X-Message-Number: 4910
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 1995 12:47:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: CryoIndividualism

I've had several very pleasant phone calls with Robin H-L and am very
impressed by what he has achieved with his management seminars. I admire
his entrepreneurial spirit, which is a lot more formally grounded than
mine. But this dream of setting up a cryonics facility in the Bahamas
sounds, to me, like another instance of something I have learned to
recognize as extreme CryoIndividualism. Simply expressed, it takes the
form of the old quip, "Be reasonable, do it my way!" 

This ornery spirit has served cryonics well from time to time, most
notably when Alcor defied the local authorities, protected its patients,
and won a court decision re Dora Kent against all odds. But it's the same
spirit which has also tempted cryonicists to follow paths so extremely
individualistic, they can only be regarded with bemusement by the rest of
the world. (Tact inhibits me from giving personal examples. I could
probably find a few from my own life, but embarrassment inhibits me from
naming them.)

Robin, siting a cryonics facility in an area where there is no industrial
base, a strong risk of violently destructive weather, and moody (if that's
the word for it) customs officials sounds crazy to me. I've been to the
Bahamas and understand your love for the lifestyle, the attitude, and the
feeling of freedom--but these are things I can only appreciate while I'm
alive. When I've frozen, I do *not* want to be stuck on an island which is
devastated periodically by hurricanes and has very little industrial
infrastructure! With so many places in the world potentially available for
a cryonics storage facility, really the only advantage of the Bahamas
(that I can see) is that you like it there. 

Having said this I must add that since decisions are not always taken on a
strictly pragmatic basis in this field, a storage facility in the Bahamas
might actually attract a small amount of business, for whatever wacky
reason. But think how much MORE business it would attract if it was in a
more "normal" part of the world. Isn't that the kind of advice you would
give your management students? 

--CP


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