Tuesday, September 29, 2009

practical immortality

Magnificent debut last night for Ken Burns' latest tour de force, The National Parks. Loved the Muir look-alike historian's closing quote: "This," immersion in, identification with the natural world, "is true freedom. A good, practical sort of immortality." Looking for something larger than yourself to connect with? You could do lots worse than Nature. Episode 2 is on right now. That's reality TV.

Meanwhile, on another practical immortality front it's reported that longevity science is gaining new credibility. "Low-calorie diets and drugs that mimic their effects were all the rage at a Harvard Medical School conference on aging..." Did they find Democritus' secret?

I still think Muir's version is more promising. Paige's, too.

1 comment:

Mister Jimmy said...

When I was 14 I remember standing by the falls at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I was eye-level with the water going over the falls, which meant the water flow was actually above my head. It was one of the most profound moments of my life, then and forty plus years later. After seeing the first episodes of this series I've added Glacier Park and Yosemite to my "Bucket List".

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