How long would you like to live until?

I've been noticing something for a while now. People who don't believe in rebirth seem to be terrified of death (= want to live forever?) whereas those who believe in rebirth seem to have a more casual attitude towards it. If they check out tomorrow, no big deal. They will come back in some shape or form, or so they believe.

I admit I belong to the latter category. Yes it could be a completely false belief because I've never personally known anyone who remembers who they were in a previous life. I don't remember what or who I was myself. Now, being science trained, I know that simply believing in something doesn't make it true so I've accepted that such things are wagers we make based on personal faith. I base my acceptance on what I perceive to be logical which may be completely illogical to another person, hehe.

So back to the question. How long would I like to live until if I had a choice? My mathematical answer would be t1 + t2.

Let me explain.

t1 would be the amount of time I need to fulfill my material obligations to my dependents. If I am taking care of a sick sibling because I have the resources, the day that my sibling is cured and able to carry out a normal life on his own would be my t1.

t2 is a random number, also denoting time. It can be 10 seconds or a 100 years. It doesn't really matter.

In plain english, what it means is that after I have fulfilled my material responsibilities to my loved ones, it doesn't really bother me when I check out. What's important is that after I'm gone, I don't leave them homeless or starving.

I specified material obligations because non-material needs (= emotional + spiritual) can be impossible to satisfy even if people live forever. Material obligations are a more practical goal. You can only eat so much before you are full, or occupy so much space before a home becomes frighteningly large and unmanageable.

And there's another thing I notice about those who believe in rebirth and those who don't. People who understand the rebirth process don't find death a macabre subject. They can talk about it like they're talking about making tea or coffee, which is my state of mind as I write this. But people who believe this life as the one and only one they have will find this subject taboo.

What about people who think that talking about death is "bad luck?" Kinda hilarious actually, but I do understand how superstition can be a comforting force and have got nothing against it.

How did this topic come up? Well, I just paid my annual insurance premium. Lets just say I had a fun time chatting with my agent. ^_^

How to make a magic spell

Some time ago I had a chance to hang out with some guys and we somehow got down to talking about magic spells.

Now just because I grew up in the west, it doesn't mean I can't sit down and have a listen to this fascinating world of voodoo. I mean, how many times have we heard Harry Potter say Expecto Patronum.

But over here, unlike Harry Potter, for the right amount of money you can have all kinds of spells made out for you. There are spells that will protect you from bodily harm, from ghosts and spirits, from theives, and from bad people. There are spells to enhance your financial luck, make the rain fall and make you irresistable to the opposite sex. And then there are spells to break spells.

The wonderful thing about spells is in how they are a lot like feng shui. If it works, you are awed by the maker of the spell. If it doesn't, its not the spell. Its you. And I don't think they give refunds.

I asked one of them named Thom if its possible to cast a spell on someone in New York or have its protective effects follow a Muggle like me there. It'll be so cool to be able to walk around the Bronx and not worry about being mugged, I thought.

He wasn't sure if it could be done but quickly qualified that if the shaman was powerful enough, why not.

It was a fun conversation, very educational. If I was a local with lots of moolah, I tell ya I might just be tempted to order the Saturday night special myself: a cocktail spell to protect me from everything, win me the lottery and turn me into a chick magnet. Oh, life would be perfect.

That night, a thought struck my Muggle mind. Why can't I just make my own spells? So after some more thought, here's what I have in mind.

Protection from ghosts and spirits
The spell: A torchlight
How it works: Everyone knows ghosts are afraid of anything brighter than a birthday candle. If you don't have a torch, the remote control for the ceiling lights will do. But torches, being heavier, are preferred because you can throw it at the ghost if it comes too near.

Protection from financial problems
The spell: Contentment.
How it works: If I could knock some sense into myself and say so what if I don't have the latest iPhone, I will not be suckered into 3-year cellphone operator contract or run a credit card debt and skimp on my meals for the next one year just to pay off the debt.

Protection from legal problems
The spell: Truth.
How it works: If I don't tell lies, not evade taxes, and pay my obligations on time, I will cause no reason for anyone to come after me.

Protection from diseases and bodily harm
The spell: Moderation.
How it works: If I stop eating unhealthy food, smoking weed, and chugging down half a bottle a day, I will not create causes for diseases to set in. And if I don't show off my wealth, thieves will find me extremely uninteresting.

Chick magnet spell
The spell: Money.
How it works: Even if I look like something the cat dragged in, with enough money in the bank, I can be surrounded by hoes of my choice 24-7.

Now here's the best part. These protections are absolutely free (except for the chick magnet bit and maybe the torchlight) and I'm pretty sure their effects will follow me wherever I go, even to New York.

And you need not depend on faith for it to work either. You can actually see it working for yourself. Keep credit card in pocket when you shop and tadaa.... see no bill coming at end of month. How's that for protection against financial problems. ^_^

So who says only Harry Potter can do magic.

HMS Titanic again?

Recently, I had a chat with my brother who's now settled in Boston. He's planning to get married end of this year. Not exactly a springtime wedding but there were just too many logistics complications, his fiancee's job and my dad's activity schedule being a couple.

Anyway, we got to talking about his plan for a family and that's when I learnt that he and his fiancee aren't sure if they want to have one. It caught me by surprise so I asked why.

His answer was quite blunt. With all the things going on in the world, he's not sure if the kids will have a future.

At the root of his pessimism are a few things. He thinks the world will be in a state of war for another 2-3 generations and it will have a very unpleasant ending. What if his kids get drafted to war, he worries. (We have one friend drafted to Iraq and another to Israel plus a few still serving in the US National Guard.)

He also thinks that in 50 years time, the climate will arrive at a life-threatening point. And because of climate change, in as short as a couple of hundred years, instead of fighting wars over territory and ideology, people will fight over food and water. And it will be nastier because its driven by desperation and not ideals, aided by new age weapons.

All in all, he doesn't believe humans can last another 4-5 generations and feels that bringing more bodies will only create needless suffering.

I told him his doomsday predictions aren't new. Even during the time of the Pharaohs and Chinese emperors, amidst the intense brutality, many people didn't expect that we (humans) would last another millenia. Yet here we are.

But what he said next did strike home a point. Those eras didn't have to grapple with the greatest game changer of all - the cataclysm caused by an overheated planet.

I can sympathize. When I look at the IPCC data on climate change and the planet's climate history, I too have a bad feeling at the pit of my stomach. Naturally the league of nations will be all positive about it. You can't say there isn't much we can do without creating massive global chaos.

But I had the last say of course - my good old Butterfly effect theory. What if one of his kids becomes the savior that man had been waiting for? Not a savior of the religious variety but maybe as an inventor of a technology that can save the world?

Even Einstein's parents never thought that far when they raised him up. Is he so sure that his kid - or any kid born in the next 100 years for that matter - won't be the one that might change the course of history?

Yeah, its a long shot I know. I guess the good news is, he and his fiancee are still unsure. I do understand where he's coming from but I also know that not having a family would also remove one big reason why people get married. Maybe they found a way around that. I really hope so.

I guess I now understand why visions of the HMS Titanic come to mind whenever I watch the news these days.

p.s. Smile and take it easy. I dunno about you but I got plenty to be happy about, Titanic or not.