A Polite Memorandum
Aug. 28th, 2009 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaunthieIf you're reading this, chances are nearly 100% that you are someone I know and like. And as someone I know and like, I have something to share with you:
Resign yourself to immortality, because I am officially declaring that not only does death suck, but I am strongly opposed to it making any appearances amongst my family and friends. In fact, I'm saying here and now that I'd like to call a halt to it. Permanently. And retroactively. So please, go ahead and choose your form of immortality now. Pull an Orlando, or get your picture painted a la Dorian Grey, or settle in for a nice long round of reincarnations, or just pick your final ethereal dwelling place for when you decide a mortal body is too much bother. But be aware that I am adamantly opposed to your winking out of existence.
Not sure that anything exists beyond this mortal existence? I can understand that. I have doubts around that myself. So just live forever. Preferably without having to carry around a sword and be at risk of having your head chopped off by other immortals, but hey, whatever floats your boat. If an afterlife isn't a possibility in your philosophy, just continue to live and enjoy this life, the one and only that you (and maybe everyone else) will ever have.
Seriously, I don't like death. I've been lucky enough in my life that I haven't had to deal with it much, and that's just fine with me. Every time it does stop by, I learn again that not only do I not deal with it well, but that I don't want more practice in coping with it. So logically the best solution is not to have to deal with it again. Ever.
Okay, so maybe that's not logical. But it's how I feel.
Of course there are other perspectives. For example, if you haven't seen this excellent post by Devin Faraci on visiting the Parisian catacombs, I highly recommend going over there right now and reading it. It's an inspired bit of writing. He makes excellent points about the inevetability of death, how we shun and fear it as a society, and the universal (and highly individual) struggle to accept the fear and musings it provokes. He's able to look into the void and express some of his internalizations about it, and that's pretty cool. Maybe I'll be able to start my own internal dialogue with the possibility of nothing beyond this someday soon.
But not today. Today, I'm just telling you: resign yourself to the immortality of your choice, because I'm declaring a moritorium on death in my circle.
Resign yourself to immortality, because I am officially declaring that not only does death suck, but I am strongly opposed to it making any appearances amongst my family and friends. In fact, I'm saying here and now that I'd like to call a halt to it. Permanently. And retroactively. So please, go ahead and choose your form of immortality now. Pull an Orlando, or get your picture painted a la Dorian Grey, or settle in for a nice long round of reincarnations, or just pick your final ethereal dwelling place for when you decide a mortal body is too much bother. But be aware that I am adamantly opposed to your winking out of existence.
Not sure that anything exists beyond this mortal existence? I can understand that. I have doubts around that myself. So just live forever. Preferably without having to carry around a sword and be at risk of having your head chopped off by other immortals, but hey, whatever floats your boat. If an afterlife isn't a possibility in your philosophy, just continue to live and enjoy this life, the one and only that you (and maybe everyone else) will ever have.
Seriously, I don't like death. I've been lucky enough in my life that I haven't had to deal with it much, and that's just fine with me. Every time it does stop by, I learn again that not only do I not deal with it well, but that I don't want more practice in coping with it. So logically the best solution is not to have to deal with it again. Ever.
Okay, so maybe that's not logical. But it's how I feel.
Of course there are other perspectives. For example, if you haven't seen this excellent post by Devin Faraci on visiting the Parisian catacombs, I highly recommend going over there right now and reading it. It's an inspired bit of writing. He makes excellent points about the inevetability of death, how we shun and fear it as a society, and the universal (and highly individual) struggle to accept the fear and musings it provokes. He's able to look into the void and express some of his internalizations about it, and that's pretty cool. Maybe I'll be able to start my own internal dialogue with the possibility of nothing beyond this someday soon.
But not today. Today, I'm just telling you: resign yourself to the immortality of your choice, because I'm declaring a moritorium on death in my circle.
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Date: 2009-08-28 05:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 06:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 07:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 05:07 pm (UTC)I have had a fair bit of death around me over the years. (I mean, when you start with two siblings before you turn five...) And looking at it... well, mostly I never know what it's going to be like. Sometimes I do the acceptance thing. Other times I fall apart to little pieces (or do stupid things like breaking a bone in my foot and walking around on it for a week before it occurs to me that there might be a problem.)
I've been told that between teaching martial arts and the time spent living on the barge I'm already a good candidate for Seacouver* but I have to say that specific version of immortality would have me thinking of renouncing violence and taking up gardening. Huh. Oh, wait, I did that... Maybe I can do the crazy Taoist magician thing?
* Which I only kind of even get - I think I only ever saw the show once, and that was at your place.