Sohrab and I recently started watching Outlander. I didn’t know what to expect – other than the fact that everyone I talked to about it highly recommended it. Without giving anything too grandiose away, it’s about a World War II era British woman being thrown back two centuries to the Scottish Highlands of the 18th century. Yessir – time travel. She’s left to question everything about her life and the world she’s seen the future of. The very notion of living through history has become a reality for Claire Randall.
Unless Back to the Future was right and I’m going to find a crazy old man and a DeLorean to travel through time with, I can’t actually expect to myself in Claire’s situation. Though I, as a history buff and lover of old novels and shows like Downton Abbey, would love to have the chance to experience just a minute of a bygone era, this idea remains in my dreams. To see it played out in front of me, dragging my desire through the 18th century mud, is a difficult but inspiring experience. I do my best to put myself in her shoes, learn from her harrowing triumphs and failures, and apply it to my 21st century life.
Even though I may never see the vintage times I dream of, I too travel through time. Every day I live through tomorrow’s history. I walk past buildings that have stood longer than anyone I know has been alive. I read. Our history is the building blocks of our present, and though I may never walk yesterday’s streets again, I see the signs of their presence and impact.
So many pieces of fiction – books, shows, movies – play with the idea of time travel. Fringe. Outlander. LOST. The Time Traveler’s Wife. Each one has a slightly different take, but the question is the same: what would happen if we could travel through time? Perhaps experiencing historical events first hand would help us to understand them better. After all, learning from the past helps to ensure our future.
