Temporary guests
One of the mental exercises I like to do from time to time is watch small kids playing or simply enjoying an outing in the stroller and imagine them in 50 years’ time. A time they’ll be in my place, the world will be theirs and, obviously, I won’t be around anymore. And won’t have a say about anything as I do today. It’s not morbid in any way, at least not in my mind… it’s just the way things are.
Last weekend for instance I was at an outdoor concert and my attention was drawn to a group of toddlers dancing and having a blast… and I wondered what sort of concert will they be in 50 years’ time? (Not as good a one, I imagine!)
A couple of days ago I had an even stronger feeling of this circle of life thingy, as I had to take my mother to the ER. I found it quite surreal to look at the assorted bunch of elderly people, ailing, basically clinging to life. Like there was this cancer patient on a stretcher, completely bald and unmoving and it was impossible to tell whether that person was a man or a woman.
And then there was this young woman with a tiny, tiny baby in her arms, less than a month old probably. Quite content little fellow. I don’t know what they were doing there, it just seemed he was there to announce his presence in the world. Letting the old folks know he’s there to take his place in the world…
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It does look like a sort of hotel. Most guests would try to push the check-out time as far as they can manage, to get one more hour to enjoy their stay, the free buffet, one more dip in the pool... Meanwhile, the new guests are already pacing about in the lobby, anxious to get their room - it’s their turn to chill in the pool!
OK, maybe putting it like this is a bit twisted, but I still believe people should try to put things into perspective, at least once in a while. It might help deflating massive egos and making people understand their importance in the greater scheme of things is quite negligible. Overblown egos are a real scourge on the face of the earth, whether we’re talking about the the jerk sitting at the corner desk in your office, the boss of a shitty company making everybody’s lives miserable or indeed the likes of Soros or others like him who believe it is their right to shape a future they’ll have no part in. I would recommend a circle of life exercise to all these people, but then again the realization their time here is limited (and running out fast) might push some to behave even worse…
On the other hand, the realization that time on earth is limited might push some people into action, have them do stuff, live a little. There’s only so many concerts you can go to… twenty years from now there will be other bands, playing to a different crowd…. Probably in the same park… speaking of which, we should all realize the Earth we’re messing up is not exactly ours… All those trying to squeeze a profit at any cost - poisoning the soil with pesticides is an example that comes to mind - they don’t care about the present, let alone a future they won’t be part of… Just like those people who would trash a hotel room on the last night of their stay…
What are you waiting for? Go out and enjoy your weekend…
You're absolutely right about that. I, for one, have decided to travel the most I can, while I am around. Since this world is so big and it's completely impossible to see it all, I have been focusing on what's closer to me, Europe. And even though Europe is just a part of this vast world, I doubt I'll be able to visit every single country. Oh well, I can try it, anyway! 😀
I love the idea of this mental exercise @ladyrebecca and I'm going to try it. Anything that reminds us of our mortality and to be more humble is great, IMO. So many mistakenly think they have all the time in the world, so they stop truly living.
As a science fiction writer I read (and listen to) all kinds of futurists. Lately I've been doing tons of research on Augmented and Virtual Reality for our HardFork series and if 50% of what they're saying is true the world is about to morph into a very different kind of place.
Tech companies, at this very moment, are working on VR/AR experiences that are so real they're predicted to drastically alter both human behavior and the economy. Many futurists say soon the price of real world experiences like travel, a live concert, or a tour of historical sites will be priced into the stratosphere. Supposedly society will be conditioned to pay as much for virtual experiences as we now pay for the real thing. Can you imagine being herded into some non-distinct warehouse with 300 other strangers for a week long virtual "ocean cruise" priced at $3,000 a person? Every sight and sound will be artificial and every other aspect will be tailored to trick you into believing you're on that ship.
We'd better get out there and experience things and see the world while we still can. In about a decade (or maybe two) only the ultra rich will be able to afford real world experiences. If that's not a good motivator to get out there and live I don't know what is. ; )
I cannot imagine such a thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if such experiences became a thing. And given a bit of time, I could easily become the norm - a generation brought up on VR experiences wouln't know how the real thing feels. I cannot speak about a cruise since I've never been on one, but a live concert - that's a whole atmosphere I doubt VR can replicate... too complex an experience, down to going home with jeans smelling of spilled beer... and it wasn't even your beer!
My wife and I have never been on a cruise either. It's not really our kind of vacation. I really do hope they'll never be able to accurately reproduce complex experiences but I fear they will get close enough to sell the public on the idea of it. Cheers to real experiences and real life!