Reflections 2019

Seventy years old in a little over five years. Medicare in three month. Life is not beginning. Rather, life is beginning to end. These are the last of the “good years.” So much time was wasted over a span of decades. A lot of rituals were followed in order to fulfill an essentially useless quest for “identity.” Money was saved and spent, all for nothing. The sheer vanity of human life!

Yet, the denial of death continues unabated. The actuarial data suggests that 82 years of age is attainable. Yet, what will be the “quality of life” at that age? There are people who “look good for his/her age” in their seventies. What exactly does that last qualifier mean?

Fifteen years is not a very long time, if the blitz of the last 15 years is any indication. The next 15 years, of course, is made worse by the prospect of increasing decrepitude. The denial of death or the self-perception of immortality tends to increase complacency. The mind is always focused on the present physical state. Age becomes an ephemeral and deceptive “state of mind.” Daily routines are established to further the scope of denial.

Heck, in ten years, there might not be much left of humanity or the planet. A thermonuclear world war could ensue. Or, global climate change could wreak total havoc. Personally, blindness may become a reality in addition to the debilitating effects of old age. In ten years, the prospect for a better living experience relative to the present is bleak.

The mind, however, has a way of playing tricks on itself. It disregards empirical facts and believes what it wants to believe. Thus, there is always a plan for the future. The future is always a consideration when curbing the experience of the present. Yet, what if there was no future?

Understanding the value of time, limited as it is, should force a reassessment of its allocations now. How much time is wasted on commuting? How much is wasted worshipping the tube like a shrine, or playing with the “smartphone”? Calculating daily wasted time, extrapolated over a year, can generate both awareness and aggravation.

Addendum: As predicted in Notes (refer to post titled, “Secular Apocalypse”), the “tipping point” for global climate change has been revised from 2040 to 2030 because of the unexpected surge in the melting of permafrost (with subsequent methane release). Next year, the “tipping point” will be revised to five years earlier. That will be when global climate change becomes irreversible. Well, no need to worry anymore about the “good years,” eh?