The passing of Steve Jobs helped lead our conversation into one that I think caught the interest of majority of the class and it’s the idea of immortality. Personally, I would want to be immortalize, but I think that everybody wants to be immortalized in different ways. I want to be immortalized through the relationships/lasting impressions that I built during my lifetime. Some people may think, “Then you won’t be immortal because eventually those people will die off.” Which isn’t necessarily true because especially through family and friends the stories get passed down and around, and the stories will continue to be passed down. Others would want to be immortalized through important achievements by breaking or setting records. Some may even want an monument or something named after them.
Gilgamesh also wanted to be immortal and when he realized that he would never be able to live forever he built a wall so that he would be remembered, and it’s something that a lot of people in the past have done. They don’t necessarily build walls, but they help construct something of importance in the community in which they can get their name placed on it. Steve Jobs created something that will forever be remembered because it had such a big impact on the way we live our daily lives. What he did gives him immortality.
When it comes to singers and artists I think they also have immortality because their songs are constantly being re-made and if they become famous enough they’re faces can be printed on plates, shirts, notebooks, pens, etc. The point was brought up in class that it can only last up until that generation dies out because the younger generation won’t know who that person is. But if we look at Elvis even though he’s long gone, younger generations know who he is. They may not know exactly who he is and what happened to him, but they know what he looks like and what he says. I don’t think the memories of Elvis will ever go away, especially when people come to visit Las Vegas. There are probably two things that Las Vegas is synonymous with, Elvis and gambling. When little kids come with their families they see multiple versions of Elvis roaming the streets and of coarse being curious, they ask their parents who that strange man with the weird hair is. Their parents tell them and if they’re old enough they can just Google his name and figure out the rest of his story.
It’s difficult for people to become immortal the way Elvis or Steve Jobs did, it takes a lot of talent and a lot of persistence. I don’t know of anybody that could just sit back and do nothing, yet they become remembered forever. Maybe us working to becoming “immortal” is our way of accepting death because we know that eventually we’re gonna die and so we work hard to become remembered and hope that in the end we can pass knowing that we won’t forgotten (so redundant, but hopefully that made sense). The idea of immortality is something that I think we all want, well I know I do, but there’s a part of me that wouldn’t mind having my name on a building or in a book somewhere.
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I agree with you that most people want to be remembered. But I wonder sometimes, what is the point of being remembered if I won't know that people are remembering me? (Sorry if that doesn't make sense;;). Anyways, lately I've been thinking about the things I collect. I collect books, DVDs, mugs, etc. I've been thinking that there is no point in collecting these things because once I die, the collection is just going to be put away some where or tossed. Maybe donated. I'd like to think that My collection will be displayed somewhere in a museum dedicated to me-- but that's unlikely. So what is the point of being remembered? Leaving a legacy? When I will not know about it cuz I'm dead? But the immortality lecture/discussion definitely made me think that maybe everything I do to achieve immortality is pointless b/c I, myself, won't continue to feel the satisfaction of knowing the fact that people are remembering me.
ReplyDeleteYou both make interesting points. However, there can be and sometimes is a ripple effect. My good deeds may influence someone to do good deeds which may influence someone to do good deeds, etc.
ReplyDeleteContrariwise, Hannah's point about us knowing is a bit of a problem. Why do we need to know that we'll be remembered? Sometimes we just do, but when you stop to think about it it can be a bit egocentric.