Briones, Jamila Colleen M. 2011 01664 PHILO 10 WFR Prof. Bernardo N. Caslib, Jr.

r. Reaction Paper: 100 and the Meaning of Life If everybody wanted to go to heaven, how come nobody wanted to die? If Im sure that Im going to heaven, one hundred percent, I can die any time. But Joyce was not sure that she was going to heaven. She couldnt even go to sleep because she was afraid that she may never wake up again. Her greatest fear was this uncertainty and of all the uncertainties that she faces every day, knowing that her time was running out, it was whether an afterlife existed or not that bothers her most. She wondered. What if she dies and poof, nothing comes after? My question however, is different. The only thing I wonder about is if it matters whether or not an afterlife exists. Of course, choices made under the pretense that they would affect some sort of life after death would be different from those made if thought that theres nothing after death. But is it worth it to spend time maundering and living in fear because you arent sure if heaven and hell exists? When asked the same question, Daniel Kolak would most likely say no. And so did Joyces best friend, Ruby. Ruby said that in the event that Joyce dies and there would be no afterlife, then it would pose no problem since Joyce wouldnt know about it anyway. On the other hand, if fate takes a turn and Joyce finds herself in another realm after death then it would be, if not better, just as fine as the other. What was important was that she lives today. In much the same way, Kolak expresses his view about death in a line I read from his short story The Wine is In the Glass. There he said, Really, he was quite an extraordinary man. Oh, well, I could go on. But what would be the point? The man is dead. At first glance Kolaks words may seem offensive, perhaps even insensitive. But as far as I understand, Kolak doesnt mean that talking about dead people is worthless. He may be saying that talking about death is meaningless and that the meaning of life may be in existence itself, not in what follows death. In the movie 100, we see how Joyce plans the things she intends to do while waiting for the last bit of sand to drop. She lists the things she has yet to do on Post-Its and sticks them on the wall of her room so she can read them, update them and do them. She tells Ruby, and later

also her Mom, that she has already accepted her death and soon they should too. She told them that only once theyve accepted this will they be able to be happy. What Joyce wanted was to savor every remaining second. She wanted to live fully in the here and now and I think that Kolak views life the same way. What comes after life is not important. There may be an afterlife or there may be none. You cannot live thinking solely of what comes after. You must think of the present for the meaning of life is there. Everybody dies, is what Joyce told her Mom. You can try to resist it and even attempt to fight. But spending every day of your life trying to find a way to live longer will only be a waste, a big waste. Joyce knew that. That was why instead of spending all her money looking for cures even if it was already hopeless, she used her money to go to places shes never been to, to spend quality time with her family and friends and to enjoy herself. Instead of lying in a hospital bed and subjecting herself to pain from chemotherapy or surgery, she stood, walked, ran and cherished her last months. When I read Kolaks work, I thought that maybe life is similar to wine. You do not drink wine like you would drink an orange juice. You take small sips and let the flavor explode in your mouth rather than gulp it down. Sometimes you swirl it in your glass while taking in the scent of fermented grapes, and you do this to savor the moment. In much the same way, you do not take life and spend it so loosely. Youre supposed to savor it, to take note of every moment the way Kolak took note of the mans every thought. You stop and contemplate about your life, not take a step recklessly and carelessly. That was the point of life and of existence; to live in every moment, in the here and now and in the present. That was what Joyce did and when the time came that the sands of time finally ran out, she accepted death without fear and perhaps even without regrets. She still wasnt sure that an afterlife exists I think. But she was sure that she lived her life well. She drank the wine slowly because maybe she somehow knew that once the wine is out of the glass, either spilled or drank dry, it would be gone for good. You can refill it, sure, but it would never be the same. It might still be wine but its not the same wine you just consumed. It would not be the same life you just lost. Thats why the meaning of life may perhaps be in existence, in the here and now, and in the presence of life itself. Not in what comes after but in what is already there.