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

What's this "1945 - 2077" after your name? I wasn't going to holler at you about it because it seems a little more generous and hopeful than it does ominous, but then I read a post somewhere that came up showing "jwf 1945 - 2067" or something. This better not be a countdown!

Reminds me of my father-in-law's gravestone. His wife passed away, so he got a big double-gravestone, and it already has his name and year of birth carved into it. That's a little too spooky for me. I wouldn't want somebody stepping across my grave or checking out my grave marker when I'm still trying to live.

Or is that your International Standardized Serial Number? Please tell me you're not a periodical, because I don't want to have to look for supplements or index or contents.

LOL!

No it all started one night when I was feeling quite 'famous' and wondering if my work might outlive me. Would students one day be required to know my 'dates'?

Probably not, but once one has started thinking about these things, one wonders what it might look like, my name followed by my dates just like so many 'famous' people. Better to see it now I thought, since chances are slim I'll be seeing it later.

So it was actually in a fairly contrite mood of quiet reality that I originally posted it as 2020, which in most estimations (including my own) is probably a good long life of 75 years. Any more (considering my genetic heritage) would not be welcome.

But more importantly it brings to my mythos, the notion of 20-20 vision, especially in hindsight. Since my cosmological (logical?) viewpoint is such, that if I believe 2020 would be appropriate then it shall be so. Barring accident or other outside calamity, 2020 seems a likely target to shoot for.

But then I rememberd John 20:20-22 and made amends to reflect that refernce to the breath of life and the holy spirit because those famous and ancient numbers are even more 'telling' than such modern concepts as 20-20 hindsight.

Once I'd started inflating it, it just grew like Mopsy.
Next stop is 2099 and who knows where it will go from there.

And of course all this will seem morbid and cause some people to squirm a little. But you know I loves to see dem squirm. Especially when I know it's reality they can't handle.


~jwf~

PS:

I saw bits of a documentary recently about traditional Islamic families of musicians and singers who keep the oral traditions of their faith and their tribe and their way of life.

It was all being sung in Arabic of some sort and sounded quite light and beautiful, but the captions below translated into English what was being sung.

When the father began to sing to his seven year old son I was gob-smacked. I couldn't find a pencil quick enough and missed most of it, but the idea was:


"Life is an illusion,
Death is beyond prevention,
...
So be not afraid and rest
happy in the shade of love."



~jwf~