Job Openings: Philosophy and Prompts

What If... #5

What if this isn't the only timeline you've lived through? What if the dreams that you have, the stories that you write, and the moments of repetition or déjà vu that you feel are glimpses into these other timelines? What if those moments, minutes, hours of concentration where the world ceases to exist around you are actually you tapping into a power you didn't know you had? What if you had this ability for multiple timeline premonition and were able to puzzle out pieces of your alternate selves' existences?

If they are aware of your ability, what could your alternate selves be trying to tell you? Are they trying to warn you of something? Have you ever had dreams that have come true, where you predicted the future or managed to do something that was statistically improbable? Have you ever had dreams that have saved your life, in this timeline or in others? Would you know if you had? Have you ever been so absorbed in capturing an action, a word, a moment in your work that you can't tell which timeline is real anymore? Is that why the emotion feels so real? Does the world fade away at the edges of your vision and become something entirely new?

Does it hurt when you can see where that timeline is going, but there is nothing you can do to stop it? Have you tried to stop it? Have you succeeded? Is it your place to stop it? Should you be interfering in these other timelines? What are the consequences if you try to change the future?

Is there such a thing as changing the future, or was it always predetermined to happen that way and we just have a saviour complex? Is there anything in our persons or our experiences in any timeline that isn't predetermined? How is it predetermined?

How many other people can do this, or is this something that only you can do?

Do you write stories or do other artistic work in order to remember past timelines you've experienced, or to plan for future timelines? Are you just channelling an alternate self's current experiences?

Is time really linear? How many other yous exist at this moment in this universe, or is that not a real unit of time? How does time work beyond the series of numbers the clock on your phone shows you? Is the concept of time as simple as we've been made to believe? Why is this simple, linear system used? (As a historical note, several Native American tribes have historical writings and folklore describing time as a circular concept, in contrast to the imperialist, patriarchal notion universally subscribed to today. Linear thinking and writing is also historically associated with masculinity while circular/nonlinear thinking and writing is associated with femininity. As a result, this type of writing is generally devalued.)

If you are remembering or planning timelines through your dreams and your work, what joys and horrors have/will your alternate selves experience(d)? Do you do these things intentionally, or is this something that just happens and you haven't thought about it before? What have you done to deserve these delights and punishments? Would you willingly accept living through every word you've written, every picture you've drawn, every head canon you've created, or were those experiences written only for other beings to endure?

Does this change how you feel about your work or your plans for future work? Is this a path you want to be going down? So tell me: is there Love in your heart, or kindness in your eyes?