Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Earth

A problem with Literature is that when you read something like A Passage to India, it will open your eyes to the world, and with that comes some depressing thoughts. This came to me as I lay in bed trying to sleep Thursday night (exhausted after Ensembles but unable to sleep, despite having a SAC the next day).

Usually what I think about before sleep isn't quite this depressing, but that was the mood I was in. I was upset after Ensembles, only because of a something small, but basically all the stress came out at once, and didn't really leave me. Then that night I was lying there, listening to music and thinking about life. And then a thought came to me, and I began to cry. I don't know whether I believe it, but it was not nice to think about. It's basically a variation of what Forster talks about in his Novel, and the reason some of our Lit classes have been so mind-numbing. I just wrote this down now, and I'm pretty tired so I might refine it tomorrow. It may seem obvious, but the way it came to me, was horrid.

~~~

Drop down, fall far, the direction we are heading in will crumble and cave. Give it time, there is no answer, only the past to look at and wistfully yearn for. Wish for a time when there were no questions. Then, it was possible to look forward without fear, without regret, without a damaged future that is imminent, relentless, and inexpiable. Life on a grander scale is like anything mortal. It once was new, it is growing, and one day it will die. We can’t stop it, as we can’t stop death. We can only prolong it.

8 comments:

Pops. said...

wow

Jason McGillan said...

Argh, now thanks to you I'm going to be in one of my "deep and meaning" moods all day.

:P great post though.

On a more serious note, for me the idea that you're referencing does not frighten me, or make me sad, but on the contrary inspires me to live life to the fullest everyday.

Your post brings home the realisation that everything; the earth, our lives, our existence, will inevitably cease to exist sooner or later, despite any preventative measures we may take. And therefore the phrase "live every moment as though it were your last" takes on a whole new meaning, because any moment could be your last. And therefore every moment is precious and should not be wasted.

Anonymous said...

Damaged future? It won’t necessarily be damaged depending on how you choose to live it, and more importantly, how you choose to interpret it. IMO, the latter is more important. Very rich and famous celebrities can be very unhappy right, wheras people who lose three of their limbs then have to live off a pension with little to no chance of ever being independent can be very happy. Frankly, if you have a healthy interpretation of life, it won’t be “damaged” no matter what happens to you and you will be able to enjoy it whether you become a great writer or if you end up as a check out chick then become disfigured in a car accident. Our subconscious mind just creates a response from what we tell it and the evidence you present to it. So if you you align your thoughts every day, to a statement like “im happy with my circumstances and future” and then only think about the good things in your life/future, and learn from, but minimize thinking about the bad things, your subconscious will allow you to be happy irrespective of circumstances.

And your right, one day we will all cop death. From the moment we are born, we are dying. But don’t let the fear of not having life ruin the life that you have. You didn’t pay anything for this life right? You got it for free, so make the best of it. People will read this blog in 200 years and say “oh wow Liv was cool” and your ideas will live through them. Besides that, when you are older science may cure ageing. Sounds strange, just as the computer would have sounded strange to someone from 1903, but it is a real possibility.

Jason McGillan said...

^^^
Well put gjalex... You should listen to him Liv... through this blog, as long as people still use the internet, you; your ideas, and everything you have contributed to the online world have become eternally immortal, and people will be influenced by them for generations and generations to come.

However, I'm not sure about your last sentence gjalex (RE: "cure" for ageing). I'm an Agnostic theist, but I still believe that people age for a reason, and to prevent it from happening would be just too unnatural for me. We don't need a "cure" for ageing, because there is nothing to cure... becoming older is not a disease, I believe it is rather a way to limit our experiences on this earth to what is bearable for us, and more so what is bearable for society, the environment and this planet. Ageing is a normal human process, and I think that if I were ever offered such a "cure", I would turn it down in a second.

Anonymous said...

Well Jason, Im sure there are many objections to human immortality – many of them religion based, just as there were for cloning. Mind you, if you were an atheist you would most likely believe that ageing and death are as a result of nature and evolution (im not saying you do or do not believe this at present). Anyway nature knows no morality, so the current situation of living then dying is morally neutral IMO – it occurs for no good reason, its just a biological constraint. Your right, ageing is not a disease but it is an undesirable condition. In this context, if I had the option id definitely stay physically 22 for as long as I could over ageing more and then dying.

From what ive read, immortality is probably going to happen within the next 100 years. Humanity could possibly make it happen in 10 or so years if governments were willing to pour lots of money into that specific objective, which none do except to a small degree at universities. It will probably be impossible to truly live forever though because of accidental death.

imminst.org is an interesting place of relevance.

Jason McGillan said...

You raise a good point. I'll check that site out ;)

good friend said...

you're still young. don't worry about that so much. but don't ignore it completely either. one necessary thing to do in life is to find. just know what you need to know and find. sure put some effort in it.
a good author needs to find significant information and understanding. i believe you know it.
actually, it's not just for writing but for the sake of understanding - isn't it?

there are impossible things. there are possibility. and there are what certainly will happen.
yet one has to live and there are lots of good reasons to live entire lifespan. unless one has done unreasonable things in life, or longing for the impossibilities, or being utterly stupid, life is reasonable, acceptable and livable - if not much enjoyable. here why contentment plays a good role.

i think you don't sound depressed. but u don't sound happy either. a life of a writer starts here :).

there is a time to be emotional and after that be like a calm weather after a storm. you must be able to control yourself and your mind. you must be skillful in this.

Anonymous said...

Liv that last passage was beautiful, you truly do have amazing potential as a writer.

-Anonymous