[extropy-chat] Fwd: Robert Anton Wilson 1932 - 2007 (2)

[BillK]

On 1/12/07, Jay Dugger wrote:
>
> <rant>
>
> Aside, I've lost friendships with people who refused to witness my
> cyronics sign-up. They thought I'd lost my mind, or fell victim to a
> swindle, or worst--reminded me I had immortality if only I'd except
> Christ into my life. Not once did they ask whether I thought it would
> work! They just assumed I'd some simplistic faith in a technological
> rapture, as if I'd mistaken Halperin's "The First Immortal" for
> scripture instead of entertainment. Documents describing the preserved
> as "patients" and the process as "suspension" aggravated the problem.
> Again, semantics matter.
>
> I ultimately decided I had no need for short-sighted hypocrites among
> my friends. A painful decision indeed, but one worth making.
>
> </rant>
>

Hmmm.  Sounds to me like you need a bit of a reality check here.

Population of US - 300 million.
Cryonics signups - 1,000 (approx.)

Your standard for defining a short-sighted hypocrite seems unrealistic to me.

You could get far more than 1,000 out of 300 million to encourage you
in almost any enterprise.  Magic, UFOs, crystal healing, psychics,
astrology, etc.
(You may claim that there are more than 1,000 who support cryonics but
have not signed up yet. Possibly true, but it is a pretty polarizing
subject).

Just because a friend won't support you in one particular enterprise
shouldn't make them persona non grata.  Say you had a friend that was
getting really interested in signing up for some Scientology courses.
You think it will ruin them financially and psychologically. Wouldn't
you at least refuse to assist them? Perhaps even try to persuade them
that it wasn't a good idea? They will say that Scientology has
millions of members (probably exaggerated) who think it is a good
idea.

Scientology (and other such organizations) encourage supporters (i.e.
victims) to disconnect from non-members and outsiders so that they can
ensure that contrary views are never encountered or discussed. This
reinforces the group mindset. Keith has spent his life fighting this
sort of thing. You shouldn't be trying to make cryonics into an
article of faith by banishing non-believers into the wilderness.

BillK