(no subject)

[flamingsword]

People are afraid of Time. They think it's what changes things, that it gives things to them and takes things away from them. But Time is just what allows the change, by itself it does nothing. So be grateful that Time is omnipresent, and that it makes all things possible. Don't be afraid.

Comments

[franceschina.livejournal.com]

Time isn't normally what frightens; it's potential. As it increases the potential for favorable things, time likewise increases the potential of unfavorable ones.

Although it is part of a matrix, time can only be traversed in a linear fashion, as far as we know. Some things don't weather the journey well, such as the cells in our bodies. Every cell has a lysozome in it, and every lysozome has an expiration date. After a (genetically predisposed) duration -- assuming no outside interference -- it bursts, crippling, killing, and eventually dissolving the cell. And you age.

Every heartbeat is one closer to the finite number you will reach before it decides, "no more," and stops forever. And you die.

Every second that passes gives someone the opportunity to take everything you have, from your home to your loved ones to your sanity to your life itself. For every good possibility, there may seem to be an ocean of ill will looking for an opening.

So it isn't time that people fear. Time is merely the medium that probability moves through. And some probabilities flourish in that medium, while others wither. Such is the nature of things, I guess.

[flamingsword.livejournal.com]

I admit not everybody can feel out probability like I can, and that must be a bit of a let-down. But :dead- been there, :lost loved ones- done that, :every possession that matters destroyed or made meaningless- bought the T-shirt, :insanity- ate the hamburger. So where's the scary? I'm not the only person ever to have lost things. And, yeah, it hurts. But it's just pain.

Time and Chance are inextricably intertwined, and I still don't see the scary. So it's possible to lose everything - one day you'll die, and you'll lose everything anyway. So? Why is that innately bad?

If it's the nature of the world to take away, then the world must also give. The world is a pretty balanced equation. We are made able to do work, and we do, and we are given things and we lose things, and it's all okay, even when it's not. Suicide is actually very rare, statistically. So for most people the satisfaction of life is worth the vagaries of Time and Chance. And if you know that you think life is worthwhile, then why be afraid of pain, which is just an inevitable thing?

[franceschina.livejournal.com]

I can see your point, but some things that stick in my mind:

Pain is not a good thing. In fact, pain is your body's way of telling you that you are potentially damaging it, which is very far from a good thing. Pain is, generally, something you should attempt to keep to a pragmatic minimum in your life. But this isn't about pain, per se; it's about fear.

Fear is natural. If you don't have fear, you do stupid things that can get you injured or worse. It is an innate guage of risk, which is why stinging insects just kind of bother you, and an imminent collision with a freight train terrifies us beyond measure.

Being afraid does not make one a coward. How one deals with fear is everything. You can run from fear, which is safe but counter-productive. You can ignore fear, which is extremely unsafe and potentially lethal. You can work within the guidelines of your fear, and hopefully sidestep most outright dangers while making forward progress in your life.

As far as people choosing to live, I'd give it at best 70-30% for people happy to live, as opposed to being terrified to die. Not saying it's right, but it just seems to be the case.

[flamingsword.livejournal.com]

But why be terrified of the inevitable? Be possessive of your life, sure. Don't be reckless with your life. But being afraid to do whatever you can with your life while you're living it just seems idiotic to me.

It's like safer sex. The "er" comes from taking a potentially risky opportunity and declawing it. You can't make it completely safe, but you can minimize the risks. I'm not "afraid" of STDs, I just don't want them. Fear carries with it an implied sense of powerlessness and irrationality of response that I don't have any kind of emotional handle on. I don't understand why people react that way to life-threatening situations or even to snakes and spiders.
Fear of pain, fear of the inevitable, fear of self: I'm just confused.