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Hey guys,
Time for me to do some
ante. I don't overly concern myself with the metaphor that life is a game,
but if it is, then it's a game of strip poker in my view.
The fact that Robert (I don't know a more
appropriate name to call RR in this venue) concerned himself with senescence is
just more proof, in my opinion, that this was a man who concerned himself
with longstanding and profound problems and questions.
How long have we, mankind, been haunted by thoughts
of our own mortality? Apparently we haven't even been the only intelligent
species on Earth to have done so. I have heard that even the Neanderthals
buried their dead with flowers. Who wouldn't sip from the fountain of
youth were it made available to them?
In my mind it is not the fact that we age and die
that is striking. We all grow old and die, big deal. What strikes me
is that we live as long as we do. The explanation for our longevity that
has most appealed to me to date is recourse to maybe two or three facts.
We humans are to an unprecedented (locally) degree dependant upon our ability to
adapt for survival. Adaptability is our niche. We have and extensive
childhood and accompanying vulnerability. We are social
creatures.
The upshot of all this is that the old of today,
who once relied upon the old of their youth for guidance, are now depended upon
to guide the youth of today. The implicit and the explicit are
commingled.
Give me a little time and I try to put it in If...
Then... form.
David
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