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Understanding inevitability
Dec. 30th, 2004 09:58 pmI saw a big billboard over my Christmas travelling, put up by one of the non-profits dedicated to researching medical stuff.
"Heart Disease is the number one killer of women," it exclaimed.
Which got me to thinking: What's their goal? Immortality? Because, ladies and gentlemen, there will always be a number one killer. You can't get rid of the number one killer. In the end, we all die, and something will always claim a greater portion of us than other fates. If heart disease goes away, perhaps cancer will replace it. If cancer goes away, liver failure... Somewhere, there will always be a sign deploring the deaths caused by the number one killer.
The inference of the sign is that we can save lives by curing heart disease - but heart disease is commonly associated with old-age sorts of deaths. My grandmother ultimately died of heart disease, but she was an old woman, and would have died of something else if one of her strokes hadn't been one too many. Old age /should/ be the number one killer. What'd be better, homicide?
You can't cure death, America. Et in Arcadia ego.
"Heart Disease is the number one killer of women," it exclaimed.
Which got me to thinking: What's their goal? Immortality? Because, ladies and gentlemen, there will always be a number one killer. You can't get rid of the number one killer. In the end, we all die, and something will always claim a greater portion of us than other fates. If heart disease goes away, perhaps cancer will replace it. If cancer goes away, liver failure... Somewhere, there will always be a sign deploring the deaths caused by the number one killer.
The inference of the sign is that we can save lives by curing heart disease - but heart disease is commonly associated with old-age sorts of deaths. My grandmother ultimately died of heart disease, but she was an old woman, and would have died of something else if one of her strokes hadn't been one too many. Old age /should/ be the number one killer. What'd be better, homicide?
You can't cure death, America. Et in Arcadia ego.
