If we were going to die in our sleep tonight....

[Tony T]

Being a photographer, I visit several forums on the subject to view excellent photographs and to learn the lastest information about digital photography.

 

I learned today that one of the models who is featured in the forums from time to time, Melanie...in her early 20's, died yesterday. She was one of a set of twins and they were up and coming in the modelling field. Her sister posted just a few minutes ago that she died in her sleep from alcohol poisoning. I did not know her personally.

 

When this happens, you suddenly realize that life is short, the end is unpredictable and any day can be our last. We can be killed from an accident, a heart attack, or any one of a thousand other medical complications or types of fatal mishaps.

 

Why do we take things so seriously when life can be over so quickly?

 

Why do we care when people post here using different names?

 

Why do we get jealous or fearful that somebody's going to leave us? It's their right to do so if they wish.

 

Why do we sit around and take crap off of our partner when there are plenty of others who will treat us like royalty?

 

Why do some make their loved ones lives' so aggravating or complicated instead of trying to make their time here as pleasant as possible?

 

Why do we hang on for dear life to stuff from our childhoods that is obviously causing us great difficulty?

 

Why do we worry about asking somebody we're interested in on a date? Why do we care about their reaction? Today may be the last chance we will ever have to see if we have a chance.

 

Why do we tear through out partner's computer to see what he or she has been writing, viewing, saving, etc.?

 

Why do we shake in our boots about telling a friend of the opposite sex that we have fallen in love with them? Today may be our last chance. They may not be here tomorrow. We may not either. Why does it make a difference if it creates a weird situation? Who cares?

 

Why do we spend time being depressed about the way someone else treats us rather than telling them to get out of our lives?

 

Why are we mean to those people we love because they're the only ones we can safely take out our hostility on?

 

Why do we do so many of the truly stupid things we do when our precious and short time on this planet can be used so much more wisely and productively?

 

If we knew that we would not wake up in the morning after going to sleep tonight, how many things would be do now that we have been putting off? How many things would we stop doing that we have been putting off stopping? How many people would we call to let them know we love them? How many friends and family members would we visit? How many former friends would we make up with?

 

Just how dramatically would our lives change if we knew this was our very last day? Would we start a mean attack thread in this forum...or would we go out with some friends and have a giant banana split?

 

If every day can surely be our last, and that is quite a fact, then why do we do the stupid things we sometimes do...and why do we hesitate to do what we know is important for us to start or to finish?

[Crystal]

excellent points to ponder: i'm sorry about your news. if only we could all let go of hang up, people that upset us, past abuse, fake names, useless hours spent on the internet, etc etc, etc..

 

we need to realize all of this before it is too late! i totally agree tony, life is just too short to wallow in pity and despair..

 

there is a whole world out there waiting to be embraced and NOW is the time to do it not later, cause later may never come.

 

i'm going to remember that along with the long repetoire of other things i've been told lately that will serve a positive purpose.

 

thank you for the awakening, we all need to follow this..

Being a photographer, I visit several forums on the subject to view excellent photographs and to learn the lastest information about digital photography. I learned today that one of the models who is featured in the forums from time to time, Melanie...in her early 20's, died yesterday. She was one of a set of twins and they were up and coming in the modelling field. Her sister posted just a few minutes ago that she died in her sleep from alcohol poisoning. I did not know her personally.

 

When this happens, you suddenly realize that life is short, the end is unpredictable and any day can be our last. We can be killed from an accident, a heart attack, or any one of a thousand other medical complications or types of fatal mishaps. Why do we take things so seriously when life can be over so quickly? Why do we care when people post here using different names? Why do we get jealous or fearful that somebody's going to leave us? It's their right to do so if they wish. Why do we sit around and take crap off of our partner when there are plenty of others who will treat us like royalty? Why do some make their loved ones lives' so aggravating or complicated instead of trying to make their time here as pleasant as possible?

 

Why do we hang on for dear life to stuff from our childhoods that is obviously causing us great difficulty? Why do we worry about asking somebody we're interested in on a date? Why do we care about their reaction? Today may be the last chance we will ever have to see if we have a chance. Why do we tear through out partner's computer to see what he or she has been writing, viewing, saving, etc.? Why do we shake in our boots about telling a friend of the opposite sex that we have fallen in love with them? Today may be our last chance. They may not be here tomorrow. We may not either. Why does it make a difference if it creates a weird situation? Who cares? Why do we spend time being depressed about the way someone else treats us rather than telling them to get out of our lives? Why are we mean to those people we love because they're the only ones we can safely take out our hostility on? Why do we do so many of the truly stupid things we do when our precious and short time on this planet can be used so much more wisely and productively? If we knew that we would not wake up in the morning after going to sleep tonight, how many things would be do now that we have been putting off? How many things would we stop doing that we have been putting off stopping? How many people would we call to let them know we love them? How many friends and family members would we visit? How many former friends would we make up with?

 

Just how dramatically would our lives change if we knew this was our very last day? Would we start a mean attack thread in this forum...or would we go out with some friends and have a giant banana split? If every day can surely be our last, and that is quite a fact, then why do we do the stupid things we sometimes do...and why do we hesitate to do what we know is important for us to start or to finish?

