation over again.
Conversations with friends that ultimately led to progressively intense bickering and the loss of friendship. Conversations with lovers that hurt them accidentally causing a rift that could not be repaired. Conversations with loved ones before they died that should have been much more meaningful. Any conversation that went the wrong way not because of bad intentions, just happenstance.
In this example, we're only talking about the opportunity to redo conversations. Man has often wondered about the ability to time travel and do things over. But, the power of words is undeniable and often stronger than most actions.
Surely in your own life you have wondered from time to time if you would still have that ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend if you had only said something different at the right moment. If your boss would have treated you differently had you gotten off to the right foot. If your former friends would still be your friends if you had said anything and not let the friendship fizzle.
Friends quibbling amongst each other is nothing new. Very few of those skirmishes ever lead to something worse than a bruised ego. And most can be fixed with a simple apology.
But what about those times where those little words snowballed into something larger than life. Those times where your conversation went so badly, not because you wanted to inflict pain on your friend or loved one but simply because you said the wrong thing.
For every time you hurt someone in your family by saying the wrong thing. For the love that you lost because you choose the wrong thing to say. For the argument that cost you a friend because you thought something was funny when it wasn't.
For all the times that you only meant well. Life needs a save and load feature.
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say, (whatcha say, whatcha say)
Mmmm that it's all for the best?
Of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say
- Imogen
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