is living forever such a wise idea?

wise, i don't know. i wouldn't mind being a beta-tester, given certain conditions. for example, no wrinkles and back-aches. those are out. no diets, no skipping the salt and evening cocktail, definitely unlimited possibilities for arousal (and satisfaction), assuming children wouldn't be born and over-populate the planet. 


aii, there's the rub. i once read if no flies died, within six months they'd have covered the earth. i wouldn't be able to take a breath without sucking in a winged and rather nasty tasting creature. and if no human beings died, would their be enough barbers to keep up? and in the process, obviously only those with means would be able to afford the genetic methods necessary.


evidently the scientific progress in this direction will make such issues the talk of the town. of course, as the lower classes die off, robots building robots to farm the fields and take out the garbage could pick up the slack. on the other hand, a new buddha might show up to ask her daddy, 'why are those poor people getting old while we never do?' i suspect she might start a revolution. i mean, would us feeders on the bottom take this lying down?


advantages, i must consider the advantages. i could, should i live forever, take one of those exciting inter-stellar space-flights in the offing. so what if it takes twenty light years to reach the next star, i've got the time. and if everything can be genetically replaced, what about giving me more smarts? i haven't handled myself too well in this lifetime. damned if i can get the top number on the blood pressure calculator to go down. in this futuristic universe my physical condition wouldn't matter. gee, i could abuse every known substance. i wouldn't even have to get on a space-ship to take some pretty interesting trips.


there you have it, no answer. do the pros out-weigh the cons? perhaps. i've been worried my artist friend Peter Jodaitis' work will vanish for pennies at a yard sale. in an attempt to preserve his immortality, i've put photos of his work online. after all, maybe that's the solution. we can live forever, but not in our bodies? you say that's been thought of? well, nothing like re-inventing the wheel. 




Nudes by Peter Jodaitis: http://www.pbase.com/wwp/jpnudes


Peter Jodaitis: creating the Bestiary: http://www.pbase.com/wwp/jpsketch2


Peter Jodaitis: a sketchbook of nudes: http://www.pbase.com/wwp/jpsketch

how to get elected dog-catcher

in this year of a u.s. presidential election, i struggle with my own convictions, feelings, prejudices like jacob wrestling with the angel. personally, i have a tough time with people who spend their lives accumulating unnecessary luxuries. yet they might be fine citizens, generous donors to important causes, etc. I mean, that's america, everything is left up to the individual. that's why i have the illusion my vote important.


alas, it is significant, to me. i have to live with myself. and like most people, i can't help seeing myself as part of a group, and in an heightened political atmosphere, it's hard not to take sides. and so much of it is irrational. i'll accept any facts as true, if they support my position. specious logic on my side seems like the most obvious truth in the world. doled out by opponents, i find it false, ludicrous, and criminal. same facts, same world, different conclusions. remember, any paradigm can be proven true. 

for this reason, the life of human beings, amidst an expanding universe, mysterious. i'd like to believe, for example, science will eventually explain everything, that technology will get the species off the planet and spread around the galaxy, thus avoiding extinction. why should i care, though? i mean, really, i won't see it, unless i can come back as a doctor on a space-ship. 


certain people seemed doomed to feel responsibility for the cosmos and their neighborhood. some, like me, must look at the big picture and ask themselves, 'is this a tragedy or a comedy?' life like a drawing you can turn upside down, and instead of a beautiful lady it's an alligator! i'd like to believe i hold the keys to the kingdom. that must be what makes a democracy work (to a certain degree). if i feel i can stand up and shout, rocking the kingdom, i can lie back on my couch and feel completely satisfied.


somewhere i must have written about all this: 

http://www.pbase.com/wwp/the_written_word_galleries