The Living dead

We all listen to stories of people who were long gone from the physical world. We like to think about them and take the inspiration from them and try to implement them in our lives. Though these people don't have a body and do not contain any physical presence in the world, they impact us. Not only the well-known ones but also the ones who are lesser known people who may be dear to us.

This raises the question of what is being dead? Is it when we perish into cosmic dust of confused molecules or is it that the lack of self-consciousness? I prefer to think that the true death comes upon us when we are wiped out not just from our own consciousness but also from the active conscious of other people. I definitely agree with the notion that a person who is unconscious (permanently) would mean that the person cannot quantitatively add anything to society as a whole. But does that stop them from adding something qualitatively (Even if they want to stop, there isn't much they can do about it)?

Influencing 'The Living' in their decision making when influencer themselves are not within the physical realm of reality is what I portrayed as being qualitative. As the prime social beings that we are, we always are influenced and will be an influence on the actions taken by us or by others. Be it as simple as selecting a candy or as unnerving of a decision to legalize abortion. There are so many influences that alter our decisions for the good or bad of it.

When a person is living he/she generally would have more influence on the people surrounding him, as he can act upon these influences and increase the number of people he/she can influence. But when the same person is dead he/she will still continue to influence though they cannot steer these factors of influence into the direction they want. And sometimes it may also happen that the influence that was built up would show a lot less when they are alive but shows up in abundance when they are dead. People like Scientists come to my mind when I think about this. Unless the scientist is great at marketing himself to the public, the chances are very slim that they will be recognized in the public for their great breakthroughs but once they are dead our media groups inevitably make them an inspiration to the genius youth of the world.

Image from:http://timeforquotes.blogspot.com/2012/07/time-for-albert-einstein-quotes.html

But when does one stop influencing decisions? The answer may not be simple because it depends on who the person is and how important the person is for the influenced. How many years does it take that a person forgets the dead and that the dead has no longer a say in the decision of the living? There are many factors, that I can think of, when it comes to having a longer period of influence; such as Character, Intellect, decisions made etc.  Any or all of the factors, I think, can be a part of developing an influence on others. People like Einstein, Gandhi, Thomas Jefferson 'who are famous and influential' are famous and influential long after their death because they have this circle of greater influence when they are living which inherently made them more unforgettable in their absence. Although it is inspiring to hear about our dead heroes, it is unlikely that everyone can have similar kind of surroundings and ' The reach for opportunities' that would mold them to become a long-lasting influencer. So, the question is 'what is the average age of a person when they really die?' I don't have any scientific answer but let me know what do you think.

                                                                                          -Ias Luhar