# Humanities & Anthropology > Philosophy >  Philosophical question number 13

## Mycernius

I've decided to ressurect the philosphical questions, as the Christian debates have exhausted me at the moment. So for something that is a little easier on the brain.

*If someone offered to give you back your childhood, would you take it or not?*

Say back to age 4. Think of the fun of being a child again. No responsiblity and the joy of living that children seem to have. To be able to laugh without feeling self-conscious and to find play in cardboard boxes and other such things. Of course there are also the bad things: being made to go to bed, eating food you don't like, school.

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## Akakubisan

I think I would pass on that. Now if I could go back to 22-25 that would be cool.

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## Frank D. White

I had no fun in life till my twenties when I escaped home and the Navy. If I could go back and change a million things, I might?

Frank

 :Bawling:

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## lexico

as now I know what caused some of the ills of now. I would not give in to the intimidation and lies which I think was quite unfair and hampering given the trust at all levels.  :Boxing:

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## miu

Playing in cardboard boxes, eating food you don't like, school... Hmm... Sounds a lot like my life now  :Bluush:  

I might not take it back... I don't think I had a terrible childhood or that I'd want to fix something, so I'd rather just concentrate on making my future somewhat passable. Which is hard enough  :Blush:  (but atleast it'll be something new)

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## Dutch Baka

No never, i am happy with my life, i learn everyday new things, and if i look back in my life, the bad things just made me a stronger person.. so no.. i wouldn't want to be a child again... ill probably make all the same mistakes again hahaha

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## Ma Cherie

I had a wonderful childhood, but I don't know if would want it back. But I don't know if I would want it back. I didn't like going t bed when I had to go, I didn't like when my mother made arbitrary decisions on my behalf. There are some things I didn't like about my childhood, but most of the time it was nice.  :Cool:

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## Pararousia

> I had no fun in life till my twenties when I escaped home and the Navy. If I could go back and change a million things, I might?
> 
> Frank


I'm with Frank on this one...I'd probably go back to the first year of college. I didn't have a bad childhood, just nothing worth repeating.

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## Tsuyoiko

You're still 'best thread starter' Mike!

I wouldn't go back. Dutch said it all really. All the things that kids do I can still do now - I still play on swings and stuff like that. And I'm a lot more self-confident now. The responsibilities I have now beat having to do as I'm told! There are things in my life now I couldn't risk losing by living over - like the values I have learnt and the people I love. What if I never met Simon?  :Worried:  What if I never discovered JREF?  :Shocked:  

Now if I could go back physically to age 19, but stay mentally the same - that would be a different story!  :Blush:

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## lexico

Going back to age 4 with a 19 or 26 yr old brain would create quite a challenge for your parents; more power to you !  :Evil:  :Evil:  :Evil: 
Just that you don't wonder, 26 is obtained by subtracting 4 from 30 as filial piety towards nature's law of conservation of whatchamacallit.

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## Kinsao

For me, it would depend on whether you were aware that you had gone back, or whether it would be just like "rewinding". If you could be aware of it, I'd certainly give it serious consideration (although I'm not 100% sure that I'd take it) because there are certain ways in which I'd like to have changed my life between the ages of 13 and 20, which would shape where I am now. 

If you weren't aware of it but were simply "rewound" (!), I definitely wouldn't want to go back. The worst things that ever happened to me were completely outside my control, so I'd only have to live through them again - not nice.  :Embarrassment: 

I think it's important to remember that no matter how old you are, you are still in control of your future and you can make it into whatever you want.  :Poh:

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## Maciamo

I would never take my childhood back ! I longed to become an adult when I was a child. It takes a lot of time, energy and effort to learn to understand better the world. I do not wish to go backward in matter of knowledge and understanding. In fact, one day without learning, better understanding or experiencing is like one day wasted in our already short life.

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## Duo

I agree with Maciamo... don't want to go back... everyday that passes adds to my understanding of the world.

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## Index

Only if I kept my current state of mind, otherwise who knows what would happen. Things might turn out worse than they are...

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## Rin Daemoko

That really depends - if I could have my childhood back _with_ all of the knowledge, skills, and personality I have now, then I would accept that offer in a hot second.

If I were to go back to my childhood, ignorant of this time and this version of me, then I'd turn down the offer. What'd be the point of reverting to childhood if I couldn't consciously enjoy it?

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## Mycernius

There are some very interesting views here. It seems that to go back to childhood is a no-no, but to regress to a younger adult stage is something that some would like. Perhaps the thought of losing your independence as a child is something you wouldn't like. Yet going back to 18/19 you can be young with the freedoms you enjoy now. It seems youth yes, but childhood no. I wonder what a psychologist would make of it?

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## Kaminari

KINSAO put it very well: my opinions and reasons are a match.

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