Way too many of you think you're the 'average person' in this world.
this post was submitted on 02 May 2025
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It would be interesting to experience life 500 years ago just for the difference in perspective. It would be a lot of pressure, though.
Average person today
With all the power of Rome elegabulus couldn't purchase bottom surgery. Yet even as a middle class American I did.
You could've probably purchased bottom surgery, sort of.
But the quality would've been, eh, less satisfactory, I would presume, and you'd have died of infection in like two weeks.
My point here being you'd surely have been able to persuade some quack to take sharp implements to you with enough gold. Royalty did crazy shit back then.
But yah I'm on your side on this. Being in power in an age we romanticise might seem. Until you remember that if you fall down and scratch your knee, you could die of that with bad luck.
Healthcare systems and governments might be shit nowadays but the level of medical technology is so vastly superior that it's the obvious choice.
Congrats on what I gather was probably a lot of work, of all sorts. Enjoy.
Average person now, hands down. I like being able to live my life knowing I'm not surrounded by people who want to kill me.
Lmao this is what most people don't seem to be aware of. They thought it's all rainbows and butterflies being a monarch with an absolute power. Of course other people would try to get that seat every chance.
Also don't forget about all the affairs, both national and international.
Now. Especially if I’d upgrade to a life of an average person! I have adhd and recurring clinical depression that cause all sorts of problems, and have done so for all my life. I assume the average would be not to have those, at least not together, I hope. (Edit: but on the other hand the average person would have significantly worse situation, forgot to check my privilege in that regard, so thought I’d explicitly state my acknowledgement here)
But even if I continued as myself, I would 100% choose what I have over a circa 1500 monarch. That’s not even tough a choice to make.
The only reason I can see anyone would choose the monarch life is if they enjoyed (undeserved and unwarranted) authority and power over others. I loathe the concept to begin with, so it’s really not even a choice.
Would I be dead rather than a monarch at that time? Now that one is tougher. I’d probably rather check out the world at that point of time, maybe attempt some sort of progressive rule, but I’d be dead before I can get anything meaningful done, I bet. If not by rivals desiring the crown, then just the lack of antibiotics and whatnot. And if I retain my adhd and depression, yeah, I’m fairly likely to just off myself before soon…
Edit: Continuing from the initial edit above; While I’d probably be mentally more stable and healthy, I’d probably have a lot of other problems that I would rather not deal with. So all in all, I would hope there would be an option for things to stay as they are. I am privileged, living in a privileged situation, healthy other than mentally, so I believe I have it better than any average at any point of history, and furthermore, better than even the richest monarchs back in the time. It is sad that this is the reality, but then again, I did not choose this life, and I suppose the appropriate response to being forced to it, is acknowledge the privileges and try and make the world just a little bit better with what little resources I have as an individual and a member of several social circles and hierarchies.
Live now. Because 500 years ago I would have died as a child from pneumonia that was easily treated these days
yes—I live a crummy individualized american lifestyle and can’t afford to rent an apartment by myself, but at least I got neat toys and don’t have to manage an entire country based on vague hand waving and hoping my generals / confidants / consultants / children don’t have plans to kill me before I sell any daughters to a rival power in hopes of assuaging that looming threat.
That being said, it would be nice if a certain orange man baby met with some renaissance justice just to drive home the point.
back then, but only if I could bring all my knowledge and education I have now. Id actually take over the world
you should read Dr. Stone and quickly realize how fast you’d actually die.
Sire, how does this "Smartphone" fuction? The Royal Scientists are unable to replicate this technology.
It would probably take centuries for the vast industry around chip manufacture to arise, but even without that there's tons of stuff that would be really useful. Like the Haber process, that turns nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia, which can be used to make more food, or to blow up people.
As a woman, I'll stay right here, thanks.
I‘d actally choose the monarch 500yrs ago.
Not because it is a better life. Probably I‘d de better off as the average person I am now. But it is absolutely exiting to get to explore and get to know the world. Everything is in a flow, the world is both changing and stable at the same time.
And i wouldn‘t see our world and climate die, i would see it blossom, awaken.
You’d trip in some mud and die of a million bacterial infections like 3 weeks in.
I was just listening to Behind the Bastards on King Louie XIV and his building of Versailles and how he forced all the aristrocrats to live there 24/7. You might not be able to reach your goal of exploring and knowing the world depending on where you end up.
Now for sure. I want as much life as I can get so modern medicine is a must. I'm taking 2 different medications without which I would die sooner rather than later, so that's just a non-starter. I at least have a chance of being born in a country with good healthcare today, but that's just not an option 500 years ago.
Toilet paper.
OK, but this could still go either way. Please elaborate.
I apologize for not being more clear. I don't think I could live without toilet paper. Looked up how royalty cleaned themselves back then. No thank you.
I understand 100%
I, too, do not know how to use three seashells.
Can I try the King thing for a week or so, and come back when I get bored?
Having a bad/infected tooth and no modern dentistry tech is already a dealbreaker for me. Then there’s all the wars, disease, and lack of sanitation. So no thanks, I’d rather live as a normal person in the modern era.
I do not want to go where there is no anaesthetic
Well, first:
then:
Live average today for sure. If I was a monarch I'd probably be responsible for the deaths of lots of people both intentionally and unintentionally. There's a big chance I'd have to go to war too and that's like not really my vibe.
Can I take my chances and live like a peasant 500 years in the future?
I figure either the world won't exist and I dodge all the existential crap that is fretting death, or I get to fly in spaceships like one flies coach today and maybe conditions will have improved for the bottom 10%.
Wish granted, you live in a bunker somewhere deep underground and is witnessing mutated lovecraftian creatures that can't even be explained using today's words.
So not much different than now except cooler, hell yeah!
Yeah but are they, like, available?
Man. Some guys have ALL the luck. 😠
It's cute you think humans will be alive in 500 years.
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