Remember the time travel tv show "Quantum Leap" from the late 80's to early 90's? Even though I have never been a huge sci-fi fan, this show always fascinated me. When I tuned in to a particular episode, I found I had memorized the beginning sequence almost verbatim and would frequently "chant" the short sequence aloud with its narrator. I had a curious desire to know where the main character "Sam" would be traveling next, what new body he would "leap" into, and what interesting challenges he would face.
When I think about the show in the context of how it relates to me personally, it feeds my imagination full of possibilities.
Where would I go, what would I do, who would I want to be if I could live another life? If I could "leap around"....
I think it would be intriguing to know what it feels like to be an international spy. I remember last year, I came across an interesting British based pseudo-reality show late one night on PBS called "Spy."
They took a group of men and women from all over the world and trained/schooled them on the art of what it takes to be a spy. Granted, it wasn't totally for real (like I said). There were some simulated setups, but for the most part, they tried to make the training as true to life under the circumstances. It was a game of survival of the fittest. Those who couldn't hack it and pass the very basics, did not advance to the next "level" of training.
Some "tests" included manipulating your way into someone's apartment with their consent (a few people had some very creative stories and actually were let in by the owners with their stories!!), effectively watching and following people without their knowing,etc.
The biggest obstacle for a majority of participants was that they couldn't bring themselves to dissociate from their true identity. This of course, is detrimental to being a spy. You won't be a great spy if someone can "break" you down with psychological strategies. You also might not be alive very long, endangering top secret missions and risking the lives of those who know your true identity!
The more I watched this show (I think there were maybe 10 episodes, but I was never able to find them all to watch), the more fascinated I was by the idea. With my background in psychology, I wondered "Could I pass the psychological tests and be an effective spy? And if I DID, would I enjoy it? Or is the idea of it more alluring?"
The same things goes for being an FBI profiler. I find the idea dangerously exciting. Only if I could do it "Quantum Leap" style though....temporarily, for a day or two to experience what it's like. The reality is I would probably be too chicken shit to do it for a living: be paranoid people were watching, following me (kinda like being a spy, maybe. haha!), have nightmares of serial killers. But to get successfully get into the mind of a killer and capture the killer for the better of humanity....a worthwhile reward?
If I never had to work a day in my life, I think I could happily live just writing, traveling, being a "lifelong" student and activist of humanitarian causes. I suppose I do this to a degree in my life now, but it would be tenfold if money were of no consequence! I could work for the Travel Channel, being one of those GlobeTrotters from the show "Lonely Planet." An avid watcher of the show in my undergrad college days, made me such a dreamer for adventure and cultural experiences. To be able to take pictures, talk to the camera and/or write about my observations, things I gleaned from each place visited! Though I haven't ventured outside the US yet, it is top on my life goals list (to travel the world)!
What else would I do, want to be?
I would work at a funeral home like the Fisher family in "Six Feet Under." Some may think this macabre, and ok, maybe it is.....but the yin and yang (life contrasted against death) is such a juicy interest of mine. Like the show "Six Feet Under," I like to consider the various ways people can die, how people perceive death, and the spiritual dilemnas it inevitably stirs up in all of us....regardless of any or no religious/dogmatic beliefs. Then, how to translate compassion and understanding for humanity in each unique situation....
If I could be a chef for a day, I'd want to "leap" as Nigella Lawson....to experience her passion for food and how she creates dishes with her senses for other people's palates.
Being a professor would be fun, as I LOVE discussing ideas and learning. Owning a bookstore with a coffee shop in a quiet, countryside atmosphere could also be enjoyable for the same reason.
And to feed my bold side: Having a talk radio show could be intellectually stimulating and inspiring. Cabaret dancing, thrilling and erotic.
Though I'm not sure which time period would be great to experience, I would do that too in a "leap." And speaking a foreign language I would likely never speak in this lifetime, like Japanese or Portuguese,etc. Would it feel any different to communicate in another language and culture?
What about living as a historically great revolutionary figure? Heart beating with passionate abandon, courageously standing up to conflict in the face of danger and opposition. The ultimate kind of risk taker!
But enough about my many lives....
4 comments:
First of all, I loved Quantum Leap. I think it would be incredible to "leap" into someone else's life like that. Like you said though..only for a few days. I would love to see what other eras were like. I think I was born during the wrong time. I would like to check out the 20s, 50s and the 70s. As for being a spy.....I'm not sure. It must be hard to completely separate yourself from who you really are. It might be kind of fun. Although, I would think it would be pretty emotionally draining to pretend to be someone your are not. Don't you think?
Hey Katie, It looks like you are home already ;-)
Have fun with your blog!
I also really loved that show, but I can't say that I would want to do that. Because if you'll remember, whenever he leaped into someone he was still himself on the inside. So it wouldn't be like getting to know what it's like to feel the passion someone else feels or to know what they knew. He was always having to figure out who he was, who everyone around him was, and always having to figure out how to act like he was that person. Now if we were able to change how the leaps went, then maybe it would be something I would be interested in, to where you could have their knowledge and memory. Now that would be interesting to try.
Good point, Ricky. I totally forgot about that. He really was just someone else on the "outside" but never had an in depth knowledge of that person's inner life (memories, passions, insights,etc). In that case, I would only want to be able to "leap" to such characters if I could get the inner experience! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
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