this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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You're immortal and sent back to Dec 1945. How do you survive until modern day? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 weeks ago by FenrirIII@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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Stipulations:

  • You cannot die and are immune to disease
  • You cannot alter the future such that you change the world from your point of origin. i.e. You cannot become so famous that future people recognize you as immortal.
  • If you vary the timeline too much you will cease to exist.
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[–] ZeroGravitas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 54 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (41 children)

As I was reading this, I disappeared in a flash of light and landed in 1945. But I have a plan.

  • Learn acoounting, get a job, grind for 10 or so years
  • Start investing in Ford, GE etc. and wait for the compound interest to kick in
  • Buy a farm, continue to invest. Retire "early"
  • Grow a beard, get some white hair paint
  • Travel to "relatives" in Australia for 6 months every year
  • While in Australia, get rid of beard, set up alternative identity as my own nephew, get involved in fledgling computer domain, invest
  • Back home, take up fishing, end up disappearing at sea one day, nephew inherits everything
  • I am nephew. Got enough money now to stop working, buy a vineyard in NZ, spend 6 months in the year abroad
  • Invest in IBM, I should be filthy rich by now
  • Hire professionals to set up a dozen or so alternate identities in English speaking countries. Kill nephew, avoid Australia for the next 20 years
  • Numbered Swiss accounts, different looks, pro theatre makeup, the works. By now my 10+ offshore companies own 10% of Berkshire Hathaway between them
  • Rotate identities as needed. Invest in the dot com bubble from 100+ offshore shell companies. Cash in and buy tech stocks after the crash. I am now richer than God, but still not intervene in not-yet-current affairs
  • No posh events, no media, no socials ffs. My ghosts come and go. I own a few law firms that take care of business and identity management. When suspicions arise, I change countries. Ireland works for a while. I now own 10-20% of all major tech companies, because I bought them before it was cool
  • I get into crypto early. Money has no meaning anymore. I mark the days and months remaining to May 19, 2026, when all of this began. I need to insert myself into my old life right as past me begins the journey, will probably feign a nasty flu afterwards to get back on track. Small price to pay for total freedom

And here we are. Money wise, I own about half the world and now I can finally act. Where should I start?

[–] Atropos@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Please dump enough "political contributions" into us politics to get intelligent, empathetic, progressive people in charge.

[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's pretty rare for good people to become immensely wealthy and stay good people. Money corrupts, and once you're to a point where money is no longer survival but a high score, that starts to drive your thinking.

[–] Atropos@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Absolutely correct.

Maybe immortality, infinite wealth, and a hundred year long life won't corrupt THIS person?

Brb gotta go pray to the Easter bunny ..

[–] ZeroGravitas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago

Living 81 years with the prospect of annihilation if one rocks the boat too much will change a man. Likewise honing the kind of duplicitous skills required to simply survive the attention of the world.

So, would my moral compass stay intact? If I don't work at it, no - I'm under no illusion that it would. What I expect to happen is that I would continue to avoid the public eye. But once the shackles are off, there's no telling where this goes.

Stepping out of this role for a bit, if I had that kind of wealth today, what would I invest in? Education and science. Press freedom. Rule of law. Anti-poverty programs (part of education). Probably others too, but those are the essentials.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 weeks ago

"If you vary the timeline too much, you will cease to exist."

Even if you want to be altruistic enough to sacrifice yourself for the good of humanity, you'll be wiped out long before you're able to change enough to lead to lasting improvement.

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