If you could press a button and stop time would?

Question

OneViewpoint · Accepted Answer

Well, no. The button actually exists under the laws of our universe. But I wouldn't use it.

The way to stop time would be to travel at the speed of light. But we know that is impossible. So what is theoretically possible? Let's say you could accelerate to 99.999999% of the speed of light. Time dilation would have you experiencing 1 year of local time while back on Earth 7,071 years would pass. Dang close to stopping time.

If you traveled 5 light years away from Earth and then turned around and traveled 5 light years back, while you experienced 10 years of local time, 70,710 years would have passed for everyone on the Earth. You have effectively travelled 70,000 years into the future of what you left behind. Everything you knew would be gone. The human species may be extinct. Or humans may be so technologically advanced that you are the equivalent of a Neanderthal in their world. What would be the point of it? Of course on the flip side, maybe humanity has achieved immortality by the time you get back.

Another way to achieve time dilation would be to go hang out in an intense gravity well. For instance, the accretion disc of our Milky Way galaxy's super massive black hole, Sagittarius A-Star. Due to the high speeds in the accretion disc and the intense gravitational field, space time is warped and time can speed up for an external observer and conversely slow down for the person surfing the accretion disc. At the event horizon, it can reach near zero for all practical purposes.

But again, what good would your trip into the future do you?

Now if you want to step away from reality and the laws of the universe and say there is a magical button that can stop time. OK, that may be fun.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

If time stopped, then how would you know time had stopped? Does it even make sense to say that you 'stopped' time?

If someone had pressed the button to 'stop' time and then pressed it again 'later' (it doesn't even really make sense to say 'later' since time was paused so everything they did between the two button presses must've been done in the same instant) to 'restart' time, there would be no time between those two events, since time was paused, therefore, no one would know that time was stopped in the first place.

AvaRay · Accepted Answer

I wouldn’t stop time.. Life’s value is in its motion.. Every fleeting second teaches, changes, n shapes us, while pausing it would silence the very pulse of living..

Nikki1989 · Accepted Answer

There are times when that would be helpful indeed.

HawkPerception · Answer

By stopping time, you mean freezing it and being able to do nothing? Or just repeating the same days in like a year... over and over again on repeat?

Neither sounds ideal to me. If I could control time though, I might go back and change things. There are some regrets in my life that would be nice to have a second chance with. But obviously, no gets second chances when it comes to time

GreenwoodDave77 · Answer

If I didn't have kids, I might freeze time and relive my wedding day. But it would be unfair to my children to freeze them in time at whatever age they happened to be at the time. I would be denying them the happy and sad things in their lives that would give them life experience. But if I didn't have kids, yes, I would freeze time once in a while. Being able to see my grandparents while they were alive and live that time for eternity might be nice. Freezing time when I took my wife on our first date I could possibly change things that went wrong. Unfortunately I don't have such a button, but it's nice to dream about!

AviatorTom · Answer

There were several  Twilight Zone  episodes with a similar plot of time stopping that were really scary. Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone Would I push the button? Nope.

aaron13547 · Answer

No because I feel like we already control time very irresponsibly. just think how long that last 5 minutes feels when you are doing something you don't want to do vs 5 minutes when you are having fun... I'd be afraid of what I'd do with that power.

Tarifa · Answer

If stopping time would mean that I stop while the rest of the world is moving on, no. If I could press stop and rewind, and remedy something where I went wrong, by all means, yes.

Aakash_Hangargi · Answer

I would pause the in the non technological era too much comfort have made people sloppy and selfish. Otherwise people would gather communicate help each other out in times of trouble

Sunrising · Answer

It's called a stop watch, and we used one for racing up hills on our cycles.

FreyaRed · Answer

When you stop time our universe stops to exist

WhitneySnow · Answer

Why would I do that? How would that benefit me?

Spencer10 · Answer

Probably not... the passage of time is integral to the human experience.

Shiprex · Answer

Not likely. I wanted to know what happens next

Anonymous · Answer

stopping time would just end up stopping yourself and in that case, everyone and everything would be frozen forever

exitseven · Answer

yes, things are pretty messed up now but I think that AI will mess things up a whole lot more.

dudeinohio · Answer

Sure. As long as I could restart it after my adventure.

Anonymous · Answer

It would solve a lot of temporary problems in my life.

Seangreen · Answer

Only if I could steal money while I'm freezing time

Alex-Snow · Answer

A little breather from all the BS going on in the world and in Wash DC would be nice

guesswhereivebeen · Answer

Fuck yeah… I’d use that power for only good things though… like stealing stuff and checking out naked lady’s

TonyMetal___86 · Answer

Not now, maybe until i find some real happiness hehe

Surely · Answer

Like on Ground Hog day movie? Could work to your advantage.

qwerty2469 · Answer

You can slow time, even stop it. Its not a button. Its quantum. Just needs practice and concentration

Anonymous · Answer

You mean everybody around me would be frozen in time? Sure, I'd like to try it, just for fun.

dragoblack · Answer

Is there a caveat of how long it would last and if we can start it back up again?

shortster · Answer

What are the specifics? Like we all get to move around, but time doesn't change?

coachTanthony · Answer

GAG could at least add the YOU in there lol

spartan55 · Answer

I need a 'wrap it up' box like Dave Chappelle has.

leahzrc · Answer

No I would age and they wouldn't lmao

DrPepper12 · Answer

No. That ship sailed.

LiamJHayden · Answer

What are the specifics?

chenyu · Answer

You can definitely try it

msc545 · Answer

0 I would definitely do it in some cases

class_reductionist · Answer

no because then everything would be stuck

Slave_submissive · Answer

No! Definitely not

Agape93 · Answer

Yeap

mysteriousNicholas · Answer

Wolf 🐅 🐺

Staximus · Answer

Oh yeah

Cidknee · Answer

Yeah, quite often.

If you could press a button and stop time would?

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