Which is better?

[il Padrino Ute]

Life is always cheap; death is free.

If death was free, I'd never have gone into the funeral business.

[wuapinmon]

If death were free, I'd never have gone into the funeral business.

The dead pay nothing. Funerals are for the living. The point of my last comment is that the current distancing from dead in our society is but a front. It finds everyone and life is always cheap....there's always someone willing to take your life.

[Non Sequitur]

The dead pay nothing. Funerals are for the living. The point of my last comment is that the current distancing from dead in our society is but a front. It finds everyone and life is always cheap....there's always someone willing to take your life.

You're speaking in riddles again. Have you been channeling TooBlue?

[Indy Coug]

Would you rather be famous and rich and applauded for everything you do in life by people who are feigning so as not to offend you and fade into obscurity when you die, or would you rather be ignored in life and have your genius recognized after your death, bringing you eternal fame?

Neither really has that much allure to me.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I just want a statue of me erected in front of a building. Before or after death, if it was before I could post pictures on CUF of me by my statue. So I guess I lean to before I die.

[ERCougar]

I've always been fascinated by the thirst for fame that some have. I really don't get it. I don't want fame during or after my life. I've done enough dumb stuff in my life that I don't want to come under the microscope when I'm dead (see Braveheart quote above), and I sure don't want to deal with the hassles of fame during my life. I'm with IPU--just give me a quiet nice life and I'll be happy.

[Commando]

[YOUTUBE]Ucyp8wIzMsk[/YOUTUBE]

[Fiyero]

Who is to say that fame amongst the dead is eternal? "Hey, you're that guy that wrote Cymbeline 8800 years ago, well done. Have you met Josephus yet? I finally got to have lunch with him, after initially placing 758,232nd on his waiting list...."

[Non Sequitur]

[YOUTUBE]Ucyp8wIzMsk[/YOUTUBE]

Very apropos. Wuap is not only mysterious and inscrutable, but his knowledge will bite your face off. He truly IS El Tigre Chino!!

[Solon]

Would you rather be famous and rich and applauded for everything you do in life by people who are feigning so as not to offend you and fade into obscurity when you die, or would you rather be ignored in life and have your genius recognized after your death, bringing you eternal fame?

kleos. Life is fleeting. Death is inevitable. You might as well leave a reputation of undying glory.

That's immortality.

[wuapinmon]

kleos. Life is fleeting. Death is inevitable. You might as well leave a reputation of undying glory.

That's immortality.

I could've bet $1 million that the board Classicist would favor this approach.

Caesar crying about not having done even half of what Alexander had done by his age.

[Solon]

I could've bet $1 million that the board Classicist would favor this approach.

Caesar crying about not having done even half of what Alexander had done by his age.

You could've bet $100 million and been safe.

[CardiacCoug]

Would you rather be famous and rich and applauded for everything you do in life by people who are feigning so as not to offend you and fade into obscurity when you die, or would you rather be ignored in life and have your genius recognized after your death, bringing you eternal fame?

I think this is a pretty interesting question because an atheist could see it either way:

Better to be famous and rich now because there is nothing after death.

OR

Better to have eternal fame because that is the only type of immortality that can be achieved.

Like ER, I don't really care for either option -- I just want to achieve some happiness and security for my family and help a few people along the way.

[wuapinmon]

I think this is a pretty interesting question because an atheist could see it either way:

Better to be famous and rich now because there is nothing after death.

OR

Better to have eternal fame because that is the only type of immortality that can be achieved.

Like ER, I don't really care for either option -- I just want to achieve some happiness and security for my family and help a few people along the way.

How much does our Mormon heritage influence this fairly common opinion on the board?

[CardiacCoug]

How much does our Mormon heritage influence this fairly common opinion on the board?

I think Mormon culture probably influences us to be less individualistic and more community-oriented.

Also, the goals of

1. achieving fame and wealth, and

2. building/strengthening a family (which Mormons often value)

while not mutually exclusive are for the most part in conflict with each other.