2
$\begingroup$

We are on Earth we know today, but with an addition - there is an actual hell, heaven and purgatory. After you die, you go to the purgatory and collect your ticket for the train to either hell or heaven. Let's assume that the guardians of the purgatory decide which world you go to. Your path will be decided through whether you broke any laws (not religious), whether you took care of your body (staying healthy), whether you committed suicide or died of natural causes (committing suicide gets you a ticket to hell), whether you acknowledge your sins etc.

Some people would receive the judgment to come back and finish the tasks they couldn't do before they died. However, they come back as different humans, with only two months to live. They are not allowed to tell anybody about their past self, otherwise their existence will be wiped from the planet's history/timeline. This means that anything they do would be erased from everyone's memories.

Human A is a father of one teenage child. He dies in a car accident but has things he needs to deal with, so he is given the permission to come back as a new person. He is now called Human D. He eventually finds Human B, his wife, and Human C, his child. He befriended them, claiming to be Human A's friend in the past. He manages to survive without telling them who he is - but right at the end of his time, his behaviour and actions get analyzed by B, and this is when B figures out that D is actually A. And so, D has to disappear for breaking the conditions of coming back for two months. D is given a new death cause, while A disappears from everyone's memories. You'd think that if A didn't exist, C cannot exist either. However...

The guardians grant Human A/D the choice to make someone remember him, even if the whole world forgets about him. That someone will have the knowledge of their existence and will keep the memories, but in fact these memories will be considered fictional the second that person is erased from the timeline.

1) Human A chooses Human B to remember him. Because A disappears from the world for good, C doesn't exist anymore. B remembers C and tries to convince everyone about A's and C's existence but fails. In addition, when B was 9, she nearly died in an accident, but she was pulled away by A which saves her. So if A didn't exist, how can I explain that she is still alive? (she would have died in this accident)

2) Human A chooses Human C to remember him. So going back to question 1, A and B don't exist, nor does any relative know who the hell C is. Is there a way to explain C's situation scientifically (no parent DNA)? Or is there a way for C to make everyone remember?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Sounds a bit like a Piers Anthony "Incarnations of Immortality" story. $\endgroup$ – Howard Miller Apr 21 '16 at 22:17
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @D. Tanya: It seems to me that you are mixing ideas. Either the timeline gets changed (a person was never born) then yes it may be a problem. Or reality is a grand delusion, where nothing changes, people just remember things differently (B was saved by some random family member, C was born from a on-night-stand,...). $\endgroup$ – Martin Handrlica Apr 21 '16 at 23:22
  • $\begingroup$ I vote option 2, because it gives a self serving paradox. Which means that C exists, so B must be alive, although she will have no memory of A and there will be no explanation as to her survival. $\endgroup$ – Xandar The Zenon Apr 22 '16 at 21:44
2
$\begingroup$

There is a simple answer to this problem:

The Guardians change peoples memories and any records of the timeline but not the actual timeline. This is settle but important distinction. If they the Guardians change the records ( memories, birth certificate,....excetra) then the can delete human A from the time line without deleting any of his action from the timeline. Human A will still save Human B, but neither human B nor anyone else will remember that it happened. There will also be no record of the event. The case of Human C is a little harder, the Guardians can solves this problem by not just deleting any records but also implanting false ones.

They will implant false memories into Human A of a one night stand with a stranger. Human b will assume that this resulted in the birth of Human C. give Human B a few more false memories to explain where this one night stand went and the Guardians job is done.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
  • $\begingroup$ I think you mean a subtle distinction. The difference between settle and subtle is not at all subtle. I think I have a sublime vocabulary. $\endgroup$ – Xandar The Zenon Apr 22 '16 at 21:45
  • $\begingroup$ Then it's settled. $\endgroup$ – BrettFromLA Apr 22 '16 at 22:16

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.