Bodofooko

The 115,000 was purely arbitrary. Basically I was getting at any length of time that does not include infinity. Assuming the universe is perpetually expanding and does not collapse on itself, and there is any point where you cease to be, then the way it seems to me is that your existence is basically still equal to nothing. As time approaches infinity, the period of time you were conscious and sum total of your existence approaches zero, no matter how large that total is.

And if time is finite, well then it still doesn't really matter how long you live or what you do since there will still be a time (or end of time) when you will no longer exist. Unless you somehow escape the system in which the Universe exists...perhaps to some of the other 7 dimensions, or how ever many string theory says there are. (But that is starting to sound a little too much like religion.)

I guess what it comes down to in my mind is that I either have to lie to myself I and say that my life matters even though it will end and I won't remember it (focusing on the here and now), or lying to myself and say that my life matters because there is something beyond it in which I will continue existing.

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I read all of Rick's post, and all I got was this lousy sig.

Ferris Bueller

There is a third option. Simply accept that death is an inevitable part of life and accept the fact that no matter how grand any achievement is, on the scope of the universe, the purpose of life isnt to fill some arbitrary personal void with meaning, but simply to live. Enjoy your life and dont question what legacy you will leave, where your mark will be made. Be happy that you have been given an opportunity for life, and I dont mean by God or some higher power, but by your mother and father, who chose to bring you into this world. There is no sense in trying to turn your life into some ticking clock with an ultimate deadline, but simply live and enjoy.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

Kerostasis

There is also the fourth option, that perhaps you aren't lying when you suggest there is something beyond death. Proving that is of course extremely hard, but then again so is disproving it, so it really just comes down to faith.

Personally, I have complete faith that there is life beyond death.

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Switch

When I was in college my Dad told me not to drink crappy beer because 'its bad for you' If I was going to drink, he wanted me drinking good beer. LoL

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|TG|Switch

Better known as:
That noob who crashed the chopper.
That noob who ran over the mine.
That noob who TK'd me with a sniper rifle.
That noob who hit that APC at 300m with light AT! Our APC...

BeSiege82

and your point is?

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lTG-Irrl BeSiege82
A former platoon leader...

"Courage grows strong at the wound."
"Virescit Vulnere Virtus."

"{My grump-o-meter starts to make a high-pitched whine when I point it at your post, though.}" -- Axis

Gogeta

Didnt anyone watch that SouthPark episode ?? Mormon is the correct religion we should pick.... thats why were all going to hell

Although I respect the OP and the others for posting some damn good writings and opinions.. Its extremely hard for me to take discussions on the validity of religion, death, and what happens after it seriously. Every bit of it is speculation, and should be viewed as such. I just thought Id "shine some light" on the subject.

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|TG-4th| Gogeta

ednos

That sounds a lot like anarchy to me. Personally, I support anarchism by buying anarchist apparel from department stores.

You just reminded me of the ONLY good South Park episode.

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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. ~ Bertrand Russell
I have a tendency to key out three or four things and then let them battle for supremacy while I key, so there's a lot of backspacing as potential statements are slaughtered and eaten by the victors. ~ Magna Centipede

ednos

You can't prove ANYTHING except in Mathematics. Scientists continually demonstrate this.

__________________
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. ~ Bertrand Russell
I have a tendency to key out three or four things and then let them battle for supremacy while I key, so there's a lot of backspacing as potential statements are slaughtered and eaten by the victors. ~ Magna Centipede

Ferris Bueller

Mathematicians also prove that even mathematics cannot PROVE anything. I've seen a proof that showed a logical reason why 1+1 does not equal 2.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

mentholated

Today I was watching an hour long documentary on supermassive black holes. It was relatively recent and they showed some new computer simulations of what the universe looked like just after the big bang, when the universe was entirely made up of hot gasses which began to swirl and clump together, forming the first stars, which were so large and massive that they quickly collapsed into the first black holes. These black holes in a way "seeded" the universe to create the galaxies and inject the required motion into the matter of the universe which caused the various bodies of matter to form into what they are now. The black holes began to orbit eachother and smash these galaxies together, cannibalising eachother and turning into bigger galaxies. After a while, it began to look like coffee swirling in a coffee pot. At that moment I really began to appreciate the scope of the universe. We're so used to thinking in terms of scale that we are a certain size, and below this size is smaller, and above is bigger, but it can only get so big until it turns into a black hole. But I ask you, what if in actuality, the universe really is just a pin prick in a piece of something even bigger, something we couldn't possibly imagine because our concepts of scale do not have the ability to understand that we can only so far measure up to a limit. Its as if we're a really just individual atoms, inside a cell. Inside a body. Inside a house. Inside a neighborhood. Inside a city. Inside a state. Inside a country. Inside a continent. Inside a planet. You get the picture. How are we to be sure that WE ourselves are not made up of galaxies and stars? In the face of the universe, is death really so horrible? We're part of something incredibly magnificent. It takes a lot of effort to really appreciate the magnitude of your own existance. Its a wonder anything even exists at all. As you stare at the cold factuality of science, you can't help but start to become a believer in something "bigger", because that nature we find ourselves in is so incredibly perfect in its operation, even when all we can see is chaos.

