Some four years ago, a friend in Belgium died on the same day that I bought my house near the Belgian border. I had hoped visiting her more often. My friend had been worried about her imminent death. She feared missing her (grand)children. I suppose that most of us fear losing something.
Back then, I asked her if she still prayed. She did not. I told her about the philosophical argument by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), also known as Pascal’s wager. Essentially, the downside of not believing is huge when you’re wrong; similar to the upside when you’re right. She then found her peace.
I suppose that our quest for immortality (eg, Bloomberg-2023) relates to our decline of faith – let alone religion. Frankly, I have no appetite for becoming a centennial. Ever since my 50’s, I have noticed a gradual bodily decline, and an increased duration of recovering from achings and/or injuries.
The phrase (and song) Nothing to Lose suddenly entered my mind last week. My inspiration felt weird because everybody has something to lose, and nobody has nothing to lose. Nevertheless, it feels more like nothing than something in my situation. I suppose because I have embraced less = more.
Sometimes, I envy the ones that have passed away during my lifetime. In those moments, the serene tranquility of not being seems like utopia to me. However, those moments never last long. Usually, I’m somehow quickly reminded of my mission here. Still, there’s nothing much to lose (for me).
Nowadays, it seems (to me) that everybody wants everything, and nobody wants nothing. As a result, “few” people are satisfied and/or happy. Also see this quote by author Paulo Coelho (b.1947):
“When I had nothing to lose, I had everything. When I stopped being who I am, I found myself.”
To a large extent, the above also relates to my 2016 blogs:
- The more we have, the more we fight change (12 March)
- The less you have, the more you embrace change (13 March).
Nothing to Lose (1979) by UK
band, lyrics, video, Wiki-band, Wiki-album+song
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
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