I just finished AK last week. so good! Speaking of mortality there’s a quote a like from Richard Dawkins about mortality that I want to share:
"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara.
Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?"
I’ve just started book three of AK, absolutely loving it so far!
And thank you for sharing this quote, that’s very beautiful. I think the general idea has always been, at least around me, why are you thinking about death? And it’s not that I do it because I want to, but because I can’t help it, it’s very difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t been through it.
The Stranger is one of my favourite novels. Camus in general, doesn’t seem to miss for me. I also enjoy trying to keep a “memento mori” mentality because it keeps me more engaged with what I’m after in life; we don’t have forever, & staying present makes everything seem so much more satisfying & keeps gratitude at the forefront.
Yes, I personally find Camus’ philosophy quite close to my own beliefs, so it’s quite easy to lean onto.
And regarding death too, I understand that constantly living while thinking of death might not work for everyone but at this point, I personally think it’s for good. Like you say, knowing and remembering that we don’t have forever often makes things a lot easier and helps make decisions.
I just finished AK last week. so good! Speaking of mortality there’s a quote a like from Richard Dawkins about mortality that I want to share:
"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara.
Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?"
(Richard Dawkins, Unweaving the Rainbow)
I’ve just started book three of AK, absolutely loving it so far!
And thank you for sharing this quote, that’s very beautiful. I think the general idea has always been, at least around me, why are you thinking about death? And it’s not that I do it because I want to, but because I can’t help it, it’s very difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t been through it.
The Stranger is one of my favourite novels. Camus in general, doesn’t seem to miss for me. I also enjoy trying to keep a “memento mori” mentality because it keeps me more engaged with what I’m after in life; we don’t have forever, & staying present makes everything seem so much more satisfying & keeps gratitude at the forefront.
Yes, I personally find Camus’ philosophy quite close to my own beliefs, so it’s quite easy to lean onto.
And regarding death too, I understand that constantly living while thinking of death might not work for everyone but at this point, I personally think it’s for good. Like you say, knowing and remembering that we don’t have forever often makes things a lot easier and helps make decisions.
Joyie, thank you for mentioning my post. I'm glad it spoke to you.