BeSiege82

Although this is a seemingly sounding paradox the truth is science can make laws (ie.. the laws of motion) but it cannot prove an absolute truth. Men know that work is our pain, but why? Why do we have infighting and discord and murder? We, are the only group that has medical services but yet still goes and killes our own kind. What has given us the power over all things and the ability to know right from wrong? Whether you realize it, what you do today can influence the personality of generations to come. A curse of one can cause the curse to follow. What outcome do we want- think, do you want your grate grandson becoming the next slime-ball president?

Order out of chaos- what man does not see is how we are proud and good as dirt we are, for we are dirt- how can we comprehend such things as death when we cannot even understand the human brain: we just know what lights up when you get sad, feel pain, or become happy. I know this aspect with the brain because I have epilepsy- it was 3 years until it was gotten under control- that means I got it finally under control August 14,2007 ; you tend to realize how little people know how we work. I've also seen the ugly side of medication- when it makes you slow minded & with my grand mother- she died of a fever when part of her brain that helps with tempurature because people kept giving her stuff.

Sadly, man truly knows little of how things work. We can subdo it but only at this time in a practical way.

Oh, Black holes are giant garbage disposal units in space, scientists have photographed a large stream of electrons coming from the bottom of the hole. Those. they don't lead to another dimension.

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lTG-Irrl BeSiege82
A former platoon leader...

"Courage grows strong at the wound."
"Virescit Vulnere Virtus."

"{My grump-o-meter starts to make a high-pitched whine when I point it at your post, though.}" -- Axis

ednos

No, it's that you CAN prove ANYTHING. Also, math works the way it does because it's a creation, not a discovery (the syntax and common methodology).

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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. ~ Bertrand Russell
I have a tendency to key out three or four things and then let them battle for supremacy while I key, so there's a lot of backspacing as potential statements are slaughtered and eaten by the victors. ~ Magna Centipede

aeroripper

The thing that has given us power and dominance over "all things" (assuming you mean animal life, the physical earth, chemistry, etc..), is the evolution of our mental capacity to manipulate our environment. What you consider "right" and "wrong" has been shaped and formed throughout our history, and is culturally defined. Even something as grave as murder, could be considered a good thing given the proper context and indoctrination, tribal custom, or cultural practice. There are many passions that drive humans to do great, or awful things. That power lies with us, not in a God or of blind faith. I do believe science comes far closer to rationalizing the events around us, even if it cannot prove some things entirely. Luckily for us, it can be changed and revised as new provable theories come along.

There is so much to be discovered out there in the universe, we haven't even scratched the surface, much less even comprehend our relative insignificance in the scheme of things. It took our entire evolutionary period to get to the point where we're at now, and the ball will keep rolling faster down the hill barring a major catastrophe to our species. Whether its understanding how the brain works, or the inner workings of the universe, given enough time and resources the answers are out there.

It depends how how far you mean by "anything". Anything in the physical universe we can probably prove eventually, at least beyond the shadow of a doubt. If anything lies beyond that I don't see how you could (beyond even other dimensions since those would be a component of the physical universe).

lol, clever. Irony is a wonderful thing.

ednos

In mathematics, an entity exists if and only if it is defined. Therefore, you can prove "anything" without worrying about taking "anything" too far and just abiding by the standard English definition.

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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. ~ Bertrand Russell
I have a tendency to key out three or four things and then let them battle for supremacy while I key, so there's a lot of backspacing as potential statements are slaughtered and eaten by the victors. ~ Magna Centipede

BeSiege82

GUYS! We are getting off topic.

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lTG-Irrl BeSiege82
A former platoon leader...

"Courage grows strong at the wound."
"Virescit Vulnere Virtus."

"{My grump-o-meter starts to make a high-pitched whine when I point it at your post, though.}" -- Axis