[Porsche-O-Phile]

The fact that death exists - ESPECIALLY if one believes that death is final and there is no afterlife, no extension of consciousness and nothing spiritual about us hairless apes whatsoever - makes life more valuable. Every day, every hour and every minute and second. If this is really all we have, then why do people waste time worrying about stupid minutia?

I ask myself this question a lot as I am introspective and a worrier by nature. I know that one of my flaws is that I get consumed by and occasionally worked up over things that are probably in the grand scheme of things not very important. Such is the downside of being a detail-oriented person, but I view at least asking the question "is this really important?" to be a very good one and one that I should ask myself more and more.

When viewed in that context, lots of things change. There is nothing more tragic than a wasted life if one life is all we get. To see people held down because of stupid things like greed, political interests, race, religion, etc. is downright tragic. The extent to which some people revolve their lives around the mindless pursuit of material things and money is all the more offensive and silly (I know - kind of ironic to be posting this on a Porsche forum, but that only underscores another fact - that we humans are irrational and occasionally flawed, prone to the occasional contradiction!)

Some things are really important in life - people, honesty to ourselves, our consciences and our morals. Living well but not so well as to be unreasonably greedy or at the expense of others. Being happy. Truly happy. To love and be loved. To look at the sunrise and sunset occasionally. To not be consumed by the ratrace. To thank whatever powers you believe in for how very lucky you are for health, youth, prosperity, whatever - even the most bad-off person has SOMETHING to be thankful for. Those sorts of things matter. Making a fat wallet fatter? Having a bigger house or a nicer car or a more lavish vacation? No. Those things don't. People do. Experiences do. Perspectives do. Stuff doesn't.

That said, I find poverty to be one of the most despicable problems facing mankind as it tends to rob and deprive people of their chance for a purposeful existence - one that might be the only shot they ever get. Yes, it is POSSIBLE to have a meaningful life and do something of note/purpose/consequence from a position of povery, but it's a hell of a lot easier if one is in a position of reasonable security, if not wealth. It is utterly inconceivable to me that in our world of plentiful resources that some people can be lazy, unmotivated and have no interest in procuring what they need to add enjoyment and spice/interest to their time here, just opting to throw their lives away being poor. It is equally unbelievable to me to think that others will shamelessly prey upon others "just because". Truly it disgusts me. I can only hope that karma or some sort of spiritual accountability exists for such people.

The older I get the more I realize how foolishly I've wasted a lot of my time and it galvanizes my resolve to do things more purposeful. I guess that's not an uncommon consequence of people coming to terms with their own mortality, but I see it as a positive thing and a good motivator.

I think we "live on" through how we affect those around us moreso than our souls or consciousnesses might. Indeed the behaviors we pass on to our kids become influences on their behaviors, which they pass on, and so on and so on. This means that we are somewhat "immortal" in terms of how we choose to behave and act and that is what we will leave behind, like it or not, for better or worse.

There are two types of people in this world - those who bring you up and elevate you and those who bring you down and waste your time. I truly aspire to be the former for those around me, and to spend my time, my energy and give my attention to only with people of that category - because eventually I will have no more time or energy to give.

Personally I believe there is something about us (and most living things) that persists after death and there is some documented evidence to support this, however not compelling enough to be overwhelming or to say definitively, "yes, we live on in such-and-such a way". So I hedge my bets and assume that this is it, try to live as best I can and in the way most consistent with my beliefs, morality and what I think is the way the God I believe in would want me to (and nobody knows what that is, as I don't share it).