People are drawn to the idea that they have no end; that they persist forever. Whether by spiritual or mundane means, they try.
Many religions promise immortality through their teachings; that their essence continues long after their physical shell shrivels away. Some people build monuments so their memory can persist long after they die. Others seek immortality through acts of fame. Authors write books hoping their works will stand the test of time. Sometimes parents build a foundation through business or estate so their children can continue the family line as well.
Is it fear of losing the ability to experience life? Is it fear of being forgotten? Is it fear that the things you work for in life will just be undone?
Religious promises of eternity are all just guesses with no tangile evidence at all outside of their teachings; they rely entirely on hope. Monuments fall, or real knowledge of the person who errected them fade over time. The person who seeks fame loses who he is as a person to the myth he wove around himself, until the myth is all that stands. Written works by people only show a glimpse of an echo of what someone thought when they wrote it. Children eventually give up family businesses, or they move away to start their own stories abroad.
One hundred years from now, I won't even be a memory. Should I be, though? What is so special about people that they should continue to persist? The desire to cling to existence comes across as unseemly to me, and smacks of self obsorbed vanity.
People want so much to be remembered, but we can never know them as a person on a personal level through the things they leave behind. They become just another picture on a bookshelf of a great great great grandfather who left behind a some letters and maybe a pocket watch.
Why is that such a terrifying thought, though? Why is it so bad to be forgotten? It happens to everyone in some shape or form. What's wrong with living in the here and now, and to make the utmost of your life while you have it?
Sorry for going off on a tangent, heh. I guess the point of all this are these questions: How do you deal with the inevetability of your end? Is it something you fear? Is it something you embrace? What is your philosophy, and how do your views on this topic shape your life?
Many religions promise immortality through their teachings; that their essence continues long after their physical shell shrivels away. Some people build monuments so their memory can persist long after they die. Others seek immortality through acts of fame. Authors write books hoping their works will stand the test of time. Sometimes parents build a foundation through business or estate so their children can continue the family line as well.
Is it fear of losing the ability to experience life? Is it fear of being forgotten? Is it fear that the things you work for in life will just be undone?
Religious promises of eternity are all just guesses with no tangile evidence at all outside of their teachings; they rely entirely on hope. Monuments fall, or real knowledge of the person who errected them fade over time. The person who seeks fame loses who he is as a person to the myth he wove around himself, until the myth is all that stands. Written works by people only show a glimpse of an echo of what someone thought when they wrote it. Children eventually give up family businesses, or they move away to start their own stories abroad.
One hundred years from now, I won't even be a memory. Should I be, though? What is so special about people that they should continue to persist? The desire to cling to existence comes across as unseemly to me, and smacks of self obsorbed vanity.
People want so much to be remembered, but we can never know them as a person on a personal level through the things they leave behind. They become just another picture on a bookshelf of a great great great grandfather who left behind a some letters and maybe a pocket watch.
Why is that such a terrifying thought, though? Why is it so bad to be forgotten? It happens to everyone in some shape or form. What's wrong with living in the here and now, and to make the utmost of your life while you have it?
Sorry for going off on a tangent, heh. I guess the point of all this are these questions: How do you deal with the inevetability of your end? Is it something you fear? Is it something you embrace? What is your philosophy, and how do your views on this topic shape your life?
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