[loser]

Wow, quite a rant Tony! I like it. This is a scary thought, but also a true one. But since when have people wanted truth!

 

I think you will agree that people have the capacity to be rational animals but for the most part we are not. Our ignorance keeps us from even seeing that we are animals.

 

To think hard is to learn to die. I don't know who said it but it's true. The answer to your questions lies in biology. If we lived as if each day were our last, which inevitably one day will be, we may not accomplish a whole heck of a lot in our lifetimes. Mother nature eliminated these phenotypes a long time ago.(at least in the North) I could tell you why but I doubt yall really want to know.

 

However, with Reason, we are able to overcome our primitive desires and programming and live more in accordance with the facts you present. If you doubt that human behaviour is instinctual you should think again.

 

" Probably a crab would be filled with a sense of personal outrage if it could hear us class it without ado or apology as a crustacean, and thus dispose of it. 'I am no such thing,' it would say: 'I am MYSELF, MYSELF alone."

 

William James

 

Varieties of Religous Experience (1902)

 

Damn....1902!.......is it me or are Americans as a whole becoming less intelligent as the years roll on? Is intelligence a liability? That's my question. I don't doubt that some day soon people will start having their brains removed.

[Tony T]

Some very interesting thoughts, thank you!

 

I do think that if people thought more about the finite nature of life in general, the quality of their own would improve significantly along with the way people treat each other.

 

On the other hand, perhaps people would treat each other much worse if they knew the consequences of that behavior would be short lived.

 

I just don't know. Philosphers have been dealing with this question for centuries and far be it from me to try to resolve it here in a few minutes.

[C]

The human behaviour is mostly guided by subconscious motives, not by intellect. And those motives are not on the surface. That's why we don't even know ourselves, why we do what we do or feel what we feel. It has to do with all the deep rooted fears and traumatizing experiences we had, may be even in our past lives. Add to it other planetary influences and it gets very complicated. All I can think of is that we have to experience all this pain in order to learn something.

Some very interesting thoughts, thank you!

 

I do think that if people thought more about the finite nature of life in general, the quality of their own would improve significantly along with the way people treat each other. On the other hand, perhaps people would treat each other much worse if they knew the consequences of that behavior would be short lived. I just don't know. Philosphers have been dealing with this question for centuries and far be it from me to try to resolve it here in a few minutes.

[Celia]

Yes, I feel the same way too. However, as time goes and as I grows I find I must do things according to social values and rules. I can't do everything I like or wish. I must take care of my family although accidently I fell in love with someone else. Also I tell myself this is the beauty.(Then I laugh! I Become Happy again).Sometimes I even think it is a silly question to ask" Am I happy ?" or "Why am I not happy?" because I think life is something can be achieved. Life is short, then I should do somethig really worth it. Life is what it lives and what it can be achieved and it should never be what I feel. But This what I FEEL! (Laugh!)

Being a photographer, I visit several forums on the subject to view excellent photographs and to learn the lastest information about digital photography. I learned today that one of the models who is featured in the forums from time to time, Melanie...in her early 20's, died yesterday. She was one of a set of twins and they were up and coming in the modelling field. Her sister posted just a few minutes ago that she died in her sleep from alcohol poisoning. I did not know her personally.

 

When this happens, you suddenly realize that life is short, the end is unpredictable and any day can be our last. We can be killed from an accident, a heart attack, or any one of a thousand other medical complications or types of fatal mishaps. Why do we take things so seriously when life can be over so quickly? Why do we care when people post here using different names? Why do we get jealous or fearful that somebody's going to leave us? It's their right to do so if they wish. Why do we sit around and take crap off of our partner when there are plenty of others who will treat us like royalty? Why do some make their loved ones lives' so aggravating or complicated instead of trying to make their time here as pleasant as possible?

 

Why do we hang on for dear life to stuff from our childhoods that is obviously causing us great difficulty? Why do we worry about asking somebody we're interested in on a date? Why do we care about their reaction? Today may be the last chance we will ever have to see if we have a chance. Why do we tear through out partner's computer to see what he or she has been writing, viewing, saving, etc.? Why do we shake in our boots about telling a friend of the opposite sex that we have fallen in love with them? Today may be our last chance. They may not be here tomorrow. We may not either. Why does it make a difference if it creates a weird situation? Who cares? Why do we spend time being depressed about the way someone else treats us rather than telling them to get out of our lives? Why are we mean to those people we love because they're the only ones we can safely take out our hostility on? Why do we do so many of the truly stupid things we do when our precious and short time on this planet can be used so much more wisely and productively? If we knew that we would not wake up in the morning after going to sleep tonight, how many things would be do now that we have been putting off? How many things would we stop doing that we have been putting off stopping? How many people would we call to let them know we love them? How many friends and family members would we visit? How many former friends would we make up with?

 

Just how dramatically would our lives change if we knew this was our very last day? Would we start a mean attack thread in this forum...or would we go out with some friends and have a giant banana split? If every day can surely be our last, and that is quite a fact, then why do we do the stupid things we sometimes do...and why do we hesitate to do what we know is important for us to start or to finish?