Posted in Books | Posted on 05-11-2008 | 6,013 views
So I've been thinking about this for quite some time now, and I figured today was as good as any other day to blog it. This may be a rather morbid blog post, but I'd be willing to bet I'm not the only one here who has thought about what I'm about to say.
I've been a big reader for as long as I can remember. Growing up I'd consume at least 2-4 books per week. I still remember gaining access to the "Adult" part of the library and feeling relief that I could read "real" books now. I've probably read thousands of books over my life time. Outside of family and friends, books are my greatest pleasure in life. My eldest seems to be picking up the same habit. He is only 8 but has already finished the Harry Potter series.
Now that I'm older, my reading has slowed down quite a bit. I read next to nothing when my first child came home and slowed down more as my next two kids arrived. They have all been home for many years now though so I've slowly increased my reading. I'm now reading about one book every two weeks, which with my schedule, seems reasonable enough.
I'm currently enjoying "A Game of Thrones
What if I die before I finish?
I don't mean to imply that I think I actually will die, but I do wonder about it. Imagine that you are lucky enough to live a long and fruitful life. You are 100 years old and still mentally all there. Unfortunately you know that - at a 100, your time is limited. Would you even pick up a 5 book series? Would you only read short books?
I'm sure most of my readers have various ideas about what the afterlife is like and I won't even pretend to know what to expect. I can say that it's probably unlikely that I'll be able to hop over to the local neighborhood Borders up in Heaven. (Who knows though - Amazon may service up there!) I mean - some folks think all you do in Heaven is sit and praise God. Frankly I'd be happy to have more time for loved ones and more time to read.
So given that you might not be able to read any more in the after life, and given that you have a small idea of when you will die, would you rush to finish your current book and simply... stop? Would you try to get in one more "classic" or instead decide to make your final book some romance or spy (trash) novel? Let's make it more morbid. Imagine you did start some epic series (and I definitely recommend Martin's series, it's called A Song of Ice and Fire) and only get half way through. You're in the hospital. Would you ask a loved one to quickly jump on Wikipedia so you can at least know how things end up? I mean one of my biggest complaints about SciFi TV shows is that when they get cancelled, you never find out how things turn out. I'd have the same disappointment with a book. Or is all this way too geeky?
Another developer at cf.Objective() was telling a small group of us about "A Game of Thrones" as part of a general discussion about sci-fi and fantasy books. With such similar tastes in the community, maybe we should start a CF developer book club? :)
Bu as William F. Buckley, Jr., used to love to say: Let's not Immenitize the Eschaton!
The heaven is portrayed in almost all eshatologies as somewhere you do the most pleasing things. If reading is the most pleasing for you you will have all the books in the world at your disposal there.
Since you opened the subject: did you see Expelled! yet?
Thanks.
so yeah, you could finish your book but you might have to wait 100,000 years...
by the way, this a absolutely fantastic question, being a big reader myself. Actually I was a literature/theology major in college. funny
so you start a five part series and then you die half way through. What do you care? at least you enjoyed what you read.
even worse is an author that dies before he does his best work - like Douglas Adams. no more sixth book in the trilogy from him.
you wouldn't be thinking about this if you had your best friend die at too young an age, like I have. You'd enjoy every second that you had, with regrets - too few to mention.
Enjoy those long series, and don't stop. Life is too short as it is.
Ray Camden stars in the sequal to "The Bucket List"
@Hakki - If Heaven is "you can do the things you enjoy most", then it does make it a moot question. You would just get the book. I've also thought to myself - if I have all knowledge in Heaven, I'd have to ensure I _didn't_ know how a book ended. ;)
@Brian - if you are going to cfunited08, there will be a "SciFi" BOF. It will cover all media and obviously fantasy as well as SciFi.
The only time to fear an unfinished series is if you're not actually enjoying it, and are simply enduring it for some perceived payoff in the future. That's the "completist" trap, something I've been struggling to escape most of my life. :D
What if the author passes before finishing?
Robert Jordan died last year. He was finishing his Wheel of Time series. The 12th and final book will be finished by another author. I wonder how readers of that series feel about that?
I don't think about dying. Thinking about it won't make it happen later (but might make it happen sooner if I worry myself too much!).
If I was ill and confined to bed, I'd have more time to read...
@Brian S. - Yeah, that was me -- I'm a huge fan of Martin's series, and I recommend his books pretty much any time SF/Fantasy is being discussed.
After reading your post I took a moment to think about what you said and quite honestly yes I would pick up a 5 part novel series or anything else I could get my hands on to pass the time. Otherwise I'd be counting the seconds until the moment I passed away. I'd like to think once you do pass away you know what the secret to life and everything else is because you become one with everything. Sort of like the Force ;).
For all I know we could all be just reborn and have to do this whole thing all over again.
Imagine the state of the world if the last Harry Potter book was never written? All those keen readers left with "what-if's"...
