Eat, Drink and Be Merry...

[wayneL]

... for tomorrow we die!

A saying as old as the hills and derived from the biblical books of Ecclesiastes and Isaiah and the reason cities such as Berlin, convinced that nuclear conflagration was potentially a heartbeat away, became such hedonistic party towns during the cold war.

Yet, there it is... still.

Today, we have mansion inhabiting, motorcade riding, private jet owning, tropical resort holidaying, ultra-hypocrites telling us that in just a few short years that we will either drown as our continents are sucked down in a whirlpool of rapidly rising sea levels, or shrivel up into burnt and starving crisp as temperatures escalate to Venusesque proportions.

One od two scenerios seem certain:

1/ It will.

2/ It won't.

Frankly, I no longer care.

Today, I went with she who must be obeyed (in return for several earthly sins of the flesh ) to watch some stunningly beautiful and prohibitively expensive horses (and riders) impress us with their prowess, while gorging on French Brie, Spanish Chorizo, French Baguette and Italian Organic Merlot; chatting to some truly wonderful people...

...and i thought to myself; life is good. Too good to worry about stuff I have no control over.

So I've made a 7.5 months past new year's resolution: From now on I refuse to argue about AGW, house prices, bear markets, or other future events that will or won't reveal themselves despite what I or anyone else says. I will be impressively happy and uncaring.

I will spend my money on things that make me feel good, whether that is French wine or saving the whales and not a cent on anything else.

For truly, tomorrow we all die, and you're a long time dead... and if the human race collectively wants to destroy itself, so be it, I'm going out in style...

...and with a smile.

Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we all die.

 

[robots]

hello,

way to go bro,

thankyou

robots

 

[prawn_86]

Good choice Wayne, no point worrying about things out of our control. I like to see what is/will happen/ing in the economic environment, just because it is my passion and interest, but really i couldnt give a stuff as long as my partner and I are happy.

We are still young and we put enough money away for the future, but we still enjoy things like fine foods and expensive beers and nice holidays, no point squirreling everything away and not having fun and then pegging it unexpectedly.

My favourite quote relative to this situation comes from Tyler Durden:

This is your life, and its ending one second at a time

 

[Julia]

That's a great quote, Prawn.

Wayne, yep, you're right. I wouldn't mind a bit of a bet, though, that you won't be able to stick with this new purist hedonism to the extent that you no longer engage in debate!

I frequently make a similar resolve, but then just get so irritated at the zealots that I succumb once more.

 

[wayneL]

That's a great quote, Prawn.

Wayne, yep, you're right. I wouldn't mind a bit of a bet, though, that you won't be able to stick with this new purist hedonism to the extent that you no longer engage in debate!

I frequently make a similar resolve, but then just get so irritated at the zealots that I succumb once more.

Yes there will be moments of weakness I'm sure.

Perhaps I'll just irritate them with Lao Tzu

She who understands, says it with few words.
He who doesn’t, says it with many.
So shut your mouth,
Reserve your judgments and words,
Smooth differences and forgive disagreements,
Dull your wit and simplify your purpose.
Accept the world.
No one can endear himself to such a man by doing him favours,
Nor repulse him by treating him badly.
She is indifferent to gain or loss, exaltation or humiliation.
He is happy to indulge, though many starve.
She is happy to starve, though many indulge.
Being thus, he is at peace with the universe.

 

[2020hindsight]

....1. A saying as old as the hills and derived from the biblical books of Ecclesiastes and Isaiah

2. in just a few short years that we will either drown as our continents are sucked down in a whirlpool of rapidly rising sea levels, or shrivel up into burnt and starving crisp as temperatures escalate to Venusesque proportions.
….
Frankly, I no longer care.

3. ...and i thought to myself; life is good. Too good to worry about stuff I have no control over.

I will spend my money on things that make me feel good, whether that is French wine or

4. saving the whales

Wayne,
points 2, 3, and 4 - I imagine Tim Flannery would disagree with you on your take on most of those points - to various degrees of course …

He’s the bloke you’ll recall who has an emergency plan available to react quickly to climate change. (PS see also parable of the corn stalk).

He is also the one who says that the minke whales are the rabbits of the sea … ( a strangely inconsistent sentence in your post if you don’t mind me saying so.

November 23, 2007 -- Democracy now spent hour with one of the world's leading scientists studying climate change, Tim Flannery. An Australian mammologist, palaeontologist and field zoologist, he has discovered and named more than thirty new species of mammals. He has been described as being in the league of all-time great explorers such as David Livingstone.

