Faith

[RCMerchant]

 I DO have something that makes me feel mellow and relaxes me when humanity brings me down, and that's the fact that,when the human race is long gone, planet earth will still be here. New animals and  sea creatures and things we can never dream of.  We exist here for just a moment-and like the dinosaurs will be gone. But the world will keep spinning and new life will begin. I like that.
I have faith in that.

[ER]

Hey, RC, I like to think about things like that, too, in fact one of the greatest sci-fi stories I ever read (well, among the best stories I ever read, period) is all about that: Poul Anderson's In Memoriam.

Ever read it? I first saw it in an old Omni my dad had. It begins with the death of the last human and goes forward from there across millions of years of future time. It's one of the most thought-provoking tales I've ever come across, and here is a link to it. It's about seven pages long, a ten-minute read, so I hope you check it out and like it as much as I do. Sorry the text was presented with no paragraph breaks. I don't know why that was.)

Hope you guys enjoy it....

http://dateallaround.com/index.php/article/view/Anderson-Poul-In-Memoriam

[ER]

Okay, I apologize but in that link to the story, for some reason, for about a quarter-page, right in the middle, some transcriptionist seems to have slipped in a report about Shoemaker and Mars, but the story itself, by Anderson, does continue on unabated past that. It looks confusing for a second. Sorry...

[RCMerchant]

I do like me some Poul Anderson- I'll give it a read! Thanks! 

[lester1/2jr]

Except ants don't think.

they must feel pain though?

[RCMerchant]

Except ants don't think.

they must feel pain though?

Ants think. They feel. Maybe they love.
Who knows?
Nobody REALLY knows.
And never will.
We as humans like to think we got it all figured out.
So arrogant.

[indianasmith]

Except ants don't think.

they must feel pain though?

I dunno.  they lose a leg and keep right on scurrying - I lose a leg, I roll on the ground screaming and frantically trying to use my belt as a tourniquet so I don't bleed out!  If the DO feel pain, they are the toughest little SOB's on the planet!!!

[RCMerchant]

[

I dunno.  they lose a leg and keep right on scurrying - I lose a leg, I roll on the ground screaming and frantically trying to use my belt as a tourniquet so I don't bleed out!  If the DO feel pain, they are the toughest little SOB's on the planet!!!

Yes.