X-Message-Number: 4173
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 1995 05:53:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ben Best <>
Subject: Promoting Life Extension and Cryonics at a Toronto Health Fair

     Paul Wakfer and I spent 12 hours on Saturday, April 8th promoting 
life extension (The Life Extension Foundation) and cryonics at a Toronto
health fair -- selling books and distributing free literature. Since the
Life Extension Foundation is a major backer of cryonics research, we were
effectively fostering cryonics by two means. From another viewpoint, we
were raising consciousness about life extension among people who (for 
the most part) are not ready to have their consciousness raised to the 
cryonics level.

     With all of my sophistication about cryonics and life extension, it 
never ceases to amaze me the way new ideas emerge from interacting with 
people who know little or nothing about the subject. Here are a couple of
amusing items that arose from the day:

     (1) QUESTION: What is the difference between cryonics and cremation?
           ANSWER: One thousand degrees Celcius.

             I had been telling Paul about an elderly woman who was confused
          about the difference between cryonics and cremation when Paul 
          spontaneously offered the above anti-cryonics joke, which I 
          nonetheless found funny. I suppose it is a positive thing that
          we can laugh at ourselves.

              [ The woman decided she was interested in cremation. ]

    (2) QUESTION: Isn't it unlikely that any of us have anything of 
                  value to offer to the people who will be alive in 200 
                  years?
          ANSWER: Ask not what you can do for the people of the future, ask
                  what the people of the future can do for you.

              Even though I gave this snappy answer, I do think that we will
          have something to offer the people of the future, especially since
          some of those people should include our friends and/or relatives.

                     -- Ben Best ()


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