Dealing With Mortality / Beer Update #2
I’ve been thinking about mortality and the impermanence of things a lot lately. I think as you see the change of seasons and the birth/death cycle in nature you turn inward and start contemplating your own existence (that and it’s winter so there’s naff all to do outside of work). By pure chance I found a website that deals with this called ‘Dealing With Mortality: A Skeptics Guide‘. It was nice to know I’m not the only one who agonises over little matters like dying. This site did a very good job of summing up some of the feelings many people do face when approaching these issues. It has a great quotes page too I urge everyone to check out.
Most people just seem to turn off when faced with the thought of their own end, or trust in a God to somehow continue their consciousness. Self proclaimed atheists just usually say ‘Oh, there’s nothing when you die…it probably all goes black’ and then go about their day. I don’t know how anyone can actually say that with little or no worry and think they have found the definitive answer. Anyone who has thought about it for more than about 20 seconds realises there are many many more questions which need answering, and don’t normally shrug it off so easily. A few make is their life’s work to find the answers. However, I’m betting the great irony here probably is that atheists are absolutely right.
I can’t shrug it off so easily, there’s something inside of me that won’t allow it (what ‘I’ am is another can of worms that I won’t go into here). I think I’m going to have to come to terms with the fact that I’m nothing, and more importantly, understand what that means to have any sort of peace on the matter. It’s all crazy though, life is certainly very strange.
Anyway, in between bursts of shallow philosophical thought and random craziness, large amounts of beer are still consumed. Infact, beer helps with the thinking. I’ll let the picture below do all the talking. You can direct your thanks to Matt for arranging them in this smart pattern.
(Phone to PC with Ubuntu - HAL Just works!)