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Subject: 
Re: What is the meaning of life? (was: Does God have a monopoly on gods?)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Wed, 8 Mar 2000 00:45:28 GMT
Viewed: 
1134 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Kevin Wilson writes:
Peter Callaway wrote:
and all there will be to show for a lifetime of thoughts, experiences,
opinions, relationships and good and bad deeds will be a handfull of ashes.

I don't agree.

*I* won't be here any more, but I will live on in the memories of people
whose lives I've touched, in my daughter's genes and any descendents she
may have, in what I've written (however long that may last), in what
I've built (ditto), etc etc. See, my take on "what we're here for" is
"to leave the world better than I found it". If I can do that, (and much
of what I do in life comes down to that), then I have something
worthwhile to show for my life.

But why do you care? Why do you strive to leave this world a better place?
Where do we get this craving for immortality (OK, not everyone does, but we'd
all like to be remembered fondly long after were gone). The sad fact is that
in say 500 years from now, the world most likely won't know or even care that
you existed. Yet we still crave this "post mortem immortality". Why?

Animals don't give two hoots about leaving the world a better place, they're
just in it for survival. Why should we be any different? What sets us apart
from them, and how did this come about? Where did we get this sense of being,
this self consciousness?


Pete Callaway



Message is in Reply To:
  What is the meaning of life? (was: Does God have a monopoly on gods?)
 
(...) I don't agree. *I* won't be here any more, but I will live on in the memories of people whose lives I've touched, in my daughter's genes and any descendents she may have, in what I've written (however long that may last), in what I've built (...) (24 years ago, 7-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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