the ultimate catch-22

Billy Pilgrim’s ability to travel through time has created the ultimate catch-22, a logical conundrum essentially entrapping him. The gift that once appeared to be liberating him is the exact curse that confines him. A scene in the movie, Slaughterhouse-Five, that captured this idea the blessed curse or his catch-22 appeared while Billy sat on the plane. As Billy sat on the charter plane with business associates and friends a strange look spread across his face. While his eyes widened and skin grew pale, it was clear to the viewer that something was not right. BIlly’s movements became quick and rigid as he he squirmed in his seat looking every which way. Eventually, he turned around glancing out the window to find his wife standing in a crowd of people waving the plane farewell. Billy  could see his wife out the tinted window smiling like a naive human completely unaware of the danger ahead. The world could not see in the window, only Billy can see out. Only Billy knows the truth.
This plane is going to crash and the only person who will survive, is Billy. The thought process of Billy Pilgrim is completely transparent. His first reaction is shock, a typical human response to an event of this magnitude. An internal struggle takes over as Billy realizes he needs to tell everyone what is going to happen. He jumps out of his chair mumbling about the crash and moves through a crowd of people in an attempt to talk to the pilots, surely they would listen.
Through frantic breathes and pleading eyes Billy tries to tell the pilots the truth but no-one will take him seriously. He is shown back to his seat where an entirely new emotion takes over, defeat. As his colleagues stared at him with confusion, Billy knew they thought he was crazy. At that point, Billy probably believed them. He sat down and looked forward with a blank stare coated in suppression. He knows if he continues trying to tell people the truth, no one will believe him, he’ll appear insane, and the plane will crash. He also knows if he says nothing, the plane will crash and he will have to live with the fact he did nothing to stop it. The third part of this evil equation is that he also knows there is nothing he physically can do to stop it. The internal struggle he faces is embodied by the blank and suppressed stare. Defeat takes over and he gives up.
Ultimately, the plane crashes and everyone dies. Because of everyone’s inability to see what he see’s and become unstuck in time they are killed in the crash. The question is are they worse off? Billy Pilgrim is the one who has to live in a constant struggle of terrible/mind altering catch-22.