Ignoring paradoxes and the like, imagine your future self walks into the room, provides overwhelming evidence that they are in fact a future incarnation of you.
They then tell you to do something you would NEVER decide to do on your own (e.g. quit your awesome job, divorce your wonderful spouse, murder someone, poke out your own eyes, take your pick). They promise that it will all work out for the best if you.
Do you do it? Do you trust yourself?
@saramg I don't see how they could possibly know it would work out. Sounds like the usual "don't do what I did" crap you get from your parents.
@deshipu Let's imagine they've got Doctor Strange powers and they saw all the possible timelines?
@saramg We can do eat easier. My doctor tells me I have too high blood pressure and cholesterol. With his not-strange doctor powers he can tell that I will be much better off if I change my diet and do some sports. Do I listen to him?
@deshipu That's a less frought question though, by doing as he says, the only person you're impacting is yourself. You "harm" yourself by denying yourself pleasures and enforcing exercise, and you "help" yourself in better health.
My question is more extreme. The harm is potentially much more permanent and severe, and potentially not just to the self, while the benefit is undefined, only a promise of "we'll appreciate this later" coming from a supposedly unimpeachable source.
@deshipu I know what you mean.
At this point in my life, quitting a job feels like extreme low end of the risk scale. I've never regretted leaving any job ever, but I've always been terrified to.
@saramg On the other hand, I did go through a couple of extreme changes in my life like the ones you suggest, and the only regret I have for them is "why didn't I do it earlier". So there is that.
Which reminds me that I should probably quit my job. Like, six years ago.