From: Jason Joel Thompson (jasonjthompson@home.com)
Date: Sat Oct 14 2000 - 14:14:55 MDT
From: "Alex Future Bokov" <alexboko@umich.edu>
> One's effectiveness in accheiving overarching goals is sometimes hobbled
> by self-preservation. If one knew that one was going to die soon (and for
> whatever reason cryosyspension was not an option) then self-preservation
> would not longer influence one's decisions. How could one's strategy
change
> in response to this fact?
This is a very interesting topic. I think we discussed a variant of it on
the Transhuman list, god, who knows, like 3 years ago?
I've arm-chair-theorized that the sense of impending mortality that grips
some of us as we age is directly responsible for galvanizing action.
Actually, now that I think about it, this is not quite what you're talking
about. There seem to be two complimentary issues:
a.) I don't want to die, so I'll make cautious (and limiting) decisions.
and
b.) I could die soon, so it's time to get busy.
I'm certain that overzealous self-preservative behavior can inhibit our
success-ability. (Don't mind me, I'm just making up words here as I go
along.)
Also, I think the philosophy of "this day could be your last" can be an
incredible motivator to drink deeply of the cup of life.
So, curiously, it seems we need to relinquish some of our self-preservative
fear, while simultaneously enhancing our love for life. Challengingly,
however, it appears that those two variables have an inverse relationship,
the more we love life, the less we want to lose it.
--
::jason.joel.thompson::
::founder::
www.wildghost.com
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