If you could travel in time, what would be your destination? Historian Patrick Dillon and other writers provide the answers. (Economist, October 29, 2011, Intelligent Life, p. 4). Edward Gibbon, author of: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (1776-89), doubtless thought that “If a man were called upon to fix the period… during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous , he would, without hesitation, name what elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession to the throne of Commodus.” Lucy Kallaway thought it would be America, c.15000 BC. Where hunter-gatherers were much more equal than we are: man and women, rich and poor. They spent their time doing things that modern life does not encourage: chatting, playing with children and having sex with more than one. For Arkaqdy Ostrovsky it was the Moscow of 1870-1900 where there was no time for peace and tranquility. But excitement, ideas, agitation, great art… and tea with Tolstoy. Ann Wroe considers the time and place of early childhood to be the best, where dreaming and waking are the same. Everything is new , unnamed, important.
It can be rationally argued that none of these writers was correct in determining the best time and place mainly for two reasons: first, what criteria were used to evaluate and determine the results, and second, each person has a knowledge base and tools of evaluation to determine the character or value of a specific and designated time and place.
In the sense of real value, time, place, people and environmental conditions do not matter if they do not provide the individual and himself with the desired satisfaction, joy and happiness. It is not primarily the environment of time and place but the state of mind and feelings through which one perceives it. In reality, the big question comes down to each individual’s ability to create the best time and place for themselves through intelligent use of existing environmental conditions.
Undoubtedly, the richer the natural, cultural, intellectual, etc. environment, the better and more opportunities exist to create the best of time and place in one’s own self-awareness. There is not much in a primitive society or an empty desert that one can make the best of. The enormity of each creation, visual or mental, for the best enjoyment of life and place, depends on the availability of resources: material, intellectual or otherwise, as well as the level of creativity and imaginative strength of the mind.
Also, when evaluating the existing conditions, one very important factor should not be ruled out and that is the past life experiences of the individual. Talleyrand was right to say that “anyone who has missed the years before 1789 does not know the sweetness of living.” He was referring to the miserable living conditions of the pre-revolutionary years in France. The other way around is also valid. One can have all the means of happiness and joy around one and yet be dissatisfied and unhappy. In the 1950s I met a cent-millionaire Texan with a ranch, cattle, a stable full of racehorses, oil fields, two large mansions one in Dallas and one on his ranch, and a beautiful wife much younger than him.
Because of our knowledge of the oil fields in the Middle East and the nature of the concessions granted to the different oil companies, and their particular interest in the matter. we had become very good friends and he had allowed me to visit him and his family at any time without prior notice. I visited him once or twice a week, and invariably each time there was a party with over a hundred guests, champagne, caviar, orchestra, and dancing. However, he was the most unhappy and depressed person I have ever met in my life despite my vast experience meeting people with different cultures, needs and desires all over the world.
It seems to be a good proposal that the issue of best place and time be left open for further discussion and clarification. The suggestion here has been that there is no such thing as the best place or time except in the mind of the person who evaluates based on his judgment of the existing conditions felt through his personality, education, experience and intelligence.