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secret agent girl
- Posts: 574
- Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:15 pm
Re: Philosophical musing
Hi Secret Agent Girl
For me, the problem with "living is controlled dying" is that in too many parts of the world the control is exercised by someone else, and that may well prove to be true for some of us as well. I am unable to personalise it in a positive way like you have so beautifully done.
But keep up with your philosophy, and muse out loud, its good for the brain
cheers
Mars
For me, the problem with "living is controlled dying" is that in too many parts of the world the control is exercised by someone else, and that may well prove to be true for some of us as well. I am unable to personalise it in a positive way like you have so beautifully done.
But keep up with your philosophy, and muse out loud, its good for the brain
cheers
Mars
Last edited by mars on Sat Dec 05, 2009 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
for an an easier, cheaper and travel-easy sleep apnea treatment 
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t7020 ... rapy-.html
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t7020 ... rapy-.html
Re: Philosophical musing
I once saw a bumper sticker that is more to your tune... eat right, exercise, and die anyway!
It's good to have CPAP to help us along our roads. Many times I see young folks (18, 19) who are in end stages of terminal illness and I am really thankful that I have been given my husband, children, and family for as long as the set time is. Bottom line: do not take for granted anything! Be very glad that the medical community is making strides for what ever it is that ails you including CPAP. Just think if we were all in a wagon train going across the plains a whole bunch of us would not have made it. I think about that when I am stuck in an airport and someone is complaining about being 2 hours late
Don't worry about the surety of death but concentrate on the positives of Life
It's good to have CPAP to help us along our roads. Many times I see young folks (18, 19) who are in end stages of terminal illness and I am really thankful that I have been given my husband, children, and family for as long as the set time is. Bottom line: do not take for granted anything! Be very glad that the medical community is making strides for what ever it is that ails you including CPAP. Just think if we were all in a wagon train going across the plains a whole bunch of us would not have made it. I think about that when I am stuck in an airport and someone is complaining about being 2 hours late
Don't worry about the surety of death but concentrate on the positives of Life
Where there is life, there is hope
Re: Philosophical musing
secret agent girl wrote:Because health issues are so close to the surface of my mind when I read the threads here, broader thoughts of mortality and quality of life often occur to me.
Somewhere I once read that because of the way the human body is built, walking is really just controlled falling.
And I was reading discussions of how much effort to expend in getting AHI to zero (even when it's really low) and after several steps along in my back-of-the-brain free-association chain I said to myself, "Ya know, living is really just controlled dying."
Now, that may not do much for you, or it may seem excessively morbid, but for me it set off all kinds of interesting thoughts, like
...isn't it good we can control things somewhat and are learning more all the time
...how lucky we are to live with even imperfect cpap technology to restore our quality of life
...(an historical awareness of ways past generations tried to exert influence over their "controlled dying")
...(and more personal stuff, of course)
At the risk of totally outing myself as eccentric, I somehow find that thought (living is just controlled dying) giving me a little more sense of peace and acceptance about this part of my journey.
And not a day goes by that I'm not most grateful for the existence of this space, which is helping me make a difficult-for-me transition easier.
<exit existential despair>
...Stoicism, welcome aboard! We are glad to see you!
Re: Philosophical musing
Two Beckett quotes come to mind. The first, regarding your "controlled dying"; the second, CPAP.
"They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more."
"Go on failing. Go on. Only next time, try to fail better."
"They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more."
"Go on failing. Go on. Only next time, try to fail better."
_________________
| Machine | Mask | Humidifier | ||
 |  |  | ||
| Additional Comments: 11-14 cmH2O | ||||
The OSA patient died quietly in his sleep.
Unlike his passengers who died screaming as the car went over the cliff...
Unlike his passengers who died screaming as the car went over the cliff...
Re: Philosophical musing
Eccl. 9:5, 10: "The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing . . . Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
Re: Philosophical musing
So short is life, it seems to lie, like twilight 'twixt day and night.
