I Read This Quote And Thought It Would Make For An Interesting Discussion.

“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?” Chuck Palahniuk.

I think for me it would depend on the character.

C/S,
Rev J

 

Slow down or speed up what?

The character you're portraying on stage
Or the process of changing character back stage?

It very much would depend on the character. I mean if I was reincarnated and new about it but didn't like who I was then and I was guaranteed reincarnation, I'd probably just off myself until I find a good character. The problem would be, even if I did realize it later on, could I interpret the thoughts as an infant or would I have to grow to like 10-13 years old to comprehend the ability to reincarnate. And if I had to wait those years, would it really make a difference if I wasn't aware in the first place?

 

If that is/was the case then there really would be no point in being in a rush, but rather I would try to get as much experience from each incarnation as possible.

 

Yeah... But you forget the last one, so you never get anywhere.

 

^^^ post 3

That would be my take as well. It is not like each "character" will live 75 + yrs. Most animals and plants have a short life and relatively easy (compared to a human life). Eat, sleep, survive.

Me I would like to be a tree. The amount of wisdom you could gain.

Since 1800 when we hit 1B in population we have steadily climbed 35m per yr on average to the 7B we have today. 200 yrs 6B people. Wow, when you look at that in another 200 we will have 13B + people.

I would think reincarnation needs to settle down a bit.

 

if you were born between the late '50's and the early eighties then you have lived through something that never happened before and will most likely never happen again.
The world population doubled in that very short period of time.

so maybe it is the final gathering/incarnation and getting all "souls" incarnate before the shit hits the fan so nobody misses the big finale.

 

Probably speed up, I kind of have a born in the wrong era, feeling disillusioned thing going on right now, but my view is subject to change.

 

its not really that I want to slow my life down so much as I want to fast forward through the meaningless mundane parts and then pause a really long time for the moments that really matter.

 

I would not want to be anyone else.....so the thought is not very comforting, really.

 

Do you find if death meant curtains closed, shows over more comforting? Or is it just not a comforting situation no matter how you view it?

 

I think the concept is kind of like a Zen Koan.

I think the passage is deliberately vague.

You will always be yourself. You will just be yourself in a different guise. Your roll in the cosmic drama will be different.

It seems like walking through your pain and uncertainty is a running theme in Palahniuks work. It is through walking through it that we grow change and evolve.

C/S,
Rev J

 

No matter how I view it, I guess.....
I like being me...don't want to come back as a man....etc....

 

This is the interesting thread I was hoping for.

C/S,
Rev J

 

I feel like that most times. My era is medieval and earlier. Yet I believe I would truly miss my gizmo and gadgets of this era. I'm always torn between when and where I would go back in time.

 

I also find him really adept at putting characters in absurd situations and/or performing deviant, strange behaviors while making them seem borderline trivial to the characters. These types of scenes in his books often having me pondering cultural values and due to routine, how little we question or examine our own values and behaviors.

 

This is death, if it can be embraced a delicate freshness sprouts from each moment

Unless each incarnation was held within the same moment, which allows a glass half full kind of look at things where you're constantly remembering? Still don't really get anywhere, but fuck it

 

If you fill the glass to half way, the glass is half full
However
If you drink half the glass, the glass is half empty.

 

The thing is in this cosmic play that we call life we are constantly changing our costumes and our roles.

Sometimes you are the hero. Sometimes the villain. Sometimes you are the victim. Sometimes the rescuer. Sometimes you are the lead. Others a support player.

Sometimes you dress down and others you dress to kill.

It is a constant ebb and flow.

C/S,
Rev J

 

i would hope to come back each time on a different 'stage'. i would also like a little r and r between appearances.

 

If you came back as a new character, it wouldn't be 'you' coming back would it?

Deeper question here seems to be what is the self, or rather if one accepts the idea of reincarnation, what exactly reincarnates?