If you could talk to your future self, you at 40 years old, or 60, or 80, what would you say? What would they say? Stoney Emshwiller, creator of the "Later That Same Life" project, wondered the exact same thing at the age of 18. So he did the only reasonable thing — he filmed himself interviewing his future self, including hours and hours of imagined reactions. And it got us thinking: What are some questions worth asking your future self?
Emshwiller, a long-time voice actor, says he avoided completing his piece de resistance for almost 40 years because he felt his life wasn't interesting enough for the boy that he once was — the boy with impossible dreams who would never fully be satisfied. He wanted to be famous. Don't most of us at some point?
But a health scare lit a fire within Emshwiller, who unexpectedly lost his father soon after conducting his initial interview, and he set about calling on friends and family for their help in telling the other half of his story.
Warning: The video is, at moments, hard to watch. At 56, Emshwiller has dealt with disappointment, death, love, and success. There will be tears involved. Maybe a lot of them.
Check out the video below:
The video inspired me to think about my own selves, both past and future. What would I ask myself 30 years from now? What do I want to know? They're all questions that we could stand to put to ourselves; they might help us gain a greater understanding of who we are.
1. Are You Happy?
I mean, isn't that what we all want? To be happy? I don't know if personally I'll ever be a person who is 100 percent content and satisfied, who wouldn't change a thing, but at the very least, I hope I'm happy.
2. What, Specifically, Do You Define as Happiness?
It isn't a universal definition. I want to know what my self-defined happiness is. Now, preferably, so I can set about attaining it, nah mean?
3. How Do You Deal With Disappointment?
I've already experienced a bit of it; no doubt there's more in my future. Resilience is a characteristic that I'm constantly trying to develop. How do I do it? Tell me!
Image: Fotolia
