Is death the only thing guaranteed in our lives?

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 07 Jul 2021, 21:15

Neenu B_S wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 00:55 The plot of the story doesn't seem to agree with it but I do. Life is so unpredictable and the only guaranteed thing would be death which we come to all of us some day. The author says 'people say so' and so I guess the author is right.

I think the author says 'people say so' because despite what the people say the author is telling a different thing via his story. If there are multiple world lines or multi universes, or ultimately multiple ways a single person can live at the same time, there should be multiple ways that he/she can die too. What if one of such possibility is immortality? Then the death will remain no more as an inevitable thing.

Joseph Dunn · Post by **Joseph Dunn** » 08 Jul 2021, 10:34

I don't recall ever hearing anyone say this, but in this context, it adds emphasis to the author's proposal that death may be avoided. I find it intriguing as an opening line.

Judy_Jemutai7 · Post by **Judy_Jemutai7** » 08 Jul 2021, 12:54

This statement is not entirely true because death is a possibility but as long as we have life, we are guaranteed of seeing the next day. Death is not a guarantee, it is a one time thing but we have life on a daily basis. It is not relevant to the story.

yomide · Post by **yomide** » 08 Jul 2021, 13:42

Nathaniel Owolabi wrote: ↑01 Jul 2021, 04:34 Well, I do not think people say that, since this is the first time I have read this. To answer your second question, I do agree that death is guaranteed in life but I do not think it is the only thing guaranteed, I think life is also guaranteed for before you die you have to live. I do think it is rather relevant to prove his point,

Sure i agree with you. But i think it is relevant he prove his point after all he said death might be the only thing that isn't guaranteed. If he doesn't prove his point, who will.

Caroline81 · Post by **Caroline81** » 08 Jul 2021, 14:26

Yes, people say that and is evident by how they try to make the most of life and i agree with it because there are many possibilities in life but death is inevitable. In relation to the story, its irrelevant with Gary being able to exist in different worldlines.

Benaron · Post by **Benaron** » 08 Jul 2021, 16:27

I remember reading this in the earlier part of the book, and I think it's mostly something that the author just wrote to build up suspense in the plot. However, I have heard a joke about the subject: "only two things in life are certain- death, and taxes".

ROSEY-ANN · Post by **ROSEY-ANN** » 08 Jul 2021, 18:28

Sushan wrote: ↑01 Jul 2021, 00:17
Death, the only thing in life that is guaranteed. That’s what people say and that’s what we all think. However, what if it isn’t?
(Location 26 of Kindle version)

The author gets a start to his story with the above statement. He says that 'people say so'. Do actually people say like that? Do you too think like that? What is the actual relevance of this statement to this story?

If we all agree that death is inevitable. Does this set the stage for what we do next in life? Are we carefully trying to avoid death by the things we do? I mean Gary had a near-death experience in at least two of the worldlines. I think the author is making an indication to open our minds to the whole concept. What would I do if I could help someone to live a better and longer life? I think the author is speaking to the fact that each decision we make can impact the quality of our lives and of others.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 08 Jul 2021, 21:10

maggi3 wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 01:21 I have heard people say this. Oftentimes it is used to mean "don't take anything for granted" because death is the only thing you are guaranteed in life. I think it's true to some extent; there should be certain things/people you can rely on in life, but you should be grateful for those things/people and not take them for granted. I think the statement just serves as an interesting introduction to the story, setting up the sentence: "My name is Gary Jackson, and I, like you, will probably live forever."

Yes, I agree. It is a great opening sentence. Basically I think the author wanted to highlight the fact that many people die around us and that will come to us someday, and it is guaranteed. But, yes, it can be taken with its moral value, not to take anything for granted since the life is short and you get only once to live it.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 08 Jul 2021, 21:17

Shillah A wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 02:30 I think the author doesn't agree with the fact that death is something that is guaranteed. From my understanding, the author explains that one doesn't die from his perspective but the other people's perspective. This explains that death is not the only thing that is guaranteed but also life in another worldline.

