Paradox

The idea of living forever is paradoxical. We as humans have a drive, an instinct to preserve our lives at nearly any cost. We don't want to die. We believe we'd like to live without the eventuality of death. But if we really consider what that would mean, I don't think any of us could stand it. Our psyches couldn't stand eternity.

Novelist Anne Rice talked about this idea in her Vampire Chronicles. Wherein, the vamps would from time to time "go underground" when the travails of "being" got to be too much. Just existing, thinking, feeling. The mind gets weary and has to shut down. After a period of decades or even centuries, the vampires would re-emerge and resume a life in the world, psychologically and spiritually refreshed. But I think that, given enough "undergrounds" and re-emergences, they would see diminishing returns on their rejuvenation efforts. And this is why some of them eventually would kill themselves by walking into the sunlight and self-immolating.

And so with us. Who among us really could stand existing with his or her mind century after century? Millennium after millennium? Perhaps this was why an angel was placed at the entrance to Eden, because God knew that if humans ate of the tree of life and brought upon themselves immortality, it would be the worst curse imaginable. Hence the banishment from the garden and the eventual onset of decay and death. And in the meantime, a plan for redemption. So that humanity could shed its sin nature and be properly fitted to live forever -- peacefully and joyfully.

I see white

The day after Christmas, and it's blowing and snowing. We are going to bundle up now and jump into winter.

Starting a blog today. Life-miscellaneous. Should be an interesting exercise. Compare to my old steno notebook in 1986! Platforms change; human condition doesn't.

It's beautiful today ... first consistent sunshine in several days. I bring my daughter, my raison d'etre, home this evening.

Aces!