Flannery might be best known as the author of the bestselling book "The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change." Earlier this year he was named 2007 Australian of the Year. Tim Flannery recently spoke before a packed crowd at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe New Mexico as part of "Readings and Conversations," a series sponsored by the Lannan Foundation. Tim Flannery spoke on the environment, how human activity is altering the earth's climate and what we can do to save it

point 1. btw here is his parable of the corn stalk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j3nWVhqwWk
Tim Flannery - Climate Change & How to Save the Planet pt6-6

 

[ghotib]

Of course, there is a small question about when tomorrow will begin. The Catholic Church in Sydney has just demonstrated conclusively that a Day contains somewhere between 190 and 2100 hours, rather than the 24 we outsiders thought. The hangover might start before the day is over at that rate

 

[wayneL]

2020

When one dog lays a turd on the footpath, other dogs come along and stick their nose in it.

I don't know why this is, don't care, it just is. The fact that dogs does this should not be irritating as it is the natural order.

I laid a turd on the footpath, specifically because I knew you would come along and stick your nose in it. I don't know why this is, don't care, it just is.

But the fact of the matter is that I have moved on down the road, and you have dog turd on your nose...

...and I am happy because this is just how things are. It is the natural order, how it should be.

Cheers

 

[CAB SAV]

Every sunday for the last 15yrs from approx 4pm to 8pm we have opened our house to friends (usually 5-10 turn up) to drink eat listen to music argue,debate laugh & get merry. Every one makes an effort to bring good interesting wines to try, new interesting nibbles and DVD's. Over the years we have lost some friends to passing away, moving interstate, separating etc but always seem to find replacements.
It's become a small window in our busy lives to get some real stress relief and enjoy food wine music & friends
We are only here once for the ride,enjoy.
Life is too short to drink bad wine.
drinking is the root of all evil, buy me a drink I'm a wicked root.

 

[ghotib]

Life is too short to drink bad wine.

Or eat supermarket food.

 

[2020hindsight]

2020

When one dog lays a turd on the footpath, other dogs come along and stick their nose in it.

I don't know why this is, don't care, it just is. The fact that dogs does this should not be irritating as it is the natural order.

I laid a turd on the footpath, specifically because I knew you would come along and stick your nose in it. I don't know why this is, don't care, it just is.

But the fact of the matter is that I have moved on down the road, and you have dog turd on your nose...

...and I am happy because this is just how things are. It is the natural order, how it should be.

Cheers

wayne
I'll reply to that - on one condition -
I won;t contravene the rules of ASF

and that you promise not to delete my post

 

[2020hindsight]

Life is too short to drink bad wine.

Or if you can only afford the occasional good wine - as a friend of mine says - "in life, drink the best wine first".

lol , that last line of yours.

 

[springhill]

...
So I've made a 7.5 months past new year's resolution: From now on I refuse to argue about AGW, house prices, BEAR MARKETS, or other future events that will or won't reveal themselves despite what I or anyone else says. I will be impressively happy and uncaring.

.

Wayne i will believe THAT when i see it!

 

[chops_a_must]

I give it two weeks.

Wanna argue about it?

P.S. - There is no longer argument about bear markets.... so you are safe there.

 

[wayneL]

Just an update for those interested:

I survived another day. This green and pleasant land managed to fend off the cruel sea one more time. The temperature managed to stay below 150 º (In fact, it was a tad chilly when the sun was behind the clouds).

I ate, drank, and was indeed merry.

Life is still good.

Dogs still stick there noses in turds.

The market will fluctuate in the coming week.

Cheers

 

[Bushman]

Eat, drink, agitate and die. ...err and yep, be merry.

Good luck with your cathartic endeavours my friend.

 

[wayneL]

Eat, drink, agitate and die. ...err and yep, be merry.

Good luck with your cathartic endeavours my friend.

Thanks.

May The Force be with you.

 

[pepperoni]

Bah ... you are clearly drunk or something.

This "tommorrow we die" is what got us into this mess. Great in theory but generally we dont die tomorrow, and end up in mortgage stress or declaring bankruptcy.

Im going to obsess about the markets. And tomorrow I wont die, instead Ill go shopping for a Ferrari or Riviera or one of the other fine rewards that comes from caring about tomorrow.

[Purely in jest ... but if this change has happened to you we are truely all doomed ]

 

[2020hindsight]

I survived another day. This green and pleasant land managed to fend off the cruel sea one more time. The temperature managed to stay below 150 º (In fact, it was a tad chilly when the sun was behind the clouds).

I ate, drank, and was indeed merry.
Life is still good.
Dogs still stick there noses in turds.

We're all pleased for you, especially the folk on the land whose situation is heading downhill "as we speak". Enjoy your caviar.

UK is bound to have less climate change than Australia - what with the Murray Darling in crisis, and damn all snow to feed the dams this spring (just proves what we hear every day). Perhaps , in your subconscious, that's why you went to the UK (?)

Your first post defines a new philosophy Wayne - it's called a Hedonist / Hedinist (you know the old cartoon of the ostrich I'm sure)

Strange - you say UK dogs stick their noses in turds. - Aussie dogs are smarter than that - they can smell a turd without getting any on their nose.

If you want to compare your posts to turds on the footpath, so be it - :dunno:

 

[2020hindsight]

even our dogs are hedonists