dealing with mortality: day 5

2011.10.07

Time Isn't Lost

"The past resembles the future as water resembles water"
--Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406)

Here's another change of perspective I found useful: I used to place no value on the past.

Now, I see that to have a realistic appreciation of my life, I can't be so casual about disregarding an ever growing part of it!

Time is past, present, and future.

Besides the standard advice of being in the moment, and appreciating the time at hand, people need to learn to value their own past experience,

to see the days gone by as little precious items that we peruse and enjoy in and of themselves.

(Not that you should 'live in the past' either while you still have plenty of living in front of you.)

Our optimistic natures cause us to always look to the future, to make up for the shortcomings of the past, to have a chance to accomplish the things we've always wanted to do.

But our pasts live on, in our selves, and we need to treat ourselves with the respect we deserve.

Finding The Point

" 'Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.' "
--Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

I suppose one risk of over-rationalizing death is failing to appreciate life.

When you manage to stop fearing the idea of dying, you had better make damn sure you appreciate why you're living-

doubly so if you're a skeptic without a Deity telling you taking your own life is wrong.

I can't tell you why life is worth living, or what the point of life is,

though I suspect part of the point is to figure out what the point is.

I do think life is better than death because it's interesting; that alone is a start of a reason to keep dancing.

Avogadro's Number: About # of graphite atoms in a pencil led. Or in grapefruits, Volume of THE EARTH. Mind blown. Atoms are so so so tiny.
Paraphrase of Steve Jobs paraphrasing a song: "We're all just renting time here on planet Earth." Any idea what song?
Sometimes when I read technical concepts that seem to have poor power/weight ratios, but maybe I'm just dumb, I think of EJBs circa 2000AD
- I find this weird Red Sox "John Lackey" parody weirdly compelling. Whut-Ev-Uh!