Outside, it’s a delightfully crisp Spring morning. The sun is out, the flowering trees are in bloom, carpeting the ground with pink and white petals fallen in winds overnight. A breeze blows, making you glad you wore your down vest, even though the weather forecast says it’s going to warm up considerably later on.
Okay, Lucian, I am assuming you are alright given that 77 year old body might be slowing down just a little. We certainly are feeling the bangs of oldness now that some of us are over 70. Don’t know how I got there…one minute I’m having a kid and the next, I have gray hair and it’s not only on the top of my head! Please stay under the covers for as long as you like. Just know that we think the world of you and wish you only peace.
What an astonishingly empathetic and unexpected comparison to Trump’s situation. My vote is for you, Lucian, for a very long, healthy, and unstressful life!
"...that industrial nowhere color between beige and ugh." I pictured trump in court! Man, can you write. Thank You. And this nurse wishes you the best of health.
Apr 24·edited Apr 24Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV
You are young at heart, Lucian -- thinking deep thoughts, caring about the world, eager to see what comes next! Onward! You would be a welcome guest in hundreds, if not thousands, of homes. We are so grateful for what you share with us.
Poor old Donald - a lonely, thoughtless, selfish, unloved, unloving, unloveable person. What a waste of a life.
I love how you’re utterly unafraid to show your frailty. Only the strong can do that. The others dye their hair and slather terra cotta foundation across their jowls.
Oh, while I am in no position to argue my full case in granular detail, reliant not only on first-person, non-inferential, direct experience of various states of consciousness, but also a host of data, considerations, and extended philosophical arguments going back thousands of years, from practically every culture on the planet (the data and considerations more via "teaching stores" and shamanistic accounts from most of the cultures, because that's how they approached their lives within less literate, more poetic and myth focused cultures with oral traditions keeping the teachings alive), I can't help noting that the very real possibility of reincarnation cannot be summarily ruled out, along with "laws of karma," the brief upshot being: Trump may have created and continue to create a karmic reckoning even after he "shuffles off this mortal coil," so ironically enough, your statement that "Death is too good for him," however intended, may pack a barely imaginable wallop for Donald J. Trump.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Immortality {Excerpt}
Immortality is the indefinite continuation of a person’s existence, even after death. In common parlance, immortality is virtually indistinguishable from afterlife, but philosophically speaking, they are not identical. Afterlife is the continuation of existence after death, regardless of whether or not that continuation is indefinite. Immortality implies a never-ending existence, regardless of whether or not the body dies (as a matter of fact, some hypothetical medical technologies offer the prospect of a bodily immortality, but not an afterlife).
Immortality has been one of mankind’s major concerns, and even though it has been traditionally mainly confined to religious traditions, it is also important to philosophy. Although a wide variety of cultures have believed in some sort of immortality, such beliefs may be reduced to basically three non-exclusive models: (1) the survival of the astral body resembling the physical body; (2) the immortality of the immaterial soul (that is an incorporeal existence); (3) resurrection of the body (or re-embodiment, in case the resurrected person does not keep the same body as at the moment of death). This article examines philosophical arguments for and against the prospect of immortality.
******* EDIT - 4/27/2024, The SEP is the "gold standard" of online philosophy references to
begin with on a huge array of topics: ethics, logic, metaphysics, aesthetics, feminist philosophy,
history of philosophy, etc.; I linked to the IEP article on "Immortality" without realizing this is written
at a less rigorous standard by philosopher from Venezuela, it imports some dubious and dogmatic Christian personifications (a God the "punishes" non-believers FO NON-BELIEF, who end up in an afterlife? Come on) but much of it is fine as at least an introduction to the issues. For more sophisticated, betted edited, careful accounts of most of the same issues the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is where to start, and that's still only a start.
I'm 77 as well Lucian and I hear you loud and clear. So if 70 is the new 60 what does that make 77, the new 62.5? A lot of times I feel like I'm still 60, that is until I go to get out of bed in the morning, every bit of run hard 77 then. I'm much more focused on doing the right things now especially diet, no more running around all night closing the clubs and bars. To say that a diminishing future hasn't crossed my mind would be a lie, but I find that a fire and a rage is still burning bright, especially when it comes to another 77 year old, the insipid bastard and the over 1 million dead Americans killed by Covid. Stay safe my brother.
