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We will all be dead soon

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Re: We will all be dead soon

#41

Post by bovermyer »

Nothing we do matters, cosmically speaking.

However, each of us is at the center of our own universe, and from that context, a variety of things are important or unimportant. From the context of self, we derive importance.

That universe exists only as long as the self exists. In that context, what you deem important is important. What you deem unimportant is unimportant. And those states shift over time.

I'm not well read in philosophy. I imagine what I've written above is probably a pretty commonplace observation, so I'm sure someone has written more on the subject.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#42

Post by groby_b »

thefz wrote: post #24
dtnewman wrote: post #12

I'm not trying to proselytize here, just merely pointing out that the sentiment is thousands of years old: Akabyah ben Mahalalel said: mark well three things and you will not come into the power of sin: know from where you come, and where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning. From where do you come? From a putrid drop. Where are you going? To a place of dust, of worm and of…

Nothing relative to God in OP's post. Contrarily,it is materialistic in nature.

This was neither the point of the PP, nor is the OP "materialistic" in nature. (Did you mean secular?)

Both are questioning how you should invest your time, and what really matters in your life. Yes, sure, PP is anchored in religion, but the sentiment is the same.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#43

Post by likenesstheft »

highwaylights wrote: post #25
likenesstheft wrote: post #15

This is why stupidity like Scrum should be abolished in every software shop worldwide. It just wastes time. It is just busy work and busy meetings for nothing and it is one of the most time consuming aspects of a dev job.

Someone is going to come along and tell you this has nothing to do with the article but I see you and I’m giving you a quiet nod while sipping ma drink.

Gotta find a way to relate the article to tech, it's a tech forum!

*<:o)

Re: We will all be dead soon

#44

Post by lordfrito »

justinzollars wrote: post #17

Every man dies twice. Once when you take your final breath, and then again the last time someone says your name.

I've also heard this said as

   Every man dies twice. The first time is at their funeral where they are buried in the ground surrounded by people who knew them. The second time is when the last person at the funeral passes and all memory of them is lost.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#45

Post by rexpop »

soupfordummies wrote: post #8
rich_sasha wrote: post #6

If it's all going to shit anyway, how are "real" things better than glitzy consumerism? Those kisses from children will be gone just the same as the expensive watches. Actually, vintage watches have a thriving second hand market. I mean, I don't disagree with the conclusion, but the argument ain't great.

Is your counterargument seriously "vintage watches are worth more monetary value than affection from loved ones"?

No, it's that one's stewardship of the unbroken chain of vintage watches will be appreciated. Many hands maintained these hands.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#46

Post by jzb »

The last time I saw my grandfather he had advanced cancer and knew he'd be dying soon. He was a little shy of 80.

We had a good conversation, the kind I wish we'd had more of, and part of what he said was basically "I just finally started to understand life, and now I'm dying."

The post may express this stuff a bit clumsily but I think it has a kernel of truth. We fill our days with a lot of shit that doesn't matter. You can argue nothing matters because we're all going to die. But during our brief go-around on the planet there are things that are meaningful and things that aren't.

Trying to focus more on the things that have meaning and less on things that aren't (or, worse, hurt others and make their lives worse) is a good idea. It's a pity we can't collectively get it together and agree that, for example, we could be focusing less on work and more on things that bring us joy. We could arrange society a lot differently but choose not to. And we're not better for it.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#47

Post by ROTMetro »

highwaylights wrote: post #22

I’ve been thinking something similar to this as I lost one of the closest people in my life a few weeks ago. People have been living and dying on this rock for thousands of generations and no-one alive today remembers any of them. Even the most immensely successful people to have lived just a short while ago - all of the John Rockefellers and the Andrew Carnegies of the world - are remembered only insofar as their na…

One of these days will be the last time you pick your kids up in your arms, ever. And you won't know it when the event happens, only realize it has passed later.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#48

Post by xedrac »

askafriend wrote: post #11

Meh. This guy just sounds depressed. Sure there's truth in some of what he's saying, but I think the fact that we and all of our stuff will be gone is great. I'm here to enjoy the ride! I'm gonna go fast in my fancy car - zoom zoom see ya later.

I interpret it as though he has a family, and struggles to prioritize them over the rat race. That's what I struggle with, and when I sit back and consider the impermanence of it all, it makes me want to spend more time with my family and close friends, and less time trying to get wealthy. Maybe I'm just getting old, but this has become so much clearer to me in recent years.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#49

Post by lordfrito »

Reminded me of the epilogue to Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, which read:

It was in the reign of George III that the aforesaid personages lived and quarreled; good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now.

We all share a common destination. It makes me wonder why there's so much fuss about what happens on the in-between.

Re: We will all be dead soon

#50

Post by protomolecule »

rich_sasha wrote: post #6

If it's all going to shit anyway, how are "real" things better than glitzy consumerism? Those kisses from children will be gone just the same as the expensive watches. Actually, vintage watches have a thriving second hand market. I mean, I don't disagree with the conclusion, but the argument ain't great.

and minute hand market
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