One second here, one second there, and then it's gone.
So short is life, it seems to lie, like twilight 'twixt day and night.
Written following my grandmother's death when I was 18 and just beginning my dance with existentialism.
One second here, one second there, and then it's gone.
So short is life, it seems to lie, like twilight 'twixt day and night.
Written following my grandmother's death when I was 18 and just beginning my dance with existentialism.
ResMed S9 range 9.8-17, RespCare Hybrid FFM
Never, never, never, never say never.
Never, never, never, never say never.
Re: Philosophical musing
Nice!Muse-Inc wrote:So short is life, it seems to lie, like twilight 'twixt day and night.
One second here, one second there, and then it's gone.
So short is life, it seems to lie, like twilight 'twixt day and night.
Written following my grandmother's death when I was 18 and just beginning my dance with existentialism.
When optimistic existentialism and I dance we love to celebrate even the remotest prospects for positive change; then I reserve an unlikely dance of ambivalence teamed with stoicism for all the inevitabilities our cosmos has to offer.
Didn't one of our optimistic resident existentialists with a fondness for humorous paradoxes say:
Never, never, never, never say never.
Last edited by -SWS on Fri Dec 04, 2009 10:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Philosophical musing
One of my favourite philosophers - Carlos Castaneda -
Quote
A warrior chooses a path with heart, any path with heart, and follows it; and then he rejoices and laughs. He knows because he sees that his life will be over altogether too soon. He sees that nothing is more important than anything else.
All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy—it does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it
Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore, a warrior must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if he feels that he should not follow it, he must not stay with it under any conditions. His decision to keep on that path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. He must look at every path closely and deliberately. There is a question that a warrior has to ask, mandatorily:
Does this path have a heart?
End Quote
And if we want to, we can all be warriors.
For more go to http://www.philosophersnotes.com/quotes ... eda/page/1
cheers
Mars
Quote
A warrior chooses a path with heart, any path with heart, and follows it; and then he rejoices and laughs. He knows because he sees that his life will be over altogether too soon. He sees that nothing is more important than anything else.
All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy—it does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it
Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore, a warrior must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if he feels that he should not follow it, he must not stay with it under any conditions. His decision to keep on that path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. He must look at every path closely and deliberately. There is a question that a warrior has to ask, mandatorily:
Does this path have a heart?
End Quote
And if we want to, we can all be warriors.
For more go to http://www.philosophersnotes.com/quotes ... eda/page/1
cheers
Mars
for an an easier, cheaper and travel-easy sleep apnea treatment
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t7020 ... rapy-.html
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t7020 ... rapy-.html
Re: Philosophical musing
secret agent girl wrote: At the risk of totally outing myself as eccentric, I somehow find that thought (living is just controlled dying) giving me a little more sense of peace and acceptance about this part of my journey.
And not a day goes by that I'm not most grateful for the existence of this space, which is helping me make a difficult-for-me transition easier.
Is it that our diagnosis of OSA,
our acceptance of OSA and
our taking responsibility for our lives,
changes us? Causes us to to be more aware.
I have been profoundly changed by OSA.
Not just by the successful therapy that has given me
back my physical and mental capacity.
It has heightened my senses to the importance of this new life.
It has given me a sense of peace that I am, in fact, in control of the dying process.
Your risk of outing yourself as an eccentric has actually placed you firmly in acceptance.
As you are, so am I and many others, grateful for the existence of this space,
which helped us make a difficult transition easier.
Sisters and Brothers of the Yahoo Hoserhood
"If your therapy is improving your health but you're not doing anything
to see or feel those changes, you'll never know what you're capable of."
I said that.
to see or feel those changes, you'll never know what you're capable of."
I said that.
Re: Philosophical musing
Boooooooo.....Hisssssss.....BOOOOOOOOO-SWS wrote:
(poorly written text once sat here)
I was still digesting that and contemplating........
