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A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 1:04:58 AM   
Termyn8or


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Status: offline 		As you may know I watch little in the way of TV or movies. Every once in a while I get the urge so I hit IMDB. I remember in the old days they said that smoking pot suppressed certain parts of brain waves, and where they fucked up is that I didn't forget. Later a study was done on people watching TV and found a very similar effect. So basically if I catch a buzz I might want to watch some TV. It's simple biology. But no pot, no TV.

Now I am not going to go into detail about the whole plot because it is not what I want to bring up, or at least to the forefront. Let's just say the the series is the epitome of enntertainment for conspiracy theorists and what some call tinfoilhatters. Oh yes, repleat with aliens, government coverups and everything. Well this time that really made the show. Later I might reveal what it was but there is the main premise of the plot that I found very intriguing.

There were chemical weapons deployed. This was on both sides of a war and they were supposed to be rendered inert after a short time, however they combined in the atmosphere to form a new toxin. This toxin was carried by winds to the entire ecosphere and was singularly effective at causing birth defects, BAD BAD ones. Almost all babies died, and the ones that lived were so deformed they would not be ummmm, doing much of anything. Not viable. that's the author's term not mine.

The story begins ten years into this. there has not been a normal child born on Earth for ten years.

Now if you want a further "book report" on this I will supply. However there is this one point that I would like to explore. They are not going to kill you, they are not going to hurt you, but there will be no more babies. The story's less than worst ending notwithstanding, consider living in a world in which there never will be any more children.

It's quite clear that we are going extinct, so now what to do ?

There is no next generation.

Mourn the loss of the huiman race. (the story did not mention what happened to other species)

Enjoy the fact that you have no responsibility to the human race anymore. First of all, because it was a war of Man, Man caused this. Death by misadventure. Never mind that "leaders" disregarded the will of the People ( yeah, who voted to be extinct ? ), and never mind alot of other things. What would you do ?

Would you strive to live as long as possible, to be the last one left ? Or would you take every fucking risk that scared you before ? I mean seriously folks, at first you may dismiss this notion but you know, give it time to fester in your mind a bit. Give it a bit of real thought.

What would you do ?

T^T
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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 7:32:11 AM   
Duskypearls


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Status: offline 		That's an interesting question you pose, Ter. I dunno. During conjecture, sometimes we think we know what we'll do under certain circumstances, but in truth, we often don't actually know until it actually happens.

I'm hoping I'd go for a combination of both; alive as long as I can be, and ALIVE and playing full out.

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 7:38:46 AM   
littlewonder


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Status: offline 		I would continue to live my life exactly as I'm doing now....with morals, values and calculated risks.

I'm not the type to take risks just because. I'm not an adrenalin junkie. I would continue to do my best to eat and live a healthy life and do what I can to live a healthy life. I do those for the same reasons I would then.....to live a healthy, long life so that I can be around for my loved ones as long as possible.



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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 7:43:03 AM   
DesFIP


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Status: offline 		I don't enjoy risk so I wouldn't take them. More importantly, although there would be no future generations, I would still want as much time as possible with those alive whom I do love. Why would I want to leave them earlier then I had to? Which btw is my answer to staying alive now. Not for the sake of some unknown great grandchild, but for those here who I love.

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 12:06:12 PM   
agirl


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Status: offline 		What would I do?......Well, I really don't know. I can only imagine that how  much enthusiasm I had for life would depend on how I find myself left.

If I had family I'd hope we'd pull to make the most of life *as is* and take it from there; perhaps find a worthwhile existence, but in extreme circumstances you never really know.

Other than that, I've no idea how anyone can *know* what they'd do in such a situation or know how life changing to this degree would affect them.

agirl





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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 12:08:14 PM   
gungadin09


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Status: offline 		If that ever happens, i'm a gonner. i don't have the fight in me to survive an apocalyptic situation.

pam

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 12:26:30 PM   
Moonhead


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Status: offline 		Children Of Men?

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 12:27:16 PM   
Duskypearls


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quote:

ORIGINAL: agirl


Other than that, I've no idea how anyone can *know* what they'd do in such a situation or know how life changing to this degree would affect them.

agirl




My sentiments, exactly. We can guess, we can dream, but none of us knows until we're actually experiencing it.

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 2:46:30 PM   
Aswad


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quote:

ORIGINAL: gungadin09

If that ever happens, i'm a gonner. i don't have the fight in me to survive an apocalyptic situation.


What's apocalyptic about it?

And who said one needs to fight to survive an apocalyptic situation?

Governments will fight teeth and claw to hang on to their power until their last breath, and will attack the people who are inclined to grow aggressive in the presence of despair that exists largely as a consequence of the same system: the snake, eating its own tail, with no other purpose than to consume. Such a thing would strangle that snake at a high cost.

Now, there's a million-and-one things to do to fix the problem, but none of them will be done.

So, it's more like "grind away at the mill until there's no more flour", just like before.

The difference being the flour runs out sooner.

