X-Message-Number: 5246 Date: 23 Nov 95 13:43:09 EST From: "Kent, Saul" <> Subject: Fear Of Death And A Few Words About Marketing Steve Bridge says that most people who are afraid of something, such as speaking in public, do not strive to conquer their fear, but, rather seek to avoid whatever it is they are afraid of. He suggests that this may explain why most people who are afraid of death fail to do anything about it. In my case, the central driving force in my efforts to conquer death is, and has always been, my fear of death, which I experience emotionally as the absence of being. Most people can avoid most things they are afraid of, such as speaking in public, however the only way I can avoid the consequences of *my* fear is to continue to be, that is, to remain alive. Hence, my efforts to help conquer death. Many people have told me that their primary fears are *not* that they are going to die, but rather pain, suffering, losing their looks, losing their minds, and, generally, the deterioration that comes with old age. To me, all such fears are *part* of the fear of dying because they are all part of the *process* of dying. In fact, I believe, we would see things more clearly if we referred to what currently happens to us with the passage of time as "dying" rather than "aging". First because it would help people understand that they are, in fact, dying, even if they are still "healthy". Second because it would help them understand that the passage of time does not *inevitably* have to lead to death, which would, hopefully, persuade them to participate in the fight against death. A few words about marketing cryonics. I believe strongly that cryonics can be marketed well today. I believe there are hundreds of thousands of people favorably predisposed to cryonics who could potentially be persuaded to join cryonics organizations with enough time, effort, intelligence, and creativity. I believe there are a number of identifiable reasons that keep people from signing up for cryonics and that, in many cases, people could be signed up by dealing effectively with the primary reason(s) for their failure to sign up. I believe that one of the primary reasons more people aren't signing up for cryonics is the relatively poor quality of the current methods we use to preserve patients. Since these poor methods are also an impediment to *my* survival, I have chosen, at this time, to concentrate most of my efforts in cryonics to help improve these methods. I also believe that the improvement of cryonics methods, as well as the expectation of *continued* improvement in cryonics methods, are the most important tools we have in marketing cryonics. ---Saul Kent Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=5246