lovely not in a vacuum

so the biggest news, really, is that the weather’s been gorgeous. ever since i’ve been back from pittsburgh, it’s been brilliantly sunny and crazy warm, like in the 70’s and 80’s. and it’s only march. this is even warmer than it usually is in the summer, it’s more like fall weather here. or proper indian summer-time.

this usually would seem like nothing to comment about, as it’s a purely temporal and transient thing, sort of like saying, “i wore a blue shirt today.” i mean, who cares, right?

but we’re not living in a vacuum. weather and environment exists, and it’s part of whatever we do and everything we experience. the whole package. it reminds me of a stanislaw lem story, i think it was one of the ijon tichy ones, where he meets this scientist who claims to have invented eternal life. it turns out what he’s done is made this little box, where he’s taken his wife and put her mind in it, which will live and exist forever. only the catch is, it’s just her mind. alone. no sensory inputs or outputs. no feedback of any kind. just pure consciousness, everything else is a void. only when tichy makes the scientist understand that what people want isn’t actually just eternal life, but they want their life as it is right now to last forever, with everything and everyone around them, does he realize the horror of what he’s done.

and so likewise, why should i pretend that i’m in a soulless vacuum? it’s beautiful outside.

Posted at March 11, 2004 6:45 AM