smackeddog wrote:BRIGGS wrote:In the last 3 years it seems all I’ve seen on my Facebook is more and more People passing away at what I would call premature ages — I’m sure it’s happened here but crushalot really hits home as It seems he’s the first of many king timers to go that is public. I have to assume he was 50 or under— and it said he had kids which is even tougher.
I think most of us started here in their late 20s or early 30s and now sit in their late 40s early 50s. Personally I’m 52. I’ve dealt with a Parkinson’s like disease now for 20 years — I have been fortunate like Mike j fox that I’ve been able to live longer with just a minor progressiveness in symptoms but the last two years unfortunately I’ve gotten worse. I don’t know how crush died but death itself is a topic that has taken a bigger role in my mind personally and I think sports which really is a backbone of my life in many ways has abated. It’s hard to focus on 2.5-3 hr games w high intensity. I find myself watching 3 innings of Mets games. For some reason crushes death almost represents a new phase I think for some of us— even if we didn’t know him. How quickly life moved from A to Z for him and the honest finality of death. He seemed no different than the guy posting 20 years ago and yet he is gone.
Yeah, it's hard, I was lucky in that I managed to avoid anyone I was close to dying until 5 years ago, then once my dad died, felt like the floodgates opened, culminating in one of my best friends dying of sudden death syndrome at 35 (we were the same age at the time). Life's really different now, as am I, I ended up switching to working with people with terminal conditions and life altering illnesses and their families, so death is a big part of my life nowadays. I too struggle to focus (or even want to devote the time) to watch full games live (I'm sure time passes quicker too as you get older!)It's been weird hearing about Crush, and also your health issues, and Triple threat's and other posters, and the posters who have lost people to Covid-19 and had other losses. I think I've always posted thinking you're all fine and immortal, and assume none of you are really bothered by what I say, so I do apologise to anyone if I bother/hurt them- I know I can be very impatient and short with people online, especially around politics!
Another weird thing for me, is it's starting too come to the point where, even if I don't get afflicted with a life shortening condition, I'm not going to see some new rookies careers all the way through (like if they have a 20yr career or something)!
Time passes quicker as we are creatures of habit and familiarity breeds content. Age 10 to 20 consider what we go thru. Physical growth, mental, changes of schools, friends, dependence on parents to being emotionally on our own. Age 50 to 60. Kids go from teens to 20’s. Wife and I still very much the same. It flies.
Along the way perhaps we get ill and it consumes us and it defines us. I have been there and was lucky to move on. Parkinson’s does not go away. Some cancers haunt its victims even in remission. Having some of this life experience I can relate and far more empathetic to what theY go thru even if I have not been fully in their shoes. At the same time I enjoy life better and have greater mental discipline except to The Knicks and participation on the UK. I tell my wife many lessor men gamble or surf porn instead. Me getting aggravated with 1248’s redundancies is really me getting mad at myself. I’m sure he is not a bad dude. We are our posts here. He see’s an underachieving knick. I see his story. His family immigrating to France, single mom raising three boys and all succeeded in different ways. All the players have stories, some filled with more hardship than others. I learn our kids stories and root for the to succeed on and off the court. GO FRANK!
Societally we are struggling in so many ways. In many ways I’m doing really well and in others I’m Hurting. Im worried by a lot of things. Growing up there was a optimism for the future and a society that seemed to promote positive change. Baby boomers who protested for change evolved into the “Me” generation an we seemed to have stunted into self absorbed pleasures. I’m guilty of this to some extent as well. WE all are. We created the current state.
I do believe death is more prevalent and see it in my community obituaries. I lost my some realitives in NY who were their 80’s to covid. Lost my dad two years ago but he was 91 and cheated death many times we were able to celebrate a longer life than expected and the gift of life he gave and received.
HIstory is full of misery. Perhaps it might last the remainder of my life. Others paid it forward thru sacrifice. Wars fought to preserve freedoms they perceived as real. Medicine Research to promote life, science and technologies to improve life. What will we do with all this wonderfulness?