Life is full of choices and decisions that change the course of who we meet and what we do. I often hear people say, “If only I had done this instead of that, then everything would have been different.”

We roll the dice with many decisions, even those that we think are no-brainers. We take this job or we quit that one. We fall in love with this person instead of that one. Without the crystal ball to see the outcome of our choices, much of our lives is premised upon high percentage chances at best.

So let’s play the “If Game.”

If President John F. Kennedy had not been in an open-air automobile when he was assassinated in 1963, he might have lived and our involvement in the Vietnam War have ended earlier, saving thousands of American lives.

If Martin Luther King Jr. was not assassinated in 1968, it might be that our society would have ended systemic racism and there might be far less racial tension today.

If Robert F. Kennedy was not assassinated in 1968, organized crime might have ended within the year. If he had won the presidency, some political scientists believe he would have been one of the best presidents in the 20th century.

If we had welcomed home our Vietnam veterans like we did our World War II heroes, they might not have had such terrible economic and emotional breakdowns as we see today.

If Karen Carpenter didn’t die so young, we might very well be saying today she is the greatest female singer of all time.

If the Beatles were all alive today and had reunited after their breakup in 1971, imagine how much a ticket to their concert might cost.

If OJ Simpson really did kill his wife, will he ever tell the truth?

If we have the intelligence to make a cellphone that can call Egypt from the Jersey Shore and we can put a man on the moon, then why aren’t we smart enough to find a cure for cancer?

If marriage vows were rewritten, instead of “until death do us part,” the phrase might be, “until divorce do us part.”

If actress Bea Arthur had married rock singer Sting, who has only one name, her name would have been Bea Sting.

If you get eight hours of sleep a night and you’re 50 years old, you’ve slept for 18 years and you’ve been “alive” for only 32 years.

If you retire after making a salary of $100,000 a year, experts say to keep the same lifestyle, you’d better have an annual income of $80,000 for the next 20 years of your projected mortality.

If money loses all its value to us once we die, then why do we spend our whole lives killing ourselves to make it?

If you sleep eight hours a day and work eight hours a day for five days a week, you only have 40 hours each workweek to do everything else, excluding weekends when you’re too tired to want to do anything, of course.

If you had lived your entire life in another state, there’s nearly a 100 percent chance your spouse would not be the spouse you have now and then your children would not be the ones you have now.

Here’s some new voices that have played the “If Game.”

“If I’m hated, so what? If I’m loved, so what?” - Stephen A. Smith, sports commentator.

“If the Internet breaks tomorrow, then you’d realize that you’re a human being, and you’re not validated by what other people think of you - it’s how you think of yourself.” - Lana Condor, actress and YouTuber.

“If cities embraced a culture of sharing, I see a future of shared cities that bring us community and connection instead of isolation and separation.” - Joe Gebbia, American billionaire.

“If it excites you and scares you at the same time, that probably means you should do it.” - Anonymous.

“If my words fail, let my eyes and my heart be my language.” - Mirtha Michelle, American actress.

“If I could always read, I should never feel the want of company.” - Lord Byron

“If I could wake up in a different place, at a different time, could I wake up as a different person? - Chuck Palahniuk, American novelist.

“If I could only give three words of advice, they would be, ‘Tell the truth.’ If I got three more words, I’d add, ‘All the time.’?” - Randy Pausch, American professor at Carnegie Mellon University who said this before he died of pancreatic cancer at age 48.

“If I could marry my motorcycle, I’d roll her right up to the altar.” - Flip Wilson, American comedian.

“If I could get my membership fee back, I’d resign from the human race.” - Fred Allen, American radio comedian.

“If I could be anyone, it would be Brad Pitt.” - David Finch, Canadian comedian.

“If I could go anywhere in the world, that place would be home.” - Edward Snowden, American whistleblower.

“If I could teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their face.” - Catriona Gray, Filipino-Australian model.

“If I could go to dinner with one person, alive or dead, I think I would choose alive.” - B.J. Novak, American actor.

“If I could uninvent anything, I would uninvent Hitler’s mum, guns and broccoli.” - Dominic Monaghan, English actor.

Here’s the last one from me.

“If you think often enough about your death, you will live your life to the fullest.”

It’s your turn to play now. “If …

Rich Strack can be reached at katehep11@gmail.com.