X-Message-Number: 22541 Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 00:34:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Charles Platt <> Subject: Alcor membership Because this issue has recurred in several posts on CryoNet, the following message seems necessary, even though the topic is somewhat personal. My concerns about personal differences or misunderstandings between myself and Alcor seem to have been resolved, thanks to some goodwill on both sides. Also I have been urged to remain an Alcor member because I've been told that my decision to quit membership was interpreted as a vote of no confidence. I did emphasize (more than once) that I was not doubting Alcor's ability to provide service, but some people seemed unwilling to believe it. My primary satisfaction in cryonics has always come from being active--helping to provide service for people who want it, promoting the general concept, and trying to make improvements which will benefit my daughter's generation if not my own. I'm highly motivated to pursue these goals because they constitute the only defiant gesture that I can make in the face of human mortality, which I abhor. This defiance is a matter of principle rather than self-interest. I am less interested in receiving cryonics service myself because my response to aging and death is sadness rather than fear, and I question whether cryonics will do much to mitigate the overwhelming sadness when I'm on my death bed. Even if resuscitation turns out to be possible, I will be facing decades of oblivion in the interim. Because of my personal outlook, quitting membership didn't seem such a big deal to me, especially since I have gone without coverage twice before. However, for obvious reasons I never wanted my choice to damage Alcor. Some people did seem worried about this, and my primary concerns about personal issues have been addressed. Consequently today I told Alcor's membership administrator that I will not execute the form that she sent me to retrieve ownership of my life insurance. By default, my Alcor membership will remain in effect. --Charles Platt Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22541