Re: CHAT: facing your own mortality (as a conlanger)

Jörg Rhiemeier wrote:
> Hallo!
>
> On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 23:05:22 -0400, Dana Nutter wrote:
>
>> I know other believe differently, and they are entitled to do
>> so, but my philosophy is when I'm gone, I'm nothing more than
>> food for the worms whether anyone remembers me or not.  Leaving
>> something behind means nothing to me.
>
> That's a rather bleak and cynical outlook, I must say.
>
> I know that I don't know what happens to me after I die,
> but apart from this _scio ut nescio_ I firmly believe
> that we are here with a purpose, namely to make the world
> a better and more beautiful place.  And that means that we
> *should* care about the rest of the world, even beyond our
> own lifespans.
Indeed, he seems to be going into this with the attitude that, unless
his material is preserved *only* the way *he* wants it preserved *and*
*no* *other* *way*, then he seemingly doesn't want it preserved *at* *all*.

That just rankles me.

In any event, control is an illusion.  We don't really HAVE full control
over how our information propagates out from us or is stored by others
once it leaves our fingers, *nor* *should* *we*.  Once a piece of
information -- such as a conlang -- passes beyond our walls into the
outside world, there IS no real control of where it goes, what people do
with it, or how it gets collated by others.  It could be sliced and
diced, remixed, spindled, mutilated, or otherwise monkeyed with, and
we'd have no way to stop it.  *And* *we* *shouldn't*.  It has become the
property of society, of civilization in general, by that point.

Sorry, Dana.  :D

>
> ... brought to you by the Weeping Elf

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