My mother saw a beautiful car while she was in Australia, and obviously thought, "Wow, what a beautiful car," and decided to take a better look.
Then she realized that it was a hearse, and was quite surprised.
Someone wasn't so surprised... "Of course, it's one's last ride."
You see, I've had very close encounters with death, cancer etc. I had severe sepsis, at a WBC count that would generally have implied bone marrow failure. So I'm supposed to be one of those... 'near-death-enlightened' people, and I often get questions along those lines. A classmate asked me before, what's death like? What would I want to do before I die? I wrote back with only 2 things:
1. "...listen to a friend play the piano."
2. "Wash the hair of someone who's very busy all the time."
I bet my classmate was very disappointed with my answers.
Why not try to prove/disprove the uniqueness and continuity of solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations; see some grand/beautiful scenery that I'd miss; say tearful goodbyes; write some important lessons to leave behind; eat some splendid food; reconcile with enemies; forgive people; make deathbed confessions/conversions; say some wise words which would be remembered in posterity... Things which are on almost everyone's list of dreams, lifelong aspirations, things-to-complete-before-dying etc.
Well, on a pragmatic note, it isn't possible to do much if you are dying. But what was mostly on my mind when I wrote the answers was that we're always doing things for their grandeur... like the nice hearse. That includes the great food, the noble moral attitude of reconciling and forgiving people. If I'm nearing my death, I think I would already have had enough of those. I'd like to do something precisely because it is often seen as unimportant, while at the same time, is a new experience on its own.
You see, the difference is, I wasn't thinking of what I "want" to do, or "need" to do, even. What I was thinking was, "What would be the last thing I must do before I can't get off the bed anymore?"
What is logically inevitable of you to do if you're nearing death?
I love solving problems, okay? People (rarely, I think) come to me to spill their emotional issues or just straighten their feelings, and I end up trying to give them logical solutions - when that's not what they need, actually.
I wondered more specifically this time... what would be the last problem I'd solve?
Then she realized that it was a hearse, and was quite surprised.
Someone wasn't so surprised... "Of course, it's one's last ride."
You see, I've had very close encounters with death, cancer etc. I had severe sepsis, at a WBC count that would generally have implied bone marrow failure. So I'm supposed to be one of those... 'near-death-enlightened' people, and I often get questions along those lines. A classmate asked me before, what's death like? What would I want to do before I die? I wrote back with only 2 things:
1. "...listen to a friend play the piano."
2. "Wash the hair of someone who's very busy all the time."
I bet my classmate was very disappointed with my answers.
Why not try to prove/disprove the uniqueness and continuity of solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations; see some grand/beautiful scenery that I'd miss; say tearful goodbyes; write some important lessons to leave behind; eat some splendid food; reconcile with enemies; forgive people; make deathbed confessions/conversions; say some wise words which would be remembered in posterity... Things which are on almost everyone's list of dreams, lifelong aspirations, things-to-complete-before-dying etc.
Well, on a pragmatic note, it isn't possible to do much if you are dying. But what was mostly on my mind when I wrote the answers was that we're always doing things for their grandeur... like the nice hearse. That includes the great food, the noble moral attitude of reconciling and forgiving people. If I'm nearing my death, I think I would already have had enough of those. I'd like to do something precisely because it is often seen as unimportant, while at the same time, is a new experience on its own.
You see, the difference is, I wasn't thinking of what I "want" to do, or "need" to do, even. What I was thinking was, "What would be the last thing I must do before I can't get off the bed anymore?"
What is logically inevitable of you to do if you're nearing death?
I love solving problems, okay? People (rarely, I think) come to me to spill their emotional issues or just straighten their feelings, and I end up trying to give them logical solutions - when that's not what they need, actually.
I wondered more specifically this time... what would be the last problem I'd solve?
No comments:
Post a Comment