Health,
al-Aswad.


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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 3:06:45 PM   
gungadin09


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Aswad
What's apocalyptic about it?

i have the feeling that with the end of the human race imminent, things will quickly go to hell.

And who said one needs to fight to survive an apocalyptic situation?

i said. When they set up the roadblocks and gangs of machine gunners start patrolling the streets, i'm not placing great odds on my chances, is all.


pam

< Message edited by gungadin09 -- 12/25/2011 3:09:41 PM >

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 3:51:36 PM   
Aswad


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Status: offline 		I'm less concerned with the gangs than with what will be done for the official system to stay in power, particularly up here in Europe, where people are a bit less bloody-minded about everything. Shit hits the fan, our impulse is not generally to go Mad Max / Thunderdome, but rather to pull each other through. Anyway, as a rule, most people have a skill. Leveraging the skillset does not necessarily translate into handling guns.

Course, if it all does go Katrina, it helps to camp out with the folk who come prepared for Resident Evil: Apocalypse XIV, Director's Uncut and Unrated Sixteen Disc Boxed Set. That's been my angle, as far as backup plans go, and I am fortunate enough to know a fair number of capable people that have the means to pull through, and to pull many others through. You could no doubt find the same yourself. We're not hard to find, and most don't require a huge commitment to benefit from an association (water filtration, canned goods, etc. are incredibly cheap when people stock together, just as a simple example).

I doubt I'll ever need it, but I wear a seat belt.

Health,
al-Aswad.



_____________________________

"If God saw what any of us did that night, he didn't seem to mind.
From then on I knew: God doesn't make the world this way.
We do." -- Rorschack, Watchmen.


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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 6:04:06 PM   
Termyn8or


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Status: offline 		"That's an interesting question you pose, Ter. "

"T" is fine unless there is another in the thread starting with T. Anyway that is a part of the point. None of us really knows what we would do in that reality unless it is actually reality. The problem with that fact is that it implies that in our relative safety of the here and now, we can rationally think it through and figure out what we should do. Can we do that under those conditions ? Can we embrace this situation intellectually if the time actually comes ?

"for the same reasons I would then.....to live a healthy, long life so that I can be around for my loved ones as long as possible."

Why ? To watch them all die and subsequently die alone ? Don't take this as pessimism because I believe there is more to it. In fact that's the purpose of this thread.

"Why would I want to leave them earlier then I had to?"

Again, to not watch them die and subsequently die alone. Is that selfish ? Amd if so then is living unselfish ?

"Other than that, I've no idea how anyone can *know* what they'd do in such a situation or know how life changing to this degree would affect them."

I think we got that pretty much agreed upon, but why is that ? Will the reality of such a situation affect how we think, and change what our decisions might be ? If so, why ? The reason I bring that up is because of gambling. You have to SPECIFICALLY isolate your actions at the table from your particular situation financially. You play the game, NOT your pocket. Could we do this ? Or would we all just go insane ?

"If that ever happens, i'm a gonner. i don't have the fight in me to survive an apocalyptic situation."

NOTHING happens to you. You just can't have kids. Nobody can. You don't get sick from this, you don't die or anything. You just know that this is really the end. Not with a bang, but with the last whimper of the last human dying, probably after you. But you know it will happen.

"Children Of Men?"

Despite your history I am going to take that without snark or any other intent. In the story I mentioned it was not dealt with whether all animal life or anything else was affected so therefore for the purpose of discussion it applies only to humans. Of course it really wouldn't matter that much now would it ?

"the snake, eating its own tail, with no other purpose than to consume"

That may come later. Government and large corps would no doubt be on an artificial insemination blitzkreig, with every pubescent required to drop eggs and sperm. No doubt the government would then raise the kids in their own image if they could make any. Then they would be property wouldn't they ?

But with no blood heirs to whom to leave the wealth, or the rei(g)ns, what would be the point ? The people who run the world have been operating for generations, that is obvious, but what if there are no more generations ? Why planning ? Why conquest ? Those last years could prove to be the most peaceful in history, and I don't think I mean just recorded history. People have enough money to provide for their whole family for ten generations, and it's not enough.

Maybe in that situation it would finally be enough.

Or, they could get even worse. The pharisic instincts might be amplified by the situation. They already believed that they should get it now in this life. But now they don't have to worry about their progeny. Indeed, what would "they" do ?

T^T

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 6:20:23 PM   
littlewonder


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Status: offline 		Well being that I can't have anymore children anyway I don't see how it would change anything in my life than how it is currently.




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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 6:20:58 PM   
gungadin09


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Termyn8or
None of us really knows what we would do in that reality unless it is actually reality... Can we embrace this situation intellectually if the time actually comes ?

No. Without a future, human morality would rapidly deteriorate. The government would become totalitarian, or civilization would break down into warring tribes. In either case, the world would be ruled by force and only the strong would survive, which leaves me out. That would be okay by me anyway, since i wouldn't want to live in that world.

