X-Message-Number: 11846
From: 
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 00:28:36 EDT
Subject: Another near miss, and what you can do

Recently we received still another call from a family that had lost a father, 
and heard about us just a little too late--about five days after the death. 

One unusual aspect was that the deceased was an unusually brilliant 
individual who had received national honors, personally bestowed by a head of 
state. Another was that he was from a Moslem country, although we don't know 
for sure if the family are practicing Moslems.

We are not especially interested in preserving unusually gifted people. In 
the relatively near future I expect that everyone, including the retrofitted 
revived cryopatients, will be optimally equipped, aside from eccentricities 
of choice. In any case, we want to preserve ourselves, and those we love, 
without regard to "merit."

But the interest on the part of people raised in a Moslem state does give us 
something to think about. It is further evidence that education, reason and 
love can sometimes carry the day, regardless of the prevailing culture or 
tradition. The lesson again is that we should not write off anybody, and in 
particular should not write off any categories of people.

And what can you do?  On our web site we have  17 easy things listed, but 
today I want to stress again the importance of simply getting the word out. 
You don't have to sell, and you don't have to spend any money--just a little 
time. MENTION US and our web site (or that of your own organization). 
Whenever you send an e-mail, or any other communication, add a mention. You 
will help the organizations grow, and you could save a life or several. And 
one of them might be your own, if your mentions help growth enough to improve 
your own chances.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org  

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