THURSDAY, 1 JULY 2021
I made a deal with myself years ago. Like a being from outer space left here by his spaceship, or like a person stranded on a deserted island, I will make the best of my time: I will write about my experience.
FRIDAY, 16 JULY 2021
Fact is, in the end, everything returns to dust. Most works of art, most masterpieces of literature, sculpture, architecture, music, beauty, and wisdom. And people, and animals.
And I say this as someone who believes it makes more sense to be optimistic, to believe your life has value and meaning.
[15/06/22: Dust, in the digital age where everything is remembered and stored forever? Physically people and animals, and printed material and buildings and paintings can disintegrate, but audio and video recordings and digital copies and blueprints will remain. Even so, you are more than a collection of photos or video clips or sound recordings. And once a building has been demolished, the blueprint won’t be a place to reside in, or to provide a warm or cool and pleasant space to rest or work in.]
TUESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2021
The human condition is like a runaway train unstoppably on its way to a cliff overlooking a stormy sea [perhaps there used to be a bridge that’s been washed away].
Your life is being a passenger on this train.
The train will reach the cliff. It cannot be stopped. The end cannot be avoided.
But – it may take years.
In the meantime, life goes on aboard the train. People mingle, make new friends, and meet life partners. They procreate and raise children. They are sometimes sad, and sometimes happy. Most find some kind of purpose and meaning to their lives.
But still the train continues to its inevitable end.
How you respond to this reality has a profound impact on your quality of life, and on the impact you have on the lives of other passengers on this train.
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(For years I’ve thought of the 1985 film, Runaway Train, with Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, as a metaphor for life. The image of the Voight-character standing on top of the train towards the end of the film, knowing that it was heading off to a rocky dead end, made a big impression.)
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