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-OSAYS
ISCWSINGIN
ONYOU?
by
Keith W. Stump
None of us seems to find enough time to accomplish all we would like to in this
life. Do unrealized potentials die with us? Or are there future
opportunities- somewhere beyond death? The answer may surprise you!
W
hen Albert Ein–
s te in di ed in
April , 1955, at
the age of 76, a heated race
carne to an abrupt end.
Einstein lost.
In his later years, the famed
physicist worked feverishly to
synthesize a revolutionary new
theory.
" I cannot tear myself away
from my work," Einstein wrote.
" lt
has me inexorably in its
clutches."
It
was a race against time- and
time won .
A photograph of Ei nstein 's
study in Princeton, New J ersey,
taken shortly after his death,
shows a blackboard full of equa–
tions, a desk overstrewn with
reams of paper- and an empty
chair. The unfinished business is
aJI too apparent.
" lt
seemed that the difference
between life and death for Ein–
stein consisted only in the differ–
ence between being able and not
being able todo physics," a fellow
physicist had once written.
Will Einstein ever again have
the opportunity to "do physics"?
Time and tide wait for no man,
observes an English proverb. For
18
most, time moves too quickly. We
simply cannot fi nd enougb time
to accomplish all that we would
like to accomplish in our lives. As
we grow older, time seems to fly
by at an even faster rate.
Then, inevitably, comes the
.. en d ." Authors die leaving
uncompleted books; composers
die leaving unfinished symphon–
ies; scientists d ie leaving uncom–
pleted experiments; businessmen
die leaving half-built corpora–
tions; parents die leaving growing
children or grandchildren.
lt happens every day.
The Gr im Reaper
We are all familiar with the pro–
verbial story of the skull-faced,
scythe-wielding "Grim R eap–
er"- the personification of death.
His human victim invariably tries
to argue the Reaper out of taking
his life, but to no avail.
" But I have a wife and chil–
dren," the doomed man pleads.
Or, " But things are finally begin–
ning to go right forme; I can't die
now!" Or, " I'm right in the mid–
dle of an important project; I
need more time!"
Such are often the thoughts
that arise as one faces the pros–
pect of death. Even those who
claim to desire deatb as relief
from painful physical affiictions
or because they "have nothing to
live for" are in many cases really
saying that they would like to be
healed or to find something to
live for.
Turnln g Back t he C lock
For the vast majority of people,
the mind rebels against the
thought of death. Death is seen
as an enemy. Indeed, the Bible
labels it as such ( l Corinthians
15:26).
Man's refusal to accept his own
mortality is clearly in evidence
today in so many ways.
As the years pass by, many
people begin to experience a "cri–
sis of body image." Increasing
numbers are turning to plastic or
cosmetic surgery in an attempt to
recapture at least the appearance
of lost youth.
In search of a more substantial
remedy, researchers are hard at
work discovering ways to actually
extend the human lifespan. Innu–
merable diets, exercise plans, vita–
min and drug therapies and other
approaches have been devised,
reputed to be effective in rejuven–
ating not-so-youthful bodies.
It is certainly true that food
The PLAIN TRUTH