What would you give the last five years of your life for?

My friend and I were talking about life, when I remembered one of Edward Abbeys books (I think it was in "Desert Solitaire"), about things Abbey wished he could see. Paraphrased, he related that he would give up the last five years of his life for the thrill of seeing a living Tyranosauraus Rex walking through Central Park with a screaming Morgan police horse in its jaws.

Is there an experience you would do the same for? A week orbitting the earth on the Space Shuttle? A ballon ride at a certain location? Maybe a conversation with your favorite hero / author / philosopher / Jesus Christ? Or maybe it is an experience you have already had, you would just like to experience it again, just as it happened.

Speaking for myself, I couldn't come up with one, at least not one at such a dear cost. Lots of 'honorable mentions', but nothing concrete. What about you?

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001

Answers

Edward Abbey is one of my heros. I'd give up the WHOLE rest of my life to see the earth returned to the natural state it was in before humans. Honest! I bet Ed would agree.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001

oops, I guess I should have said 'I bet Ed would have agreed', since he is deceased.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001

Sorry, I find each day filled with so much wonder,learning and astonishment, I wouldn't want to wager five years worth of it on a phylisophical spin of the wheel.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001

Very interesting thought! Although I do agree with Jay that everyday is filled with wonder and astonishment, I think I'd give up five years of my life to REALLY know what happens when you pass away. What the heck...we're all headed in the same direction eventually!! And, no, this is not the start of a religious drift, but I think we're ALL curious :-)!! And no one really knows until they die.

-- Anonymous, September 08, 2001

Could that be five years out of my twenties? I might do some trading then! Sherry

-- Anonymous, September 08, 2001

Huh! Anyone who wants to see a horse eaten ALIVE by a dinosaur (or anything else) loses MAJOR points in my esteem. And he wanted the horse to be screaming too. Very nice. Why wouldn't he want to see the dino up close and personal -- as in, HE could have been it's dinner, gotten a nice close up view, and given up the last five years of his life all in one swell foop. Sorry for being so cranky, Debra, but that phrase really bugged me!

I found a site with Abbey quotes and this was one of them: " Though I've lived in the rural West most of my life, I never once fell in love with a horse. Not once. Neither end." Perhaps that partially explains his desire. However, I'll give you a quote from me: "There is something fundamentally lacking in a person who cannot find any horse worth loving. And something fundamentally wrong in one whom all horses hate."

Geez, you'd think I was Julie or something . . . . ;-)

-- Anonymous, September 08, 2001

Interesting point, Joy (channeling your sister!), I've read in Freudian texts that men who have an inherent dislike/fear of horses are exhibiting some sign of sexual disorientation, perhaps Abbey was gender "confused", or practiced alternative forms of sexual behavior!

Myself, I would part with no number of years from my life unless it was something for the good of all mankind, then it would be an honorable sacrifice freely given.

-- Anonymous, September 08, 2001

Well, if the last five years of my life were going to be spent as an Alzheimer's victim, or something of that nature, I think I'd give them up for quite a few things . . . . I bet that wasn't one of the choices though.

-- Anonymous, September 08, 2001

Joy- Just because Ed is someone who I admired because of all the wonderful wild places he helped save, doesn't mean I agree with everything he ever said. I wouldn't want to see a horse hurt, but just because he said something stupid, that isn't going to diminish all the good things Ed did. Besides the scenario he mentioned will never ever happen.

-- Anonymous, September 09, 2001

Hey Debra in Ks; don't be TOO sure it won't EVER happen . . . genetic cloning (ala Jurassic Park) might be able to bring a dinosaur back from extinction. Never say never.

And I'm not completely sure Abbey hated our equine friends. . . I remember reading another quote (it was the very short book expounding Abbey's philosophies; don't remember the title),relating that unless you have never rode a horse across the desert during a sunrise, you have never lived.

I think the point of the quote though was that he really felt he missed out in seeing live dinosaurs, and I agree totally. The Jurassic Park movies really impressed me; I wouldn't have swam in the ocean for nothing!

-- Anonymous, September 14, 2001