NOTHING happens to you. You just can't have kids. Nobody can. You don't get sick from this, you don't die or anything. You just know that this is really the end.

i realize that, and i think things would play out as i described above.


pam


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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 8:05:14 PM   
Duskypearls


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Termyn8or




Or, they could get even worse. The pharisic instincts might be amplified by the situation. They already believed that they should get it now in this life. But now they don't have to worry about their progeny. Indeed, what would "they" do ?

T^T


Please define pharisic for me, will you?


< Message edited by Duskypearls -- 12/25/2011 8:06:04 PM >

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 9:34:20 PM   
Termyn8or


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Status: offline 		Dusky;

Pharisic beliefs were held by the Pharises back in the time of Christ and before. They firmly believed that there is absolutely no afterlife whatsoever and all of your rewards will be on Earth. This conflicted with the prophet Joshua bar Joseph who promised people a heaven after our corporeal life. (Christ)

They believe that we humans (them too) are nothing more than smart animals, period, and they do not believe in the existence of the soul at all.

Without an afterlife to threaten punishment they do quite well. They also treat their fellow Man as chattel, or cattle. Anyone or anything exploitable should be exploited. And since it is an addiction by definition, it is insatiable. We can make an extra five cents a year by making a million peoples' lives miserable, we have SHAREHOLDERS to whom to answer. Grampa's pension depends on this ! For a nickel a year they would do it. Remember, this life is all you get, there is nothing after. That is what they believe.

What you believe is your business unless you wanna tell. Wanna tell ?

T^T

T^T

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 9:46:45 PM   
seababy


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Duskypearls

quote:

ORIGINAL: Termyn8or




Or, they could get even worse. The pharisic instincts might be amplified by the situation. They already believed that they should get it now in this life. But now they don't have to worry about their progeny. Indeed, what would "they" do ?

T^T


Please define pharisic for me, will you?


New one for me too. Looked it up "Hypocritically self-righteous"

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 9:54:54 PM   
seababy


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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 10:03:14 PM   
Termyn8or


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quote:

New one for me too. Looked it up "Hypocritically self-righteous"


That is true.

T^T

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RE: A fictional episode - 12/25/2011 10:24:07 PM   
Duskypearls


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Termyn8or

Dusky;

Pharisic beliefs were held by the Pharises back in the time of Christ and before. They firmly believed that there is absolutely no afterlife whatsoever and all of your rewards will be on Earth. This conflicted with the prophet Joshua bar Joseph who promised people a heaven after our corporeal life. (Christ)

They believe that we humans (them too) are nothing more than smart animals, period, and they do not believe in the existence of the soul at all.

Without an afterlife to threaten punishment they do quite well. They also treat their fellow Man as chattel, or cattle. Anyone or anything exploitable should be exploited. And since it is an addiction by definition, it is insatiable. We can make an extra five cents a year by making a million peoples' lives miserable, we have SHAREHOLDERS to whom to answer. Grampa's pension depends on this ! For a nickel a year they would do it. Remember, this life is all you get, there is nothing after. That is what they believe.

What you believe is your business unless you wanna tell. Wanna tell ?

T^T

T^T


Thanks, Termy. When looking it up, the closest dict dot com offered was pharisee, and I wasn't at all sure that was connected. Obviously, it is.

You really wanna know what I believe in terms of afterlife and punishment or not? I dunno. I honestly only know there is the here and now, and I can't prove anything past that, so all else is supposition to me. Beliefs to the contrary, or faith in such beliefs, is a luxury I am, at present, unable to invest in, not because I don't want to, but because this somewhat analytical mind wants proof. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, and I would be very happy if it does, but as for now....show me!

I am also flummoxed, as well as impressed, by other's abilities to choose and invest in the belief of their choice for which they have no proof. Whether it be Christianity, Paganism, Nazism, Raceism, etc. I am not so sure it is what you believe in (right or wrong, moral or immoral, ethical or unethical), but that you believe in it, and the degree to which you do, that makes it work for you. Let's face it, most of what people believe in are opinions, words or stories told them by others. Which of any of these people have proof of the truth of their beliefs? Not one that I know of. For all any of us know, they could all be fairy tales.

I am far from perfect, will always be the first to admit so, and was brought up, and continue to live, with NO religious or supporting belief structure of any kind, for either the present or the afterlife, yet the lack of such never inspired or triggered me to become parasitic towards, or exploitative of, my fellow humans, critters, or nature in general. It is simply too foreign and irreconcilable a concept to me. I get no kicks from siphoning the life or pleasure out of another.

On the other hand, were situations of literal survival required in a more severe scenario, I could easily, and without conscience or guilt, steal, plot, intimidate, and even murder. That, I have no problem with. Go figure!

Do I/we have a soul? I dunno. Many say we do, and that animals don't. Is that true, or just ego-centric, spiritual elitism? I dunno. I can't prove it either way.

There's so much I just do not know.

Sorry you asked yet, Termy?!

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