X-Message-Number: 9377
From: Olaf Henny <>
Subject: Message #9367 from Dave Pizer
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 21:27:06 -0800

In Message #9367 Dave Pizer wrote:


>Pizer adds to Ettinger's comments.

(deleted)
>One trend that I have noticed in the last couple of years, is the 
>high rate of people cancelling their memberships (not switching - just
>dropping out).  So if 6 people sign up world wide in a month, and 5 people
>drop out, the net gain is not much.  Certainly the growth 
>rate of net gain is dropping.  Why?
>
>One explanation is that a while ago, a lot of people funded their
>suspensions with term insurance.  When it comes up for renewal years later,
>and they are older, the premiums are a lot higher than they had thought
>(and/or could afford).  But I suspect that is not the main reason.  I don't
>know what it is.  It just doesn't make sense that a person would do all the
>work of filling out the paper work, getting funding in place, and the other
>work, and then change their minds several years later.

I think I can supply another, very strong reason, why people tend 
to drop out, particularly when they get close to the end:  When 
we are completely exhausted, as we all will be just before we die 
a "natural death" most of us do not care if we live or die.  We 
most of all want to be left alone and not bother.

I had a very interesting experience years ago when I went rock 
climbing in the Austrian Alps with a group.  We started out on a 
very warm afternoon (approx. 30C or mid eighties).  On our way 
back we took a wrong turn and ended up on the top of a vertical 
drop, which was too high for repelling with the lengths of the 
ropes we were carrying.  To make a long story short, we were 
delayed, fog moved in, it first started to drizzle at dusk, then 
freezing rain, which covered the rock with ice, followed by snow. 
 Although we were experienced enough to carry parkas, we had 
stashed our sweaters on the way up, and the wind blew into the 
bottoms of our parkas and out through the top or vice versa.  By 
3:00 am we were all suffering from hypothermia.  I remember 
loosing my grip on the ice covered rock and falling straight 
down, in that foggy night I had no idea if the drop was 5 feet or 
50 (it must have been about 8' or 10').  Under normal conditions 
that would have scared the hell out of me, but in my exhausted 
state I did not feel the slightest jolt of fear.  I just got up 
and scampered on.

Due to the conditions that night, we could not see each other at 
all,  so it took some time before one of us noticed, that we had 
not heard Axel's voice for awhile.  It turned out, that he had 
quietly given up.  He responded to our calls, but told us to 
leave him alone.  I went back and actually had to grab his boot 
and place it into the next foothold and yell at him to get a grip 
of himself, before he after a few minutes snapped out of it and 
tuckered along under his own steam.  Each and everyone of us 
acted irrationally at some time during that trip, not just Axel, 
but it taught me, that when we are utterly exhausted, death is 
not frightening any more, as a matter of fact, 'slipping away' 
can be rather tempting.  

Now take a person who has signed up for cryopreservation in 
his/her last weeks of a terminal illness, with a whole bunch of 
friends and relatives berating him to forget about that cockeyed 
idea of having him-/herself frozen.  This individual does not 
have the energy to listen to these people, let alone to defend 
his/her position.  He/she just wants to be left alone:  Yeah, 
okay I'll cancel it (if that gives me some peace & quiet).

A lot of those, who are gung-ho on cryonics may not see an 
extended lifespan as such a price anymore when they are mortally 
tired.  It is important, that we guard ourselves against an 
onslaught of contrary opinions, when we are at our weakest.  I 
would expect, that what I described above had a lot to do with 
Timothy Leary's backing out of cryopreservation, not that some 
organization or other "fumbled the ball".  Now please, let us 
*not* start *that* discussion again [I am allowed to mention it 
in a neutral manner, because I was not involved. :)]

>Perhaps we (the hard-core cryonicists) should do more work in member
>retention than getting new members?

Good idea!

Best, 

Olaf

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