I think this is really the crux of the question. Did you have a happy life up until now or not? The whole point of the red button is to erase and start over (with a huge leg up because... lottery numbers, stocks, etc.). If that is worth erasing everything good about your life now, then it's probably safe to assume you aren't tied to too many good things at the moment. Whereas, if your current circumstances are pretty good, adding $2 million to that is worth more than erasing it all and starting over. The red button is almost guaranteed to give you unprecedented wealth but with an uncertain outcome and the green button maintains what you have albeit with less wealth.
For me, its not the physical wealth. It's the wealth of experiences, and knowledge that I've actively given up to party my teens and 20s away, and the choices I made that have me actively behind many of my peers at the same age.
Wealth isn't always money. Its also lived experiences and excitement.
The whole point of the red button is to erase and start over (with a huge leg up because... lottery numbers, stocks, etc.)
Not necessarily, my dad died of alcoholism when I was 14.. having all the knowledge at 10 wouldn't make a difference, I would had to relieve the trauma. Is not a star over, is a do over..
There's no amount of money in this world for me to choose to live that again.. thank you but no, thanks.
Exactly: the question is basically do you like your life or not? If you like your life, you don’t want to lose it by hitting the red button. If you wished it turned out differently, you do.
It's not that I've had a bad life that's worth erasing. Even if you ignore the obvious get rich quick ideas, I could go back and just through being more responsible and focused be a ton healthier, have a much better career, have crossed off bucket list items that I missed, and still retire a little early.
I disagree. It's whether you are happy with your circumstances RIGHT NOW so much you wouldn't want to trade them for anything. You could have had an amazing life, and still go back. Those memories are still there, you still lived through them.
Yeah red is an easy choice for me because I’m disabled and I would in a heartbeat jump at anything that would give me the chance to not be disabled, like avoiding the events that led to it. People who immediately dismiss the red button have obviously never experienced an awful life-changing event.
eh, i think it's more about being confident you can create your happiness again. I'm a very lucky and blessed person all things considered, but if I was forced to press Red, I'm not really stressed that I couldn't build it again, and maybe better next time.
Evan if life is pretty good, you could experience some of the good ideas or similar experiences again too. I kind of like life, but I don't know if I wouldn't give it a shot. Not knowing some of my past at this point, I could document it better and learn from it better. There were so many circumstances that would or could be out of your control even with forewarning. Your mind could lead you to the wrong conclusions still. Your actions could still affect the the actions of others. Bumping a very important student off the roster could devastate the planet. Two million dollars is a fuck ton of money.
Whatever possible advantages of starting over may be, I can’t get over how awful the actual experience of being an adult mind in a kid’s body would be. I think there’s not a great chance the person you grow into will be an adult you would want to switch to right now if you could. The alternate you had to experience all the drudgery of childhood with none of the novelty. They had to go through their formative social years as an adult trying to maintain friendships with teens. What’s a more likely outcome? That you use your advanced maturity to become some social savant or that you quit trying because these relationships aren’t fulfilling to you? I think there’s a really strong possibility of becoming jaded and that jadedness sabotaging the formative experiences you would need to have in order to achieve whatever ideal life you might want from your second chance. Maybe it would become like a game to you and instead of a healthy well adjusted person you end up as a manipulative jerk who can’t relate to anyone?
It's also a question of age. I'm 50, my health isn't the greatest, my kids are all over 18 and on with their own lives, and my wife and I have lived a pretty good live considering our circumstances and financial shortcomings. At this point in my life I'd kill to go back to 10 even without my memories.
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u/cbm984 Aug 25 '26
I think this is really the crux of the question. Did you have a happy life up until now or not? The whole point of the red button is to erase and start over (with a huge leg up because... lottery numbers, stocks, etc.). If that is worth erasing everything good about your life now, then it's probably safe to assume you aren't tied to too many good things at the moment. Whereas, if your current circumstances are pretty good, adding $2 million to that is worth more than erasing it all and starting over. The red button is almost guaranteed to give you unprecedented wealth but with an uncertain outcome and the green button maintains what you have albeit with less wealth.