I’ve been trying to make all of you realize just how precious life is and that throwing yours away (sometimes literally) isn’t the answer but in doing so a question occurred to me.
What exactly makes life so precious in the first place?
I mean, any daft pillock can engage in coitus or donate an egg or a bit of bodily fluid to help create another human being so it’s not as though being born is a major accomplishment. So what is it that makes life so valuable we should never even consider giving up on it?
#55: Time That’s Constantly Slipping Away.
The finite nature of life is what makes it worth fighting for. The concept of immortality sounds great on paper, doesn’t it? Besides spiders and mother-in-laws, humans fear growing old more than anything, in my humble and Canadian opinion. Remove that fear and you’re laughing!
For two hundred years at least.
Then you’re going to start to get bored, depressed and lonely. In that order.
What do you have to live for if you live forever? Eventually you will have done everything. (With everyone.) Food. Art. Travel and adventure. Sexual acts. None of them will hold any meaning once you’ve experienced them repeatedly. And one can only assume that being immortal means you’ll be unable to feel pain, so will you even care about other people if nothing literally phases you?
The fact that it won’t last forever is what makes it so magical.
Mortality may suck the big one at times but my late mother certainly would’ve given anything to shed hers as bone cancer ravaged her body. But she would’ve eventually realized that living forever is a living hell not a blessing. I didn’t want to let her go but it wasn’t my choice, was it? All we can do is control how we play the hand we’re dealt – but you can’t wait too long to make that choice.
So embrace time for the gift it is. Take a breath, exhale and… Hold. Let time wash over you and wait for clarity and a new perspective to kick in. With any luck you’ll be amazed at the results.
See you in the lobby, kids…
You've Been Hooked! 
You make a great point, Hook. One life is enough and we should embrace the time we’ve been given. Making good use of what has essentially been handed to us is the better path. Good job.
It’s the only path we truly can take to avoid crushing disappointment and lifetime of regrets, John.
So true.
I’d hate to live forever. I have enough trouble dealing with now, let alone an endless then, hence my sporadic attempts to cut things shorter
Hopefully those attempts are all in the past, my friend.
I wish I could reassure you. The stops have always involved fretting about what affect I’d have on others. Now with Susan in sight again, things are even more tricky, not least because her mum walked into the sea and didn’t stop… I don’t want to inflict that crap on her again, but I genuinely don’t know
One day at at a time, mate…
Wow! While I was reading the first part and got to the statement about not feeling pain if immortal, I thought that you must not be a Highlander fan. Then…there it was! I love the movies and the TV shows. These clearly express how the immortals begin to feel lonely after losing so many people through the years. Course, there’s also the added suspense of trying not to lose your head:)
The series has faltered and faded over the years but the original film is still a masterpiece.
Yes, it’s very thought-provoking.
I love this song and remember Highlander.
I don’t think I’d want to live forever, but have no plans of checking out for quite a while yet.
Glad to hear it!
And the older you get, the faster it goes by…
It sure does, Doug.
Well said! Excellent post.
Excellent comment!
Thank you!
Reblogged this on Sara Kjeldsen Writes and commented:
This here is a true angel. Do check out his blog. It’s incredibly inspiring.
You honor me beyond words, Sara.
Thank you.