Frost and Fire - Thoughts on How Best to Live the Time We are Given in This Life

Would you live your life differently if instead of the 70 or 80 years you hope to have, lifespans are only 8 days? I recently rediscovered a story written by Ray Bradbury in 1946.  Many years ago it helped shaped my perspective on the rush-rush dilemmas sometimes posed by modern life. In the story, "Frost and Fire" , a group of human explorers are trapped on a planet. Birth to life encompasses only 8 days. They frantically attempt to live their life and make sense of their existence.  You can listen to a radio version of the story at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ1P_bfbgfk&feature=youtu.be


How would I live my life differently if I only had 8 days?  Ideally not too differently than now, if I am "living in the now" ala Eckhart Tolle.  What about 800 years?  In a way that is what religions like Christianity or Buddhism attempt to fortify you with. i.e. living forever.  

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 4, 2019 at 6:24 AM

    I remember reading a sci-fi book in my youth that made me think of the meaning of life. It was an obscure book, "Venus On The Half Shell", by Kilgore Trout (a fictional character in some of Kurt Vonnegut's books. The premise was that the history of the earth and all it's people was to get one person to a certain place in time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SojournerSeptember 8, 2019 at 3:13 AM

    I will read this. Thanks for the insight.

    ReplyDelete

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