... from the lost script drafts of Monty Python's "Life Of Brian":
- stoning victim: "all I said was, 'that last book in the series was good enough for Jehovah'!"
hahahahahaha - that's hilarious. Gravity's rainbow, anyone?
I made it through 3 of t he books and decided that I wouldn't bother reading any others. It makes me sad because I think Martin has skill rivaling that of Tolkien or some of the other Fantasy greats.
(But yeah, I love the series)
I would recommend Robin D. Owens for the Heart Mate novels. This is of the sci-fi/fantasy romance genre. The premise is that a bunch of people with extrasensory talents left Earth because people feared their talents and settled on a planet that enhances their flairs. But life is hard because there's something about the planet that inhibits some people's ability to reproduce or something like that. Large families are valued. She explores literary devices such as alienation, duty, etc. She has excerpts at http://robindowens.com/home.htm
Give it a try and see how you like it.
I've never really wondered that about a book series, but I have wondered that about Lost though. I would REALLY be bummed if I didn't get to find out what that show is all about. 2010 is a long way off. However, I'm sure they must have Tivo in heaven, so that might be alright.
Here's a pretty decent description.
http://www.rambles.net/bishop_unimt89.html
Also, Showtime is supposed to be doing a Fire & Ice miniseries--which hopefully will be good. The books certainly have a ton of unexpected twists and turns. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out where a storyline is going long before it gets there, but Martin always keeps me guessing.
I've experienced the whole "author dies early" thing myself, but since I knew that the author (C.S. Forester) was dead before I ever started reading the series (Hornblower), I guess I didn't have *too* much cause to be disappointed.
Great especially for one who knows the end is imminent, as you asked, but also for those who have the conception you described, Ray. :-) It's NOT going to be about babies with harps floating in the clouds, nor even a monotonously deadly eternity of "worship", at least not according to the bible, on which he bases all of his observations.
Now, those who don't care what the bible has to say will of course have their own conception of heaven, and I'm not picking any fight with them here. But they may still get great value out of the book, and it's my sincere hope that they would.
I can't help but be reminded of this quote: "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
On the opposite side, my mother passed away 2 years ago and one thing that continues to haunt me is that she never got to read the last Harry Potter book.
@Paul - Again - I did not mean to imply that as I die, I'll be asking "So who was the murderer?" Obviously family and friends are more important. ;)
Second of all, and on a much more positive note, after the health gains you made from the CF Biggest Loser contest you should not worry about dying anytime soon. What are you like 30 something?
unless I was confined to a bed, I would put together a list of all the crazy things I always wanted to do and do them one by one until that last day arrived, and try to have as much fun as possible. however, if I were in the middle of a great book, i think I would choose to skip to the end. i guess it all depends on how much time you were given.
Great post btw, reading is fundamental!
When you sit down and give it some thought, you may have some money saved up, a house, a nice car, etc... but what does that mean? Those "things" will not go with you, sure, you could leave them behind to loved ones, but is that all what we are meant for??? What good deeds have you accumulated to present to your maker? How much of your time did you devote to God? When is the last time you fed a homeless person or helped someone (not with code or development)? There are more important things that we have to accomplish in this life. I'm sure many of the readers have different belief systems, and many of you will follow what makes sense to you. The Quran is the word of God verbatim, not like the other good books that are the "word of man inspired by God". I'm not trying to start a religious debate or a flame war, just stating my opinion.
Don't spend your time and waste your life on things that have no significance, spend it on things that count. Every good deed you do, God gives you 10 times its worth. You go invest $10,000 in the bank, will they give you a $100,000 for it, probably not. Start working on accumulating good deeds and believe in the oneness of God and that he has no partners, children, relatives, etc... You will find peace and happiness in your hearts and lives.
Thanks.. Thanks for reminding that not reading, not learning, not accumulating wealth, but spending it for the benefit of others, doing good things to create a heaven on earth are the most important things to do. All others are mere vessels for the ultimate good.
Thanks..
I still think we should learn, read, and accumulate wealth, but we should try to keep from getting tunnel vision. If you emphasize too much focus on making money, you will lose focus else where which could be a downside in some ways. Speaking from my own personal experience, being that I am Muslim, we have 5 obligatory prayers to make daily. I used to schedule my prayers around everything else in my life rather than scheduling my life around my prayers which have defined times of the day that they have to be performed. I have found so much inner peace since changing my methodology and I feel very comfortable with the way things are now.
No one is perfect, but we should try to be as good as possible, there is no guarrantee as to how long we will live on this earth.
