Which one is more fascinating, History or Alternate History? All those great sagas draw me in, I wander through the ages. I wonder what it would be like to actually be there, to march with legions, to sweep across the steppes with the Mongol horsemen, to sail with the Armada.
And then, what would the world be like if that stray arrow didn’t hit Raja Hemu? What if the Greeks didn’t ignore the steam engine that they had invented? What if the Ming Chinese didn’t abandon their voyages? At times, I sit on a hillock overlooking the cities of these worlds that never happened.
But then, would my own life be any different if I lived in those worlds or epochs? After all, I do live in the Silicon Valley, the technological hub of the greatest technological civilization that ever existed. But when I climb mission peak and look down upon it, I should get goose bumps; isn’t it the same as looking down at imperial Rome from the Palatine hill? I guess what ultimately matters is the small world around me, my job and my pursuits. My life would have the same daily trifles and banality if renaissance had started in South India and I were living in a Venice like city in the Kaveri delta, lined with coconut trees, Gopurams and Vimanas. Of course, I’m overlooking the fact that I may never come to existence in that Universe.
Nothing hits that feeling home harder than a visit to the dentist. A few minutes of drilling and filling, and there is one overwhelming feeling of gratitude. The legions, the hordes and the Armada are all great, but thank God I live in the time blessed with anesthetics.
