X-Message-Number: 18515
From: 
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 13:24:14 EST
Subject: re Leon Kass

>..."To know and to feel that one only goes around once
>and that the deadline is not out of sight is for many
>people the necessary spur to the pursuit of something
>worthwhile," wrote Leon Kass, a "media-shy" University
>of Chicago professor. Kass, who wrote an essay on the
>benefits of mortality in the 1980s, is one of the few
>voices questioning the value of indefinite life spans.

Kass is an idiot.  I would much rather be defined by the things I had time to 
do (and did), than the things I wanted to do but had to turn aside from due 
to lack of time- and the exigencies of overwhelming physical decline.

>" If the lifespan were increased only 20 years, asks Dr.
>Kass, "would professional tennis players really enjoy
>playing 25% more games of tennis? Would the Don Juans
>of our world feel better for having seduced 1,250
>women rather than 1,000?" In fact, argues Dr. Kass,
>life could become more meaningless. 

I'm sorry Dr. Kass finds his life meaningless.  Mine, on the other hand, is 
meaningful.  And the inherent prejudice in his questions belies his intent. I 
don't see much point in keeping a scorecard on the number of games of tennis 
I play or the number of sexual partners I might have.  But anyone who has 
ever truly been in love knows the value of time spent with someone you love.  
And, if we live long enough, the possible pleasure and enjoyment of many, 
long extended relationships would only increase the value of our lives and 
hopefully our understanding of human existence. 

How many bad choices do we make because we fear the end, we don't have enough 
time or resources or health?  I feel sorry for Dr. Kass.  He needs to find 
something worthwhile to do with the short time he'll allow for himself. Its 
very sad. 

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=18515