this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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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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[–] BananaTrifleViolin@piefed.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The hardest part is documentation. 1945 is perhaps easier to "create" an identity following the war, as so many we displaced. But after that it would mean needing to change identity every so often. I'd probably stay in Europe, either in my home country of the UK or maybe even move to West Germany. Both countries did well in the post war 1950s, although not as well as the US. Maybe I'd go to the US because post war may have been an easier time to slip in to the country and then take part in the post-war boom?

I'd start trying to earn money, and put every penny I could into a company I owned and use that to buy stocks and shares in companies I know would do well in the post-war boom. The key is compounding investments to make more money longer term, accepting lower standards of living initially. In the 40s-60s that'd be largely blue chip companies like Coca-Cola, IBM, GE, Proctor & Gamble. Then as new big names of the future came along I'd buy into them - obvious ones being Microsoft and Apple in the 1970s, Google in the 2000s. And of course, probably buy into Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hatherway at the earliest opportunity in the 1960s.

With wealth I'd create new identities - a "son" to inherit the business every 20 years or so. Move around every 10 years or so, maybe between countries to help keep anonymity and to stay under the radar. Unfortunately it could also need a degree of criminality to be able to keep this going - identity fraud but at a low level. Maybe set up a trust, and every 10-20 years be a new lawyer who manages it. So much of that can be done somewhat anonymously and somewhat remotely even in the past.

The aim - if I am to be immortal - would be to accumulate a lot of wealth, spread across multiple countries, to prepare for getting back to today when fore-knowledge runs out. Because not knowing what happens next, all you can do is then try and prepare for possibilities, and making shit ton of money seems like a sensible way to guarantee security and comfort.

EDIT: The other thing to do of course: buy and sell land. Knowing that cities will grow rapidly is perfect for buying up land for later development. And also in many big cities, certainly in Europe anyway, there was a period of suburbanisation with matching collapse of the urban core. A lot of apartments and buildings were sold cheaply as demand was depressed, but then the trend started reversing again in the 1980s though to now. Imagine buying up apartment buildings in London, Paris, Berlin etc. Then all you have to do is live off the income - pay your taxes and no one really is going to ask who owns what, and who exactly is getting the money.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Move to NYC, San Fran or some other place that will be initially growing prior to the Baby Boom. Get settled there and stay there through the forced urban decline until current times. I suspect that I can own multiple properties in that time frame and come out on top when I sell it now.

[–] youcantreadthis@quokk.au 2 points 2 days ago

I guess I stay out of north america and fuck with operation gladio because people still can't agree what the fuck was happening there so making Italy go full communist is probably safe and delicious

[–] SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

The world is big and full of wonders - working, travelling, meeting people, sleeping with them ... yeah that would do me, if you don't mind moving slowly on a budget then it's doable without too much stress.

I read a book a while back where someone was presented with having a very long lifespan. As long as they wanted, basically. And their reaction was that they could take their time to really savour life, since it was much less limited :-)

[–] MalMen@masto.pt 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

@FenrirIII live in a small contry, avoid unprotected sex, farm some cabages to ocupy time

[–] zabadoh@ani.social 1 points 1 day ago

Unprotected cabbage sex when the need arises.

[–] belunos@lemmus.org 0 points 1 day ago

This was a bad question, and you should feel bad

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