X-Message-Number: 20400
Date: Tue, 05 Nov 2002 11:30:08 -0800
From: James Swayze <>
Subject: Getting loved ones and spouses to sign up
References: <>

> Message #20396
> From: "davepizer" <>
> Subject: Ways of surving
> Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 19:38:11 -0500
>

> Some people feel like they have achieved a sort of immortality if their name, 
(and therefore the memory of them), continues on in some way.

<snippage>


> Could this method be used to get friends and family, (perhaps a spouse),  to 
sign up:  "If you live forever honey, and you remember all of your friends and 
family, you will be bestowing immortality on them."?


Personally, I feel that the best way to get spouses to join us is to remind the 
spouse that is not in favor of cryonics that they are supposed to love their 
spouse that is involved. They should sign up, if

funding allows it, merely to assuage the ill feelings that their not doing so 
creates in their loved one. These feelings will run the gamut of horrifying 
emotions which the non cryonics believing spouse should
from love alone wish to ease the burden from their loved one.


One of these is guilt for not being able to persuade. Another is the terrible 
anguish over the knowledge that this, to the cryonics believer--most often, is 
seen as the ONLY way to eternal or extremely extended

life. Today, at least, not choosing cryonics is choosing absolute death, 
absolute oblivion. We all must unfortunately eventually harden ourselves to the 
awful aspect that so many in the world will be missing this

opportunity but so much worse so is to harden oneself to the egregious fact that
so many of our loved ones will also simply miss out. There is for now ONLY one 
chance.


If only our loved one's could understand and feel for only a moment this 
terrible crushing angst, they would immediately understand and right then and 
there agree to sign up. Sometimes I feel it so badly I just

want to grab and shake them silly...  shake the doubt, the fear, the blinding 
dogma, straight out of them!! Sometimes it's all I can do to keep the tears 
back. Why can't they just accept reason?


It amounts to grief, terrible grief felt beforehand and bound to linger 
interminably after. If they only knew what their decision--not to choose 
life--is condemning us to--to an eternity of, they would surely,

out of love alone, acquiesce. Why shouldn't they? What have they to lose? Do 
they truly love us? Is our love, exhibited by this terrible grief we feel for 
their loss, somehow greater than their own? Are they
incapable of empathizing?


In most cases these loved one's simply don't believe cryonics will work. SO 
WHAT! So, if it doesn't, what have they to lose, why should they care if they 
don't believe in it in the first place? Sign up anyway, if

only to indulge us. Do it because you love us! [Bumper Sticker alert: 
Cryonics--Because you care]


In other cases it is religious conviction that holds our loved ones back. They 
feel doing this is slighting their faith somehow... somehow telling their higher
being that they really don't believe all that much

because they are going to have a back up plan. HOGWASH! If they are merely 
indulging us to assuage our angst as an act of love, what cruel god would judge 
them harshly? None worth worshiping that's for certain!


Another and perhaps the most difficult case, is that they fear the future will 
be apocalyptic or dystopic. This is simply irrational. It's plain to see life 
today is markedly much better, despite the modern

dangers, than it ever has been in all of history. Unfortunately the apocalyptic 
meme is all around us, pervasive and strong... thoroughly ingrained. From the 
bible to sci-fi to the evening news it oozes from

every pore. The only shield from its effects is education... especially an 
understanding of statistics.


Regarding the bible, it must be pointed out and pounded in that there really IS 
NO prophecy in it at all. That which has been purported as prophecy is a sham. 
The two main books Daniel and Revelation are both the

worst shams. Daniel was written from historical perspective in such a manner as 
to appear to be and was claimed to be pre-empting the events allegedly foretold.
This was an ancient and common practice. It's flat

out lie. As to revelation, it was only meant for the times of the Romans and 
Nero is the so called Beast. After all he was the first to begin killing 
Christians in the Roman Coliseum for amusement... a rather

beastly thing to do. Transliteration his full name reveals the notorious 666 
mark of the beast.


Regarding sci-fi, again only education about the good that has been predicted 
and a healthy study of the real trends in history, then finally a realization 
that's it's merely sensationalism for entertainment

sake, can do anything to neutralize sci-fi's deleterious apocalyptic meme 
effects.


Regarding the news, here again one must understand that now more than anytime in
the past we have the ability to actually see and hear events from all over the 
world all the time, instantly. Sure it looks and

sounds bad but years ago you'd never have ever heard about which tribe in Africa
was genocidaly murdering another... and other like news. We are inundated daily
and we tend to focus on the bad. This is a survival

technique. We naturally focus on what dangers to avoid and so they weight our 
perceptions more heavily. We must consciously realize every day that 
statistically, "per capita", we are way way better off than ever

before. I for one would not even be alive if I had been born even two 
generations before my own... few in the past ever survived a broken neck.


Apocalyptic expectations for the future can be countered, but it takes time and 
concerted and constant effort. We may all hope that in time as cryonics gains in
popularity or shows more promise via the successful

preservation and return of organs, that more of our loved ones will catch on and
join us. The problem is that will be too late for some. We are all aging and 
varied ages from young to old. Age will catch up with

some and illness or injury may do the same to others. Where funds are not an 
issue we must encourage our loved ones to join us as if it were the supreme act 
of love and devotion. After all, how many people adopt
their spouses religion so as to be not "unevenly yoked"? Is this any different?

James
--
Cryonics Institute of Michigan Member!
The Immortalist Society Member!
The Society for Venturism Member!


MY WEBSITE: http://www.geocities.com/~davidpascal/swayze/ While there follow the
links to photos of me and some of my artwork and a radio interview on Dr.  J's 
ChangeSurfer Radio program with me and the father of
cryonics Prof.  Robert Ettinger, author of "The Prospect of Immortality".
A RELIGION I actually recommend: http://www.venturist.org
A FAVORITE quote: Last lines of the first Star Trek the Next Generation movie.

Capt.  Picard: "What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived, 
after all Number One, we're only mortal."
Will Ryker: "Speak for yourself captain, I intend to live forever!"

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