h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"I'm honestly surprised there hasn't been armed insurrection in the US sooner. The people of Tunisia, and Egypt, and Libya didn't stand for their treatment, and I don't know why the silent masses of poor but heavily armed US citizens stand for what they put up with either." [Hoovooloo]

Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya lack the democratic structures that are in place in the U.S. Are poor U.S. citizens heavily armed? Can you point to any studies that support that statement? The small town that I grew up with has the highest per-capita rate of gun ownership in Massachusetts. It's not a poor town any longer, though, nor are its citizens suffering from a lack of health coverage, due to Massdachusetts' universal health care program. Correlations are hard to do, and it's not unusual for them to lead to counterintuitive results.

Choosing the location where you wish to live is complex, and may well not conform to the issues that someone else considers most important. Some people live in many different places over the course of a lifetime, while some other people stay close to the place where they were born. If you are married, you may stay in a place that you don't particularly like, but which your spouse has deep ties to. Some people relocate because a goo job becomes available in another area. Maybe the person likes the new area so much that they decide to stay.

Health care seems to be a bone of contention, yet there are many people who leave their doctors and HMOs and move from Northern areas of the U.S. to more Southern areas like Florida of California or Arizona. Some move back because they don't like it, but others stay.

>>..we would have to live in some kind of hypnotic reality,
with repeated loss of identity, for extremely long lives to
be made sense of internally. <<


I think you've just defined the mechanics of re-incarnation.


~jwf~

"don't worry about suffering from overcrowding in your neighborhood. That's not likely to happen."

This represents an unexpected level of subtlety.

Well another day gone by and a new one started, just thinkingimagine all the Christmas prezzies you’d get if you were around for awhile

"This represents an unexpected level of subtlety." [Hoovoloo]

I'm proud of you.

Thanks, Dad.

I would love to live longer. I, too, would really like to see what happens next. Plus. I like working. I'd like to have time for a few more careers. The kids thing is interesting. But then that would be one of your phases of life. I'm afraid I wouldn't want to have kids over and over and over and over and over again. And knowing that I had long stretches of time either side of them (say) would definitely allow me to enjoy the moment I reckon. As it is, there are lots of times I wish they would just turn into teenagers and start sleeping till noon already.

“to have kids over and over and over and over and over again”,’s do!.

That's a thought, ever lasting ’s, bet Mrs would get a bit niffed off but can you imagine Mr .
The would be over run by

No-one said we'd all still have to live on Earth in the future.


http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/brunel/A588369#tekcor
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Would you like to live for a really long time?

No

I'm sure some philosopher claimed that as none of us have any concept of the world before our births or after our deaths, from a certain point of view we all live forever.

I think that's ludicrous.

>> ludicrous <<

It's one o' them glass half-full/half-empty thingies.
Or whatcha dont know cant hurt ya.
Or outa sight outa mind.
Or ya cant miss what ya never had sorta thing.

~jwf~

>>some philosopher claimed that as none of us have any concept of the world before our births or after our deaths, from a certain point of view we all live forever.

We certainly all live for the whole of our existence.

I'm given to daydreaming when I'm walking the dog. Sometimes that daydream involves living multiple different lives. It's a bit of a sci-fi fantasy involving awareness of reincarnation or something, so I get to live in, say, London in the 1920s then again in New York in the 1970s.

Very mundanely, this bizarre but endlessly entertaining little fantasy was inspired by Victoria Wood's "Reincarnation Song".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThtTrfF0QVk

Of course, that's not the same as living a long time. As long as all conditions were met (enough money to live comfortably on without having to go through the daily grind of working forever more, being fit and healthy both mentally and physically, not being the only one living a long time) I can't see why it wouldn't be wonderful.

But the world would be an awfully crowded place, and I do like a bit of solitude every now and then.

And now my mind's wandered off into Torchwood territory.

Deb

"We certainly all live for the whole of our existence."

Ah, but what about when we're asleep?

When your well/healthy in body and mind, you tend to be a tad flippant with regards to your approach to time, it can last for ever if it wishes, but when you’re ill and in pain time has different dimensions mentally.
One becomes more reflective as opposed to the generalised feeling of freedom, good health affords you

>> I get to live in, say, London in the 1920s
then again in New York in the 1970s. <<

Oo - how awful for you!

I've never been human before this life-time.
usually coming back as a bird of some sort,
or an elephant if I;ve been bad or a dog if
I've been good. It ain't easy being a good
dog - all them walkies.

~jwf~

PS: It is hardly 'mundane' that Victoria Wood
is an inspiration for such fantasy. She was a
tiger I knew in another lifetime and she is
currently serving as a reminder that only a
ginger call call a ginger Ginger.
http://youtu.be/msHfplyW7_8

The question comes up at the local frequently, and someone invariably says, "90? Who wants to live to be ninety?"

And Mr. Harvey, from his wheelchair at the end of the bar always says, "Someone who's 89!"

Just for frame of reference here....