201–210 of 287 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not everybody is a Buddhist. Convincing somebody who has different beliefs involves more than restating one's beliefs.
You can test it out for yourself. You don’t need to identify as a Buddhist to come to the conclusion that you are not your body.
I wish more people would learn about cryonics. It's either 0 or something above zero probability.
What, risk waking up to be transported to a "re-education" facility because what you did (or believed) in the past is no longer acceptable/legal to the current Maoist/Rightwing/Religious/Populist nut jobs in charge. Wake up to find the planet inundated and starving. Wake up to find that every single person you loved is now dead ... seems a bit of a hard sell.
Actually this would be a cool short story about someone who has to constantly go through this process, each time working deeper and deeper in the future only to be frozen again.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not everybody is a Buddhist. Convincing somebody who has different beliefs involves more than restating one's beliefs.
You can test it out for yourself. You don’t need to identify as a Buddhist to come to the conclusion that you are not your body.
My wife passed this year from cancer. Looking back we had no idea how close we were to the end, and in the last few weeks her beautiful mind was influenced by the disease. I’m sure someone on HN is going through this at least adjacently and my recommendation is to not wait to the end to have important conversations. For those that aren’t going through this now, maybe for a little while live life like you are...it mig…
It sounds like you've been taking a lot of care of others. I don't see anyone else mentioning this in replies, but please make sure you're taking good care of yourself, too. If you haven't in a while and are able to, consider getting a good meal, taking a night off, or just doing something you enjoy doing for a couple days.
Hang in there.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Africa is a big continent, there is a wide difference in income and education level, from country to country and even inside each country. If you have some spare money to pay a refrigerator for 100 years, you are probably spoiled and want nice living conditions afterwards. Anyway, imagine you live outside a city and have only a small plot of land for subsistence. After the 100 years you don't have even the small plot…
You are generalizing the argument giving conditions where life is worth it or not. That's not the point. And stop downvoting.
* You can invest X money for a Y% chance that you will be revived in the future.
* You can invest X money for a Z% chance that your children will survive in %W case of a problem. Like a better surgeon in a heart operation or cancer treatment, or more food stored before a famine, or a home that is not in a floodable area, or more education to get an points to get a visa to another country, some swimming classes to be more healthy, more airbags in the car in case of a collision, ...
Money can buy survival rate when it is correctly invested, the question is which one is the the one that gets more bang for the buck.
PS: Just in case you are wondering, I didn't downvote you.
My wife passed this year from cancer. Looking back we had no idea how close we were to the end, and in the last few weeks her beautiful mind was influenced by the disease. I’m sure someone on HN is going through this at least adjacently and my recommendation is to not wait to the end to have important conversations. For those that aren’t going through this now, maybe for a little while live life like you are...it mig…
Seeing your child dealing with loss is the hardest. In my case it overrode my ability to deal with my own grief. Eventually (glossing over the irrelevant details) he came out the other side, and is doing fine. And once I didn’t have to spend all my emotional energy on him I could look after myself. Your daughter is 17 which may give you additional concern. My child was a few years younger but he missed all of that st…
It really is the most difficult part of this process. If there's a silver lining it obliterated any remaining hubris I had over being able to explain the world to them. I do it when I can of course, I'm still dad, but I have also found a way to just be with them in the human experience.
Both of my girls are incredibly strong in their own ways. They are different, though, and are working through the process of recognizing those differences in each other and how it affects their response to grief and the world in general. My one remaining hope in life is that they find a way to strengthen their bond with each other and remain ride or die for the rest of their time on this plane.
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Some nearby introverts quietly disagree then dream of hiking in the mountains in nature. I guess that's a relationship of sorts.
I've never really liked platitudes like "family is everything" and "nothing matters without relationships" -- they don't seem to come from a good place. People who lack these things may enjoy their lives every bit as much, what's the point of denigrating their life?
It isn't like they are bad people, but there are other things I will inevitably end up gravitating to instead.
But it isn't like I'm alone because I have other things to occupy my time. There are times that I did wish I had other friendships but I end up putting those feelings aside when I start working on something. For better or worse I am lucky to be able to say this. Some artists say they can only survive and keep working by being able to be alone for extended periods of time.
When I don't get too attached to anyone the pain of losing them doesn't really come. And the people I do care about I've actually made miserable and angry by the number of times I've brought up that I am going to die someday and that I'm trying to live in the moment with them and acknowledge the transience of being alive with them. At some point continuing to acknowledge the fact that being alive and having known them is a miracle in front of them is counterproductive, and in the end it probably doesn't make dying any less painful.
After doing all that I don't understand what else I can possibly do but continue being alive.
The nicest bit for me was where he talked about growing old being a privilege and not to lament every grey hair and wrinkle. Puts it in perspective.
As I often say, "Growing old sucks, but it is better than the alternative."* *I can't take credit. I got it from someone else, but I don't remember who.
My wife passed this year from cancer. Looking back we had no idea how close we were to the end, and in the last few weeks her beautiful mind was influenced by the disease. I’m sure someone on HN is going through this at least adjacently and my recommendation is to not wait to the end to have important conversations. For those that aren’t going through this now, maybe for a little while live life like you are...it mig…
As someone without much of a relationship with my father, it really makes me really glad to see another father with a child who loves their dad enough to cry to them. It sounds like you've been taking a lot of care of others. I don't see anyone else mentioning this in replies, but please make sure you're taking good care of yourself, too. If you haven't in a while and are able to, consider getting a good meal, taking…
Appreciate the well wishes. I am on a road of trying to take better care of myself as well, hopefully they will see that and be encouraged that the old man is here for the long haul.