X-Message-Number: 1601
Date: 12 Jan 93 19:56:32 EST
From: MICHAEL RISKIN <>
Subject: Why do you want extended life?

I spend as much of my life in the here and now as is possible.Although the
past experienced as hindsight can of course be  an invaluable learning
aide, dwelling on the same often produces depression or addictions to
glories past. The future offers us the possibility of exercising foresight
and having positive control over our lives, with the downside being that
continued focus on the existential contingencies that await us often
produces anxiety and panic attacks. It is in the here and now that I
experience the fullness of my life....a flow of being, flavored with the
spice of a hearty insight.

Since life for me is a sequence of here and nows, when asked about
cryonics, that is my perspective.I have found myself saying "I enjoy
conversations with inquisitive and intelligent people.....do you?"
If the answer is "yes" I've said "we have something in common" or some
such thought as stikes me at the moment, and "I look forward to many such
more moments." Of course people will reply "no" and I genuinely inquire as
to what it is they do value or enjoy and would like to have a lot more of.
You know, if you give people a chance to express themselves without
sensing negative judgment, they will often find their own reasons for
wanting extended life.

Michael Riskin

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