I understand that Trump generally drinks 12-14 Diet Cokes a day. In the courtroom he is deprived of his caffeine fix and is suffering withdrawal symptoms as a result. It's possible he is compensating with something worse, possibly Adderall. This trial is not going well for him. His health may be at critical risk. His chances of winning the election, as bad as they were, are now circling the bowl. The pressure is building on Trump.
Something absolutely marvelous is about to happen!
"What happens to your body when you stop drinking diet soda?
Your kidneys function better. Your kidneys have been working extra hard trying to make sense of the ingredients in diet soda. Stopping that habit will allow your kidneys to concentrate on clearing toxins, stabilizing blood pressure, and absorbing minerals."
I certainly hope so, Eric!! The stress he is experiencing is growing every day and it's got to be taking a toll on his diseased, black heart. I hope that "something marvelous" you refer to involves a sudden, painful, acute cardiac event!!
I personally would prefer that the acute, potentially fatal myocardial infarction for which so many of us are hoping, happens in front of crowd of MAGAs at one of his grievance-laden, hate-along rallies. If it happens in court we'll never ever hear the end of the MAGA crowd blaming the whole thing on the "Biden Witchhunt" and the "weaponized DoJ, etc., etc. and yada, yada, yada.
No doubt the "woke, leftwing, Biden, liberal witchhunt" will still be blamed, but maybe just not directly.
Yeah, but if it happens at a Maggot rally WE won't get to see it "live and in living color"!! Oops, but then, if it happens in a courtroom, that won't be live TV either. Oh well, I guess we'll have to be satisfied with after-the-fact video of the blessed event and his raging minions blaming it all on Joe, the Justice Dept, and Jewish space lasers!!
Dang straight!!!! And there'll be plenty of work left to do, even after the country rids itself of Trump because Trump himself is really just the symptom of rot. The true cause is the inequality of wealth in this country and it's going to take a LOT of blood & sweat, toil & tears to heal this country and start remaking it closer to the Founder's ideal "Shining City on a Hill".
Glad to hear you're proactive and taking good care of yourself. We need your insights and uplifting stories to get us through this period in our shared history. Be well. Live long and prosper!!
At 83 i did a chemical induced strees test a few weeks ago. I actually felt relaxed. Building had windows, great air-conditioning, great friendly staff and they served food and juice. Test results were good. Pacemaker is good for 9 more years. Doc said even if i drop dead the pacemaker will keep on acting like an great Everyready
Pul-eeze. The full and correct name on my California DL is Lawrence Sultan Dietz. How many wink-nudge laughs did my briefcase, suitably initialed, get in Noo Yawk elevators c. 1967-68? How deep is the ocean, how high is the sky? Insert smiling emoji here.
Love the Moody Blues, used to listen to them for hours. Thanks for the happy reminder! I was thinking of that same song myself while reading these comments.
Oh me too!!! The first I had ever heard of them was when I was a freshie at UMO (Maine). My roomie had an album of theirs--Nights in White Satin-- which by that time was a few years old. I played that album for hours. I think my room mate finally ended up hiding it on me and substituting the "Who's Next" album (and I still love "Baba O'Riley).
Okay, Lucian, I am assuming you are alright given that 77 year old body might be slowing down just a little. We certainly are feeling the bangs of oldness now that some of us are over 70. Don’t know how I got there…one minute I’m having a kid and the next, I have gray hair and it’s not only on the top of my head! Please stay under the covers for as long as you like. Just know that we think the world of you and wish you only peace.
What an astonishingly empathetic and unexpected comparison to Trump’s situation. My vote is for you, Lucian, for a very long, healthy, and unstressful life!
"...that industrial nowhere color between beige and ugh." I pictured trump in court! Man, can you write. Thank You. And this nurse wishes you the best of health.
Wishing you the best! We need you here!
You are young at heart, Lucian -- thinking deep thoughts, caring about the world, eager to see what comes next! Onward! You would be a welcome guest in hundreds, if not thousands, of homes. We are so grateful for what you share with us.
Poor old Donald - a lonely, thoughtless, selfish, unloved, unloving, unloveable person. What a waste of a life.
