If you've never heard peter jones as the book in hitch hikers guide to the galaxy go here (http://www.eatsushi.org/content/index.php?path=dump%2FHitchhikers_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_-_BBC_Radio_Show/) before reading, if so, read on in that tone.
Over the course of human existance there has always been a certain desire to flee death - we've found physical death and unanimously decided its bad news, and we would really rather not bother with it, at least not for a while yet. So much so, that in the beginnings of people the slightest anomoly in the day to day life of an average man (such as rain) would send him fleeing back to his cave without a second thought about why it might be raining, only the first thoughts suggesting it might bode poorly if he hung around for that dangerous second thought business.
This said its really in the last few cetnuries that people have gone from outright terror towards it to tolerance, and occasionally defiance. Some people insist that parts of being alive may only occur if, you are in fact, really pissing death itself off. Death has a stern habit of loudly disagreeing, but thats its business... While this is all well and good, and three cheers for progress and all that, its flawed:
See in terms of physical death, initially the human race would react fearfully, and make for higher ground - the thought of the consquence led straight to fear filled reaction, whereas now, we look at it slightly more reasonably (As much as an abstract can be looked at anywhere near reasonably, especailly one rather taken with killing people.)
Anyways in all this its the other forms of death that have begun to motivate people into dodging that silly second thought business. It used to be fear of death was motivation enough to keep one adhered to almost any course provided you weren't actively dieing, which most likely meant you would then be living. (We realised thats not neccesarily true as said before) But now, we know such things as emotional and communicative death can occur, but we've not begun to accept them or challenge them at all! Its as though for the most part, people are back running to thier caves from frightening shapes in the sky.
One could suppose, therfore, its easy to miss the realisation that in spite of the lot that may kill you, as the odds sit, at current, there's quite a lot more in favour of not bothering because it would be a waste of its time. Especailly in terms of emotional death, since you can come back from it. Mind only people who've had a life or two as a tiger, or perhaps a slice of marmalade toast have come to this conclusion with any degree of accuracy.
You may stop reading in Peter Jones voice now.
...Sod it. I'm off to buy some cigarettes and chocolate.
Over the course of human existance there has always been a certain desire to flee death - we've found physical death and unanimously decided its bad news, and we would really rather not bother with it, at least not for a while yet. So much so, that in the beginnings of people the slightest anomoly in the day to day life of an average man (such as rain) would send him fleeing back to his cave without a second thought about why it might be raining, only the first thoughts suggesting it might bode poorly if he hung around for that dangerous second thought business.
This said its really in the last few cetnuries that people have gone from outright terror towards it to tolerance, and occasionally defiance. Some people insist that parts of being alive may only occur if, you are in fact, really pissing death itself off. Death has a stern habit of loudly disagreeing, but thats its business... While this is all well and good, and three cheers for progress and all that, its flawed:
See in terms of physical death, initially the human race would react fearfully, and make for higher ground - the thought of the consquence led straight to fear filled reaction, whereas now, we look at it slightly more reasonably (As much as an abstract can be looked at anywhere near reasonably, especailly one rather taken with killing people.)
Anyways in all this its the other forms of death that have begun to motivate people into dodging that silly second thought business. It used to be fear of death was motivation enough to keep one adhered to almost any course provided you weren't actively dieing, which most likely meant you would then be living. (We realised thats not neccesarily true as said before) But now, we know such things as emotional and communicative death can occur, but we've not begun to accept them or challenge them at all! Its as though for the most part, people are back running to thier caves from frightening shapes in the sky.
One could suppose, therfore, its easy to miss the realisation that in spite of the lot that may kill you, as the odds sit, at current, there's quite a lot more in favour of not bothering because it would be a waste of its time. Especailly in terms of emotional death, since you can come back from it. Mind only people who've had a life or two as a tiger, or perhaps a slice of marmalade toast have come to this conclusion with any degree of accuracy.
You may stop reading in Peter Jones voice now.
...Sod it. I'm off to buy some cigarettes and chocolate.
c456:
are you coming to the show on friday???