I know where you’re going
Or, ‘Vehicles Die Too‘
I know it looks like I’m being a bit morbid at the moment. A lot of strips about death and frailty. The reason for that is that the subject of death occupies a large section of the next Flowfield Book, entitled ‘The Flowfield Singularity‘.
What’s a singularity?
Well, it depends who you are - if you’re a mathematician, a scientist or an avid watcher of Star Trek. For the purposes of the next book I have relied on the following definitions:
Gravitational singularity, a point in spacetime in which gravitational forces cause matter to have an infinite density and zero volume
Technological singularity, a theoretical point in the development of a scientific civilization
Essentially, a sink hole and a possible point in the future. They’re both ends of a sort and that’s where death comes into it, whether metephorical or actual. So whilst death is perhaps the biggest end and the biggest change, it’s not the only one, and that’s what’s coming next.
Sean on 
Maddie on
It’s always nice to remind people of their impending deaths. I like to do it in every conversation. Sometimes I start conversations just to tell people they’re going to die! BECAUSE IT’S TRUE.
Even me?!?!?
Joe, you remind me of my high-school geography teacher.
He was a Malthusian geographer, and ended every lesson with the phrase ‘…and you’re all going to die’.
He was right, but really, is that something you should be reminding 14 year-olds?
I think so, which is why I’ve carried on the tradition with this srip. The fact that you do it as a matter of course though is truly a beautiful thing.
And alas, Alvaro, even you. But not for a very long time, and even then you’ll still be around.
It’s really the knowledge of my own mortality that pushes me to work so hard on all my projects. Is that healthy? Probably not, though I guess I could rationalize it as a chem-free alternative to coffee.
Any one of us could drop off at any moment. Even worse, the people we depend on could drop off, or everybody in the world except for George Bush and Adam Sandler could drop off. Terrifying. Anyhow, I’m looking forward to The Flowfield Singularity, and sincerely hope that I live long enough to read it.
There might be some cross-links this week between this strip and my new series, “The Nature of Tragedy”… at least, there would be if the cg server started updating again. Maybe I should think about applying for a slot at Transplant.
I think I’m the same… knowing there’s an end is certainly a motivator.
Why is it that objectionable people seem to live forever. I’m not naming names here, you know who you are, but don’t you think it’s time to let go?
Providing that motivation holds, the book won’t be too long, a couple of months at the most… please try not to shuffle off the coil in that time - I suggest avoiding warzones, harsh climates and ingesting poisons.
I’ll keep an eye out for your new series, no matter where I can find it. Y’know if you ever applied for Transplant you’d get my vote in a second.
A friend of mine once said “The day you are born you start to die.” Rings true in this comic.