Hey, Trump worked hard at wasting his life, show some respect!
I love how you’re utterly unafraid to show your frailty. Only the strong can do that. The others dye their hair and slather terra cotta foundation across their jowls.
Loved it! What an excellent writer you are.
I hope you get a good report. Enjoy each precious day!
Been there, done that, love day naps a lot, too, like the cat. We eventually become more cat than dog don’t we?
Wouldn’t go back but glad of experience we lived. Not a bad deal.
A bad deal? That ignorant orange blob having ever been ascendant in our country. He can have an uninterrupted nap when he moves to Moscow.
Your first paragraph reminded me of my dear late mother, who said that cats always look like they enjoy sleeping.
I’m seconding her right now, ours does with the tenacity of a toddler with a lollipop. I recommend them.
The ignorant orange blob will have his uninterrupted nap when he’s six feet under, or perhaps when he is spending the rest of his life in prison.
Prison for the win
Yes! Death is too good for him. I wish him a long, unhappy, miserable life in prison with no phone or internet.
Oh, while I am in no position to argue my full case in granular detail, reliant not only on first-person, non-inferential, direct experience of various states of consciousness, but also a host of data, considerations, and extended philosophical arguments going back thousands of years, from practically every culture on the planet (the data and considerations more via "teaching stores" and shamanistic accounts from most of the cultures, because that's how they approached their lives within less literate, more poetic and myth focused cultures with oral traditions keeping the teachings alive), I can't help noting that the very real possibility of reincarnation cannot be summarily ruled out, along with "laws of karma," the brief upshot being: Trump may have created and continue to create a karmic reckoning even after he "shuffles off this mortal coil," so ironically enough, your statement that "Death is too good for him," however intended, may pack a barely imaginable wallop for Donald J. Trump.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/afterlife/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/personhood-india/
https://iep.utm.edu/immortal/
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Immortality {Excerpt}
Immortality is the indefinite continuation of a person’s existence, even after death. In common parlance, immortality is virtually indistinguishable from afterlife, but philosophically speaking, they are not identical. Afterlife is the continuation of existence after death, regardless of whether or not that continuation is indefinite. Immortality implies a never-ending existence, regardless of whether or not the body dies (as a matter of fact, some hypothetical medical technologies offer the prospect of a bodily immortality, but not an afterlife).
Immortality has been one of mankind’s major concerns, and even though it has been traditionally mainly confined to religious traditions, it is also important to philosophy. Although a wide variety of cultures have believed in some sort of immortality, such beliefs may be reduced to basically three non-exclusive models: (1) the survival of the astral body resembling the physical body; (2) the immortality of the immaterial soul (that is an incorporeal existence); (3) resurrection of the body (or re-embodiment, in case the resurrected person does not keep the same body as at the moment of death). This article examines philosophical arguments for and against the prospect of immortality.
******* EDIT - 4/27/2024, The SEP is the "gold standard" of online philosophy references to
begin with on a huge array of topics: ethics, logic, metaphysics, aesthetics, feminist philosophy,
history of philosophy, etc.; I linked to the IEP article on "Immortality" without realizing this is written
at a less rigorous standard by philosopher from Venezuela, it imports some dubious and dogmatic Christian personifications (a God the "punishes" non-believers FO NON-BELIEF, who end up in an afterlife? Come on) but much of it is fine as at least an introduction to the issues. For more sophisticated, betted edited, careful accounts of most of the same issues the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is where to start, and that's still only a start.
I'm 77 as well Lucian and I hear you loud and clear. So if 70 is the new 60 what does that make 77, the new 62.5? A lot of times I feel like I'm still 60, that is until I go to get out of bed in the morning, every bit of run hard 77 then. I'm much more focused on doing the right things now especially diet, no more running around all night closing the clubs and bars. To say that a diminishing future hasn't crossed my mind would be a lie, but I find that a fire and a rage is still burning bright, especially when it comes to another 77 year old, the insipid bastard and the over 1 million dead Americans killed by Covid. Stay safe my brother.
…as another 77 year old, I can relate. I am also grateful to be alive, and not facing any felony charges.👍 ..beautiful!
