"When my husband died, because he was so famous and known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me-it still sometimes happens-and ask me if Carl changed at the end and converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again.
Carl faced his death with unflagging courage and never sought refuge in illusions. The tragedy was that we knew we would never see each other again. I don't ever expect to be reunited with Carl. But, the great thing is that when we were together, for nearly twenty years, we lived with a vivid appreciation of how brief and precious life is. We never trivialized the meaning of death by pretending it was anything other than a final parting. Every single moment that we were alive and we were together was miraculous-not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance. . . . That pure chance could be so generous and so kind. . . . That we could find each other, as Carl wrote so beautifully in Cosmos, you know, in the vastness of space and the immensity of time. . . . That we could be together for twenty years. That is something which sustains me and it’s much more meaningful. . . .
The way he treated me and the way I treated him, the way we took care of each other and our family, while he lived. That is so much more important than the idea I will see him someday. I don't think I'll ever see Carl again. But I saw him. We saw each other. We found each other in the cosmos, and that was wonderful."
(Source.)
... and that was wonderful...
ReplyDeletewhether that "energy come to form" of either will ever meet again is immaterial...
What if those energy particles once again were to recognize each other at some point of space and time and decide to hang out...
What I don't know shall fill a multitude of books. I study, but I am content to not know.
I have no clue and no pretensions and it does not matter, because as long as I breathe, I learn and I love. Long live the philosophy of the Sagans.
First of all: this is an absolutely beautiful quote; I found it about a year ago and my fiance and I (he's an agnostic, I'm an atheist) are planning to use a reworked version of this at our wedding.
ReplyDeleteSecond and OT but way too hilarious not to share: Quote from tonight's Daily Show: "I finally figured out where Sarah Palin came from! Someone cast a spell on a Youtube comment and it *came to life*!"
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-march-26-2013/pimp-my-right---cpac-2013
DeleteAnn's truth is based on reality, I especially like the way she their life together as both being the "beneficiaries of chance".
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, the rest of the article is an interesting read, especially about the creation myth. I never thought of that aspect of the Adam and Eve story. I'll have to go back and read more of her work.
awesome! what a healthy view of life's experiences.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely.
ReplyDeleteJon Stewart demolishes Republican’s superficial new messaging strategy
ReplyDeleteHe then turned his attention to the conservative gathering known as CPAC, wondering how Republicans had implemented their new strategy. He discovered that Donald Trump wanted more European immigrants, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) literally ran away from facts, and Sarah Palin was actually a YouTube comment come to life.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/27/jon-stewart-demolishes-republicans-superficial-new-messaging-strategy/
not sure if you have seen this - but these republican right wing nuts are really going over the top and even willing to put the President's daughter in danger
ReplyDeletehttp://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/03/26/outrageous-breach-of-journalistic-protocol-endangers-president-obamas-daughters/
I will be sharing this with my philosophy class today as we discuss philosophy of religion.
ReplyDeleteAs one who spent some time with Carl, both in class and at his wonderful cliff side house in Ithaca, I agree with the following excerpt unreservedly (and would warn those who seek to worship at his altar):
ReplyDeleteI believe that, far from belittling science, knowing the gory details helps one appreciate just how wonderful science is. When what seems like a crazy theory – plate tectonics, say, or relativity, or the revolution of the earth on its axis – a theory that defies what seems to be obviously true – turns out to be demonstrated as true based on a growing mountain of observation, experiment and argument, and over the egos and back-stabbing and pettiness of the people involved – well, THAT’s a triumph to celebrate. But science as presented by Sagan – we enlightened few, harmoniously united by our pure love of the Truth, who for completely selfless reasons, and armed with nothing but argument and integrity, battle the execrable ignorance of the unwashed, superstitious Many, eventually leading them, however dull and imperfectly, to accept the Brave New World we scientists have, despite their opposition, created for them – gag me.
http://yardsaleofthemind.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/my-sagan-obsession/
This quote stands out for me: "the great thing is that when we were together, for nearly twenty years, we lived with a vivid appreciation of how brief and precious life is. We never trivialized the meaning of death by pretending it was anything other than a final parting. Every single moment that we were alive and we were together was miraculous-not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance."
ReplyDeleteA friend wrote me a few months ago because she was having a crisis of faith. There was an horrific murder that involved children (this was before Newtown), and she was struggling with the Problem of Evil (why does a loving god allow evil?). She wanted to know how I, as an atheist, could cope with events like these. She thought there had to be some larger meaning.
There is no meaning, I said to her. There's no justice in the afterlife. Life is a brief spark. On the cosmic scale, we don't matter, we'll leave no mark on the universe.
She found that horrifying. Many people find the "New Atheism" horrifying for that reason; the idea that oblivion awaits and that life is fundamentally meaningless is what Nietzsche called humanity's "awe-inspiring catastrophe."
And yet, oblivion doesn't frighten me. I accepted it a long time ago. This life is the only shot I get, every moment is special because every moment could be my last.
And I think I got that from Carl Sagan. Cosmos had a profound effect on me when I was six or seven. "The universe is not made for us" passage from Pale Blue Dot is something that I've felt intuitively for a long time.
I won't say that I'm an atheist because of Carl Sagan, but I will say that his ideas about the universe found fertile ground at an important age.
And, for people really curious about Sagan's view of god and the universe, find a copy of his Glasgow lectures, The Varieties of Scientific Experience. It's an amazing and worthwhile read.
You might find the views of UG Krishnamurti worth a look, given your acceptance of oblivion.
DeleteTo wit: “We are not created for any grander purpose than the ants that are there or the flies that are hovering around us or the mosquitoes that are sucking our blood.”
I'm not a fan of his "anti-enlightenment" but some are...
I don't believe we extinguish out like a light. I believe there are otherworlds, not to be mistaken for heaven but probably is. She'll see him again.
ReplyDelete