Thanks again. There is a fair amount of correspondence between the Omar of old times on Phil-Lit and me, though the issues of personal identity are as we know not simple. Speaking of drinking: YUSUFALI: They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth Allah Make clear to you His Signs: In order that ye may consider- A Drinking Song WINE comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye; That's all we shall know for truth Before we grow old and die. I lift the glass to my mouth, I look at you, and I sigh. William Butler Yeats --- On Thu, 11/27/08, wokshevs@xxxxxx <wokshevs@xxxxxx> wrote: From: wokshevs@xxxxxx <wokshevs@xxxxxx> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The meaning of life To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Omar Kusturica" <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx> Cc: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Thursday, November 27, 2008, 7:10 PM I am so much older now, my mind is weaker and memory more feeble. But surely this must be the Omar of old times on Phil-Lit. Who else would offer a quotation from one of Kant's favourite drinking buddies and moral confreres? I echo Robert's sentiment wholeheartedly: Welcome back, Omar! May the community in this pub provide you with captivating philosophical reflection for the mind, some occasional comic relief from your trials and tribulations, and soothing balm for the heart and soul of a lover of truth and rightness. Walter O Quoting Omar Kusturica <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx>: > Only tangentially related to the recent threads, but still: > > http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/suicide/ > > There are references to Kant and others, but this quote struck me: > > When a man's circumstances contain a preponderance of things in accordance > with nature, it is appropriate for him to remain alive; when he possesses or > sees in prospect a majority of the contrary things, it is appropriate for him > to depart from life…. Even for the foolish, who are also miserable, it is > appropriate for them to remain alive if they possess a predominance of those > things which we pronounce to be in accordance with nature. (Cicero, III, > 60–61) > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html