Exactly. That is why the author has included, "people say so" (but not me). He starts the book with a commonly phrased sentence with which anyone will agree and directs the reader towards a new concept in which even death can be questioned and made into only a subjective experience rather being an objective one.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 08 Jul 2021, 21:30

Sara chhawniwala wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 05:08 I have heard many people say this. I think so too. Death and life are the only things that can be guaranteed. Everything else can change. Fate, destiny all is in our hand.
To answer your last question, i donot think this has any relevance to the story in the book.

In generally speaking life is a guaranteed thing too. But how we live it or how we get to live it can be entirely different from person to person and nothing is certain or guaranteed in our lives.

I think the relevance of the statement was the author's intention to prove that that is wrong, at least in his book. Because as he describes death is a subjective experience where the objective experience will be a start of another worldline, a whole new life.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 08 Jul 2021, 21:35

ROSEYANN wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 09:28
Sushan wrote: ↑01 Jul 2021, 00:17
Death, the only thing in life that is guaranteed. That’s what people say and that’s what we all think. However, what if it isn’t?
(Location 26 of Kindle version)

The author gets a start to his story with the above statement. He says that 'people say so'. Do actually people say like that? Do you too think like that? What is the actual relevance of this statement to this story?
I think the statement about death is relevant to the whole many-world theory. Remember Gary met in an accident where he could have died. However, he managed to survive, and then lucid dreams impacting the other worldlines where he is alive.

You are correct. The professor explains that Gary's friends might have actually seen him dying in that accident, yet we (and also Gary himself) sees and feels him alive. I think the author wanted to challenge a known and a well accepted fact, the guaranteed nature of death.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 08 Jul 2021, 22:01

t_mann23 wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 11:32 I don't think people say it exactly like that, but people definitely do talk about death being inevitable. I agree, someday we'll all die. That's what makes life so precious because we want to do things and live up until that point. As for the relevance to the story, it's definitely evident, as the root of the story involves Gary committing murder within a dream and the accident where he almost died. But the multiverse theory questions whether death is really certain, so the statement is a good setup for what will soon be explored.

You are correct. The root of the story is around Gary being dead in one world line and having started many others, living entirely separate lives. And that is why the author says (in Gary's words) that the reader may also live forever as Gary did. He opens the book with a well known fact as a statement and makes the reader to actually doubt it by the end of the book.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 09 Jul 2021, 01:19

Michaeljerry309 wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 13:02 I’d start by saying that the statement isn’t something people say, or at least it’s my first time hearing it. However, it is a very accurate statement because everything else has a 50/50 of happening until it happens and the only thing that’s guaranteed is that as long as you are alive, you will die. I’m one of those people who believe that everything in life is just a distraction from the fact that you will die eventually. I think that to some extent, considering the nature of some of the characters, it was relevant to the overall message the author was trying to pass to his readers.

Yes, death is a certainty for all the ordinary humans, but not for the protagonist of this fiction, Gary. He died in one occasion but born in another, actually not that but he did not die objectively. It was just a subjective experience. So the author suggests what we see as dying can be merely a subjective experience but not objective.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 09 Jul 2021, 01:28

Suzer6440 xyz wrote: ↑02 Jul 2021, 13:24 Death is certainly the final destination to everyone’s well being, however, it is not the ONLY thing in peoples lives that is guaranteed. So yes I think it is a guarantee but not the sole one in our expectations in life. I don’t think this had a lot of relevance to this novel.

I am not sure and has no idea about anything else in our lives that are guaranteed other than death. Anyway it is my personal opinion.

I do not agree about this quote not being relevant to the story as we talk about accidental deaths and murders that are conducted accidentally in one way and intentionally in the other way. The author takes into the light the difference between subjective and objective experience of death, which no one actually can truly experience. (You have to die first

)

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 09 Jul 2021, 01:46

Abacus wrote: ↑03 Jul 2021, 07:06 Yes, I think people believe that "death is the only thing in life that is guaranteed". But the statement assumes one death and one life, the story opens up the possibility of many lives and therefore many deaths? In a world of multi-universes, is there a first life that splits off into many? The questions surrounding this subject are myriad and fascinating. I think the statement is enormously relevant.

Yes. Death will be a certainty if you have only one life. But as this author suggests what if you have many lives. Then you will have many deaths and death won't be a certainty anymore. And sometimes you will be immortal with the uncountable deaths. So rhetorically death won't be a certainty at the end.