Winning Words 12/29/11
“Who would venture upon the journey of life, if compelled to begin at the end?” (Madame de Maintenon) Perhaps you saw the movie, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In it, Brad Pitt lives backward, beginning life as an old man and aging back to his youth. A reviewer wrote: “The movie is a downer.” Would you like to live backward? ;-) Jack

FROM SHARIN' SHARON: Actually, in what many times is a segregated society in which people of each age tend to spend most time with each other and feel like they have most in common with each other, I am finding out that I need to try to live backward to the youth of the young people around me in order to genuinely relate to them and to live authentic life in community. It's a lucky person who liked their youth because probably then it's all much easier. Putting "the Curious Case of Benjamin Button" on my Netflix list. Thanks and Happy New Year, some lucky baby will be the New Year famous baby again.////FROM JACK: As I become older, I live backward by realizing that I've been the age of most people with whom I have contact. I know what it's like to be their age, but they don't know what it's like to be mine.

FROM RG IN ARIZONA: If we believe in the concept of eternity, the temporal experience of our "time" on earth makes the idea of "living backwards" a very reasonable consideration. How does our lifetime fit into the eternal concept of "always was and always will be"? The concept of Time and the temporal is a very confusing experience when juxtaposed to Eternity's "always was and always will be". They just don't fit! Maybe we do live backwards.////FROM JACK: What if the calendar makers labeled the new ones, "2010?" If, we didn't know any better, would that mean we were living backward? And what if clocks were fixed in such a way that they ran in reverse? What is the real measurement of time? The solar system? In Joshua 10:13, a story mentions that the sun stood still. Even NASA has issued an opinion on that.

FROM MY ATTORNEY VISITING IN FLORIDA: I had to dig deep into my computer to find this hilarious piece; but it was appropriate in response to today's Winning Words. Here it is...IN MY NEXT LIFE by Woody Allen: “In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in an old people's home feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day. You work for 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born. And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!”////FROM JACK: I hadn't read that one before, but it fits with WA's kind of humor.

FROM ILLINOIS LIZ: No, but sometimes I skip to the end of the story to make sure it turns out ok... you may say the Bible tells me that it will. Call me agnostic, but, personally, I'd like a little more proof...////FROM JACK: To those who seek proof, I remember two statements by one of my professors on the subject of being sure of God. 1) "You can't find God at the end of a logical syllogism." 2) "You can't unscrew the inscrutable." That helped me to come to an understanding of faith. Sometimes we come to the point where we simply say, "I don't know, but I believe." Reread the story connected with Mark 9:24. It's OK to be a seeker of truth.

FROM BM IN MICHIGAN: NO! Nothing (except, maybe, good health) beats being with and playing with grandchildren. I’ll keep things earlier in life in my memory bank. Obviously, there are other wonderful things at the top of the list – a loving spouse, family & friends, etc.////FROM JACK: Going backward, I think that it would be difficult to cope with being a peer of my children. Let's just be thankful for the good memories.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS: No--I would want to start at the beginning so I could look back on all the fabulous memories!////FROM JACK: I take it that you mean that you'd like to relive those times that given you good memories. I think I've read of some inventors who have tried to develop a time machine that would allow travel into the past. So far, no success. Well have to be satisfied with the gift of memory.////MARLYS CLARIFIES: No--I don't want to re-live it. Just savor my memories.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Easy one for me....NOPE!////FROM JACK: Then you could relive the outhouse experiences, especially in the freezing weather.

FROM CJL IN OHIO: The quick answer is "no". But think of the fun going from weakness to strength and think of the knowledge you would carry. Would you do things differently?...////FROM JACK: In my scenario, living backward would leave behind the memory of the days before. It would be a "true" backward trip. The answer for me is also, NO."