......unacceptable.
"If your therapy is improving your health but you're not doing anything
to see or feel those changes, you'll never know what you're capable of."
I said that.
to see or feel those changes, you'll never know what you're capable of."
I said that.
Re: Philosophical musing
Poorly written?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! It was blankety-blank PERFECT, -SWS. Please put it back! I don't care what Faulkner said--that was one darling that should not have been killed.carbonman wrote:Boooooooo.....Hisssssss.....BOOOOOOOOO-SWS wrote:
(poorly written text once sat here)
I was still digesting that and contemplating........
......unacceptable.
Don't make me start capturing and quoting each post you make the second after you post it to prevent that sort of self-editing.
Re: Philosophical musing
I've heard it said, "We all come here leaving."
Just based on those I've spent time with when it was known the time of their leaving was nearing, having some control over the way the rest of life is lived grows in importance. What hit me recently was how different out lives might be if we were as determined to live it well before we knew it was our last chance.
Some life robbing health conditions strike in spite of the best preventative and curative measures. However, I am challenged by an awareness of the unhealthy behaviors that I have thusfar simply not chosen to exercise control over. Thanks for posting your musings, Secret Agent Gal. This thread has put my challenges back in the forefront of my attention.
Kathy
Just based on those I've spent time with when it was known the time of their leaving was nearing, having some control over the way the rest of life is lived grows in importance. What hit me recently was how different out lives might be if we were as determined to live it well before we knew it was our last chance.
Some life robbing health conditions strike in spite of the best preventative and curative measures. However, I am challenged by an awareness of the unhealthy behaviors that I have thusfar simply not chosen to exercise control over. Thanks for posting your musings, Secret Agent Gal. This thread has put my challenges back in the forefront of my attention.
Kathy
_________________
| Mask: TAP PAP Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Improved Stability Mouthpiece |
| Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control |
| Additional Comments: Bleep/DreamPort for full nights, Tap Pap for shorter sessions |
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Re: Philosophical musing
Sorry carbonman and jnk. My verbosity is so often the bane of my own existence. Google cache had most of that unwieldy sentence, and I tried to fill in the rest from memory. I'll leave it intact for posterity...
BTW, secret agent girl... I immensely enjoyed your musing as well. But quite frankly, eccentric people don't deserve full credit for "outing" themselves on a message board like ours---a message board top heavy with eccentric people of all things.
You will fit in just fine around here. You already do! Altavista...
BTW, secret agent girl... I immensely enjoyed your musing as well. But quite frankly, eccentric people don't deserve full credit for "outing" themselves on a message board like ours---a message board top heavy with eccentric people of all things.
You will fit in just fine around here. You already do! Altavista...
Re: Philosophical musing
Welcome aboard philosophersecret agent girl wrote:Because health issues are so close to the surface of my mind when I read the threads here, broader thoughts of mortality and quality of life often occur to me.
Somewhere I once read that because of the way the human body is built, walking is really just controlled falling.
And I was reading discussions of how much effort to expend in getting AHI to zero (even when it's really low) and after several steps along in my back-of-the-brain free-association chain I said to myself, "Ya know, living is really just controlled dying."
Now, that may not do much for you, or it may seem excessively morbid, but for me it set off all kinds of interesting thoughts, like
...isn't it good we can control things somewhat and are learning more all the time
...how lucky we are to live with even imperfect cpap technology to restore our quality of life
...(an historical awareness of ways past generations tried to exert influence over their "controlled dying")
...(and more personal stuff, of course)
At the risk of totally outing myself as eccentric, I somehow find that thought (living is just controlled dying) giving me a little more sense of peace and acceptance about this part of my journey.
And not a day goes by that I'm not most grateful for the existence of this space, which is helping me make a difficult-for-me transition easier.
Enjoyed your discourse muchly )
DSM
xPAP and Quattro std mask (plus a pad-a-cheek anti-leak strap)