Imagine Magazine Question For 10/25

[Comicality]

A bit of an odd question...but I'd really love to hear what you guys have to say about this one. Let me set up the scenario...

Let's say that there was another 'you' out there somewhere right now. You have the same mind, the same past, the same memories, the same opportunities, the same advantages and disadvantages, the same friends, the same parents, etc. BUT...let's say that you two split up at some point...and years later, you got back together to compare notes.

Would this other 'you' be living a completely different life from you? You've been apart for years. What different choices have you made? Is his life better than yours? Worse? What would his beliefs be? What would his politics be? Would he be in a committed relationship? Would you? How would you two differ in the time you spent apart? Would you dress different? Act different? Have a different sense of humor?

Remember...this is still essentially 'you' that we're talking about here. But there must have been a bunch of forks in the road since you parted ways where you went right and he went left, and vice versa, right? Would you even recognize or get along with another version of yourself? Or do you think you would still essentially be the same person, with minor changes here and there? Think about how weird that would be on either side of the equation.

Anyway, feel free to answer down below! And let me know what you think when you get a chance! Give us some details! Cool?

[Comicality]

Would this version of 'me' be all that different from a separate version of 'me'? As much as I like to pride myself on just being an honest representation of myself no matter where I am or what I'm going through...I think another version of myself would be drastically different from who I identify as 'me' today. It's something that I think about from time to time, and it's true. A few different choices could have radically changed my life in ways that I can't even imagine, really. It sort of makes me appreciate the fragile and delicate nature of the whole idea. You know?

 

I mean, what if I had taken a different class in high school or sat at a different lunch table, and never met my first true love and the best friend of my entire life? What if I gave up and used those razor blades in my dresser drawer to kill myself when that felt like the only way out of my situation? What if I had come out of the closet at 14 and just found myself a boyfriend and lived happily ever after? Soooo many questions that I'll never get the answers to. But it's intriguing to think that my entire existence could have been altered in an instant, had I gone a different way.

 

Would another 'me' be better off than I am now? Hmmmm...maybe? I guess. Don't get me wrong, I'm HAPPY being who I am. But I often wonder if another version of me would have chosen a route to continue acting or modeling and might have made it big. Or if I kept up with my drawing and became a respected artist. I wonder if I might have taken some of the chances that I probably should have taken when it came to finding a relationship, and could be cuddled up with some sweetheart every night, falling asleep with a smile on my face. And all of these things would have effects on everything else as well...and that's why I'm glad that I made the choices that I did.

 

I mean, if I had a steady boyfriend and was content with the world in general...would I have ever been sexually frustrated enough to have ever created the Shack in the first place? Would any of these stories exist if I was happy? If I was a famous actor or something, would I be surrounded by some kind of horrific scandal in the news right now for my attractions? Would I have made a 'mistake' in a world where some sexy Disney teen was offered to me in a private hotel room? And what would have happened if I hadn't moved away from Chicago? Would I be seriously struggling beyond my ability to pay rent after the pandemic? It's crazy to think about. But I think another version of me would have made choices that came with consequences and pitfalls of their own. I just think that I would have pursued the money more, hehehe! It's true. That was always a conflict for me. I want to do something that matters, but the whole 'starving artist' thing isn't sustainable when you're an adult. I think the other me would be more financially stable. Even if I was doing something that I wasn't as passionate about. The comfort of it all would have been alluring. But I chose passion over comfort...hehehe, so maybe I'm the stupid one.

 

Anyway, I think we would both have our rewards and our regrets...but we'd understand why we made the choices that we did. And we'd be better friends for it. So...hypotheticals aside, we'd pretty much be able to see each other eye to eye.

 

Unless he tried to take Stefan Benz from me! Then I'd have to cut a motherfucker! LOL! He's MINE! You hear me?