Suppose that at the moment of your death, you were presented with the opportunity to go back in time and live the life of another person.
It can be anyone of your choosing. However, you cannot select to relive your life.
You will live their life from the moment of their birth to their death, and you will be unable to abort the experience.
You will have the choice of displacing that person's personality any time you choose but once you do, you cannot give control back. You will be that person until their death. If you choose to displace that person the moment you get there, you will be unable to walk or speak until the "normal" age at which these things occur so no babies that speak but you can be a really smart kid within limits (so no quantum physics at age three). You will also be unable to gain any special skills or knowledge that they posses once you take over and you will have no access to that person's memories. So for example, if you didn't understand Einstein's theories during your own life, and you still don't understand them after he has come up with them, you still wouldn't understand them when you take over. You will, however, be able to keep whatever skills and abilites that you possesed in your life, in addition to what you have learned while living theirs.
If you do not choose to displace that person, you will ride shotgun inside their mind and experience everything they do as well as be privy to their thoughts and dreams.
You will be unable to prevent that person's death but you can alter the way that they die. So, if you picked someone like Marilyn Monroe, you will die on August 5, 1962 but maybe you'll die by getting run over by a car if you decided to stay out all night the night before.
You will be unable to shorten their life so even if you jump off the Empire State Building 50 years before they're suppose to die, you will survive. However, it is possible for you to cause crippling damage so in the previous example, you will survive but might just live the rest of that life as a vegetable.
At the end, you will be able to see any changes you have wrought (if any)
So, any takers? If so, who would you pick, why, and what would you do differently if you choose to displace them?
It can be anyone of your choosing. However, you cannot select to relive your life.
You will live their life from the moment of their birth to their death, and you will be unable to abort the experience.
You will have the choice of displacing that person's personality any time you choose but once you do, you cannot give control back. You will be that person until their death. If you choose to displace that person the moment you get there, you will be unable to walk or speak until the "normal" age at which these things occur so no babies that speak but you can be a really smart kid within limits (so no quantum physics at age three). You will also be unable to gain any special skills or knowledge that they posses once you take over and you will have no access to that person's memories. So for example, if you didn't understand Einstein's theories during your own life, and you still don't understand them after he has come up with them, you still wouldn't understand them when you take over. You will, however, be able to keep whatever skills and abilites that you possesed in your life, in addition to what you have learned while living theirs.
If you do not choose to displace that person, you will ride shotgun inside their mind and experience everything they do as well as be privy to their thoughts and dreams.
You will be unable to prevent that person's death but you can alter the way that they die. So, if you picked someone like Marilyn Monroe, you will die on August 5, 1962 but maybe you'll die by getting run over by a car if you decided to stay out all night the night before.
You will be unable to shorten their life so even if you jump off the Empire State Building 50 years before they're suppose to die, you will survive. However, it is possible for you to cause crippling damage so in the previous example, you will survive but might just live the rest of that life as a vegetable.
At the end, you will be able to see any changes you have wrought (if any)
So, any takers? If so, who would you pick, why, and what would you do differently if you choose to displace them?