If you could go back in time, would you stop 9/11?

That criteria, yes, I wished it had never happen. I think everybody wishes it would've never happened, but also realize the almost certain consequences had it not happened.

You have to agree that we were lucky only to lose 3,000 lives.

 

MadMax...I agree it was very successful, but it could've been much worse. Imagine if the brave souls on Flight 93 weren't there. Imagine if the planes had hit at noon instead of nine.

 

The reason I wouldn't do it is for precisely the types of reasons that JayZ laid out. It's not quite as simple as just saving their lives. You have no way of knowing how what you're doing will affect the future. If you knew someone who was killed by a drunk driver would you show up to stop the guy from driving that day? And what if the very next day he did get in that car and killed a van full of kids going to a soccer game? It's not quite so simple but time travel is not possible so...

 

As "successful" as they were it is scary to think what they could have done. If they would have waited two more hours to hit the towers (between 10-11am)and they hit the towers in the 40th-50th-60th floor range, imagine the casualies then? Maybe 20 or 30 thousand people never go home...

 

No. I don't change it. I believe everything happens for a reason, and all things happen as they should. Bracing myself for the angry replies ...

 

That's part of my reasoning as well...there's a plan, and it is good.

 

How do you get out of bed in the morning? But wait-- if you don't get out of bed, the ceiling might fall on you. Which to do?

All kidding aside. Other possible outcomes might NOT have been tragic or might have been LESS tragic than what actually happened on 9/11.

 

And what if Jeff had been breakfasting in Windows on the World that particular morning. You don't change that? Somebody's Jeff was breakfasting there that morning.... for the last time.

 

And what if somebody's Jeff killed Giddyup's daughter the next day?

Not everything is as black and white as you like to make it.

 

Okay, let's just kill EVERYBODY now and save all the potential heartache.... That plan you buy into needs some tinkering.

 

Right, I say we start in North Carolina then.

 

So, free will doesn't exist. And hence ethics can't exist. And hence 911 wasn't immoral, eh ?

 

BTW, it's amazing to me how so many of you haven't seen Back to the Future!!!

 

Reassure me: you're not psychotic, right?! With that "Back to the Future" reference, I am reminded that you spend too much time in a world of fantasy. Which game system do you play with?!

 

Ah the classic "what if it was YOUR loved one" ploy. Well, since Jeff is deathly afraid of heights, I don't envision him eating brakfast 100+ stories up. But I'll play your game anyway.

First off, I love my husband with all my heart and if he died in such a tragic manner I am certain I would be horribly sad for a long time. However, death is inevitable for all of us. The best I can do is try to come to terms with the loss and gain a sense of understanding about it.

I think there is a larger scheme of things that we can't possibly perceive. Which brings me to my questions for you:

Why does someone who is so vocal about his religious beliefs have such a difficult time accepting this event? Do you not believe that your God has a hand in everything? Where was God when this happened? And if you believe in heaven, then aren't those who died now in paradise? And wouldn't their families take comfort in the fact that their loved ones are enjoying eternal peace?

 

I would just send the Terminator back in time. Arnold seems to take care of business.

 

I'm not psychotic, but I guess I should ask you if you're idiotic if you took my comments in this thread to mean that I think we should just kill everyone.

 

Further, it could be asked that if one believes in a good, all-powerful God and still wants to change the past (being under the direction of God), then that is placing your judgement/opinion over God's - you know better or have a better plan. Doing this should be impossible.

 

Mrs. JB: Where to start? I don't think I am that vocal about my religious beliefs. They are what is murky! I don't quote scripture. I am a moralist, though, I have to admit.

I don't have a hard time accepting this event. Given the power, though, I would change it. That's what DrewP's hypothetical gave me: the power to change it. So I did.

I value life and living. Eternal peace can wait. It will still be there, right?

Personally, I don' think that the catastrophe of 9/11 is part of God's plan beyond this: THERE IS EVIL IN THE WORLD. And I don't think that is so much a part of God's "plan" as it just is part of the "reality" of our world. God's plan was foiled by that snake the The Talon wants to go after.

RM95: That was my remark not yours. I simply extrapolated your argument to the next phase to illustrate the inherent fallacy of your argument that something equally terrible or worse could have come out of reversing the events of 9/11. Instead of your "measly" 3000, I was just sacrificing everybody to prevent any suffering at all. Just as easily, my daughter's (the same one you killed off) future father-in-law could have been home for Christmas and New Years and his son's first birthday. And eventually a wedding.

I don't choose to live my (even my hypothetical) life fearful. Are you one of those Gen Xers or something?!