The relatively short duration of individual existence
As I returned from taking out my trash this evening and looked upon some of my possessions, it struck me in an unusual way that a “me” 50 years into the future might look upon those same and similar structures in reflection rather than anticipation. It was difficult to comprehend. Is it just me, or does everyone do this?
Monday, April 9th 2012 at 6:53 pm |
I actually think of that pretty regularly. I am currently in the third decade of my life and have been thinking such things for the last decade or so. I think it started somewhere around the time that I realized the significance of my dad telling me that all we really have and\or are going to have is our memories.
(I’m not likely to check back on this discussion\site, please email if you would like to converse.)
Saturday, April 21st 2012 at 11:55 pm |
I’m in the fourth decade, and I have vastly more possessions than I would probably have anticipated. I find that the care and feeding of possessions takes more time than I could ever have anticipated for generally inanimate objects, and I do occasionally find myself longing for a simpler time. But, on the other side of the coin, I also find some solace in knowing – or at least thinking – that I have the requisite resources – both tangible and intangible – to handle a vast array of circumstances I might possibly, but likely never will, encounter. Personally, I’m not even sure we have our memories. There are studies that have indicated that we rewrite our memories every time we recall them, and I know even memories from a short decade ago are less clear than they once were. If I were to venture an opinion at this particular juncture in my life regarding the permanence of anything we have, I would have to say survival, for as long as we are able to maintain it, and influence… “paying it forward”, if you will. Thanks for the comment, it was interesting and thought provoking.