Thanks again!
and
"How to be a Liche Lord in 24 hours"
:)
If the Koran were Word of God as is claimed, it would not contradict itself (for example, Allah created everything "in the twinkling of an eye" (54:49,50), "in two Days" (41:9,12), "in four Days" (41:10), "in six Days" (7:54, 10:4;32:4), "a Day," equaling "a thousand years" (32:5) and also "fifty thousand years" (70:4); Jesus is not the Son of God (4:171), yet He is (19:17-21), etc.), nor would there be any errors in it. (Arabian legends are recounted as actual happenings. The Koran contains much superstition and occultism, especially its references to genies.), nor would Allah need to change his mind (Allah says, "Such of our revelations as we abrogate or cause to be forgotten, we bring (in place) one better or the like" (Surah 2:106) and “We put one revelation in place of another...” (16:101))
If Islam were a religion of peace, then the Koran wouldn't refer to the Jews as "apes" (Surah 2:65) and "pigs." The Koran says in Surah 5:33 (see also 47:4) that all those who oppose Allah (i.e., non-Muslims) are to be "killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off...." Surah 9:5 says to "slay the [non-Muslims] wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush...." Islam's earnest goal, set forth in the Koran and hadith (Islamic written tradition), remains the same: to bring all mankind into submission (that's what "Islam" means) and to kill or enslave all "infidels" (i.e., unbelievers in Allah and Muhammad his prophet—Surah 2:190-92;4:76;5:33;9:5,29,41;47:4, etc.). We all know Islam is the driving force behind terrorism today. Muhammad declared, "The last hour will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them."
Allah also tells Muslims, "Take not the Jews and Christians for friends...slay the idolaters [infidels] wherever ye find them. ...Fight against those who...believe not in Allah nor the Last Day" (5:51;9:5,29,41). In fact, Muhammad, whose word cannot be changed, imposed upon every Muslim in every age the duty of exterminating all Jews. Only then can the "Last Day" (the climax of Islam) arrive.
In contrast, the God of the Bible is a God of love who wants men to know Him (Jer 9:24), a knowledge essential to salvation (Jn 17:3). Jews are His "chosen people" (Ex 6:7; Lv 20:26; 1 Chr 16:13; Ps 105:6, etc.) and Christians are His dearly loved children (Rom 8:16,21; Gal 3:26; Eph 1:5;5). The Bible comes to us from about 40 men over the course of 1,600 years, most of whom never met. Their commonality was the claim of being inspired by Yahweh, the one true God of “Abraham...of Isaac...and of Jacob” (Ex 3:15, etc.). Their writings are harmoniously integrated with intricate themes developed from one to another in a manner that proves divine inspiration. One theme running throughout from Genesis to Revelation is the crimson thread of God's plan of salvation. This is carefully unfolded in deepening revelation from writer to writer—and supported by hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled without change or failure.
God has left no doubt that He himself has come to earth through the virgin birth to pay the infinite penalty His own justice demands for sin, providing a just and eternal salvation. Salvation for sinful man was part of God's plan from all eternity.
If there is any book one should read prior to death, it is the Bible. "I am the Lord, I change not....For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven" (Mal 3:6; Ps 119:89).
This is not the place to engage either constructive or destructive inter-faith dialogue.
If you kindly send your address to me at hocal@eskiz.net, I will gladly discuss such issues with you.
Thanks
Apparently you are an ignorant person trying to spread hate, I'm not going to engage any further than this:
You quoted the Quran, not really, but for arguments sake I'll say you grabbed some words from it. You also quoted the Bible, and tried to show us the greatness of the book. You did not however show us your book, the Torah, because that truly preaches hate.
I clearly see what you are doing, you're trying to win the readers of the Christian faith over and turn everyone against Islam, but unfortunately for you, you cannot use your own book to quote something good from it.
BTW, in the Quran the Jews were the chosen people and time and time again God sent messengers to them but they kept on being disobedient. The Quran was sent for all of mankind since the Jews failed over and over again.
I apologize Ray and readers, I read my comments and did not see anything that incited this discussion, this was courtesy of Helzown, I cannot let him say these lies without a response. Please do not be mislead by him, as you can see he is hateful and can't even quote his own faith because of all the hate it preaches and how it differentiates the Jews from everyone else since in their eyes they are better than everyone else.
This was a nice discussion up until now, I hope it doesn't continue on the negativity of Helzown and that it ends here. If anyone is interested in the true translation and explanation of the mentioned scriptures, please feel free to ask and we can carry the conversation privately or in a more appropriate location, not a "Coldfusion Coding Site".
Furthermore, the Christian Bible is full of contradictions (and some very violent and revenge-driven guidelines). Of course, the Bible is mostly a careful construction from a number of sources and what we are familiar with today is a very selective translation taken from a much larger body of works in a variety of languages.
The trouble with "book religions" is that you are reliant on someone else's translation...
Cheers
In a sense, all the characters are flawed in one way or another, some very much more so than others. It is all very dark and hopeless though.
Are you getting the chance to read much at the moment?
I'm trying to build a list on my wiki of stuff I want to read ...
Tom (TRCoach)
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