I understand that Trump generally drinks 12-14 Diet Cokes a day. In the courtroom he is deprived of his caffeine fix and is suffering withdrawal symptoms as a result. It's possible he is compensating with something worse, possibly Adderall. This trial is not going well for him. His health may be at critical risk. His chances of winning the election, as bad as they were, are now circling the bowl. The pressure is building on Trump.
Something absolutely marvelous is about to happen!
And I am here for all of it!
OR, Darn:
"What happens to your body when you stop drinking diet soda?
Your kidneys function better. Your kidneys have been working extra hard trying to make sense of the ingredients in diet soda. Stopping that habit will allow your kidneys to concentrate on clearing toxins, stabilizing blood pressure, and absorbing minerals."
I certainly hope so, Eric!! The stress he is experiencing is growing every day and it's got to be taking a toll on his diseased, black heart. I hope that "something marvelous" you refer to involves a sudden, painful, acute cardiac event!!
I personally would prefer that the acute, potentially fatal myocardial infarction for which so many of us are hoping, happens in front of crowd of MAGAs at one of his grievance-laden, hate-along rallies. If it happens in court we'll never ever hear the end of the MAGA crowd blaming the whole thing on the "Biden Witchhunt" and the "weaponized DoJ, etc., etc. and yada, yada, yada.
No doubt the "woke, leftwing, Biden, liberal witchhunt" will still be blamed, but maybe just not directly.
Yeah, but if it happens at a Maggot rally WE won't get to see it "live and in living color"!! Oops, but then, if it happens in a courtroom, that won't be live TV either. Oh well, I guess we'll have to be satisfied with after-the-fact video of the blessed event and his raging minions blaming it all on Joe, the Justice Dept, and Jewish space lasers!!
However it happens, this is the face (or perhaps a selection of faces) you will see on me:
😲😃😆🥰
Me too, plus everyone here on Lucian's newsletter and a whole lot of other folks around the country!!
Dang straight!!!! And there'll be plenty of work left to do, even after the country rids itself of Trump because Trump himself is really just the symptom of rot. The true cause is the inequality of wealth in this country and it's going to take a LOT of blood & sweat, toil & tears to heal this country and start remaking it closer to the Founder's ideal "Shining City on a Hill".
Glad to hear you're proactive and taking good care of yourself. We need your insights and uplifting stories to get us through this period in our shared history. Be well. Live long and prosper!!
Been a while since you did chemicals?
At 83 i did a chemical induced strees test a few weeks ago. I actually felt relaxed. Building had windows, great air-conditioning, great friendly staff and they served food and juice. Test results were good. Pacemaker is good for 9 more years. Doc said even if i drop dead the pacemaker will keep on acting like an great Everyready
LOL! My first thought was that you were referring to LSD!
Pul-eeze. The full and correct name on my California DL is Lawrence Sultan Dietz. How many wink-nudge laughs did my briefcase, suitably initialed, get in Noo Yawk elevators c. 1967-68? How deep is the ocean, how high is the sky? Insert smiling emoji here.
Chemically induced stress test. When you can't do the treadmill.
SusanA: The drugs were good and hot.
No LSD.
Howeve:
Tim Learyry was mr magic mushrooms and an aamazing dude even if he was a FBI i formant and a pal of the Weaherman.
Cal Lash Retired narc.
Ah, the man about whom the Moody Blues created such a wonderful and evocative song, Legend of a Mind.
https://youtu.be/2WMA3LVi6Zg
Love the Moody Blues, used to listen to them for hours. Thanks for the happy reminder! I was thinking of that same song myself while reading these comments.
Oh me too!!! The first I had ever heard of them was when I was a freshie at UMO (Maine). My roomie had an album of theirs--Nights in White Satin-- which by that time was a few years old. I played that album for hours. I think my room mate finally ended up hiding it on me and substituting the "Who's Next" album (and I still love "Baba O'Riley).
Still have the album. And the turn table...
Wonderful article, Lucian. You provide a great read for us each day with your excellent writing skill, whatever the topic. Be well.
World-class essay. Kudos, and stay well.
Nice! I just got a pacemaker...
One of my Aunts got a pacemaker when she was 95. I look forward to following her example….
I hope with all my heart that you and your heart passed all the tests.