Problems with this section; for Frank (Agnosticism)

by Frank Paris , Monday, November 23, 2009, 22:31 (5478 days ago) @ David Turell

I want to make another reply to your post, where you say, "When I am dying I want to be able to look back, and be pleased with my life, leaving the world a little better place."-What do you mean exactly when you said, "When I am dying"? I've watched my 101 year old mother in law in the process of dying for the past 10 years, in the sense of one thing after another shutting down that used to contribute to the quality of her life and now does not. She just recently had another "event" where she broke her hip, and you know what that usually leads to in people over 70: death within a few short months. In her case, it won't because she's otherwise so healthy, but it is just one more thing that shuts down more of her life.-She's so "strong" that she will undoubtedly drift on for another 10 years (especially with the continued "advancement" of medicine that completely ignores the quality of life in exchange for sheer longevity), with more and more of her life fading out as the years pass. I myself have felt myself "dying" in stages since being diagnosed first with high blood pressure and later (probably as a consequence) diabetes. These put dampers on your life where you have to back off from previous experiences that enriched life. Now they are gone and so I have partially "died."-The point is, because of the way people "die" these days, by the time you're actually on your death bed, you're probably so unconscious that the last thing you'll be able to do is think about how lovely your life in the past has been and how you have made the world a better place. Better to be pleased with that now, with the work you are doing now to make the world a better place to live, because in your death throes the last thing you'll be able to do is reminisce about your glorious past. The thing that will be most upfront in your mind is why your stupid body is still clinging to life and won't let you pass on to end your misery.-I wish medicine spent a little more time working on improving the quality of life instead of just prolonging sheer longevity more and more. It allows us to "shut down" almost interminably, until there's virtually nothing left of us, as is happening with my mother-in-law. When she's asked (all too frequently) what the secret is of her longevity her cynical answer is, "breathing." And that's just about all that's left, or will be in 10 or 20 years when she finally does die.-Remember what the Roman's thought? A nobleman's death was heart attack. That's the best way to go: suddenly, with only brief moments of pain. You don't have time to think about your past glories then, either. In general, thinking about your wonderful past is a complete and utter waste of time. Really the only thing that counts is the here and now. As that wise man and abusive alcoholic, Alan Watts, said, "This is It."