In the science-fiction movie Arrival (2016), Louise asks in a closing scene, "If you could see your whole life laid out in front of you, would you change things?"
In the context of the movie, she was asking "would you rob someone of their existence, and yourself of the time shared with them on Earth, if you knew they would one day feel pain, and you would feel their loss?"
Put into general terms, our biggest trials are often our best teachers. What was one of the hardest times of your life and what did you learn from it?
PS The movie Arrival is based on the short story by author Ted Chiang called "Story of Your Life" which is a reflection on personal choice. The author says foreseeing a choice and then making it is not the cruelty of fate in action, but a powerful exercise in free will. We as humans are made of our memories and defined by our choices. The movie Arrival is about acceptance, understanding our life's choices, and living as if any one moment were as valuable or meaningful as the next.
PPS As Emerson once wrote, life's a journey, not a destination.
Summary: If we could see our lives laid out before us, would we change anything? Story of Your Life — and by extension Arrival — is telling us to live as if the answer is, and always will be, a resolute no.
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