I am also intrigued by the what if questions.  What if this empire had moved farther north or south?  What if this culture had adopted Christianity versus Islam?  What if these peoples decided not to venture across vast oceans to look for a new world?   What if Mongol Pastoral peoples had been docile and lived in quiet obscurity?  What if this or that leader had lived longer or never had existed?  Life does seem to hang by a thread sometimes or turn on a dime.  What if Hitler had not come to power in Germany?  What if Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbor?  What if JFK had lived to serve two Presidential terms? I think that it is intriguing to play the what if game but it becomes a conundrum, circles within circles.  There is no real way to know the what ifs unless we could time travel and change events, although this could lead to a ripple effect and change other things farther along that we did not want different.  Everything is either pre-determined, or blind luck, or a logical conclusion to events that preceded them.  What if I had turned right instead of left that day?  Maybe I would not be writing this Blog right now!  If I believe in a greater power/God then the what ifs don't concern me as much because I could say it is Gods/Allah's will, not for mere mortal man to understand.  I can see how this would be more comforting that always asking Why/What if?