Groundhog Eternity
Although I don’t believe in a creator of the universe—especially one with preferences or desires (like which religion is best or who should win the Superbowl)—I am sympathetic to the idea that there’s more to reality than meets the eye and it wouldn’t particularly surprise me to find out that when we die, there’s some sort of afterlife waiting in the wings.
And if there is one, I wouldn’t be surprised a bit if it were something like what TV weatherman Phil Connors experiences in what might be my most favorite movie of all, Groundhog Day.
As anyone who doesn’t spend his or her life underground only to surface once a year looking for winter shadows well knows, Groundhog Day tells the story of a jaded and egotistical broadcast meteorologist, played by Bill Murray at his finest, who finds himself experiencing the same February 2nd over and over forever.
Phil transitions through a number of responses to his predicament. At first, he thinks he’s going crazy, then he embraces it, using his omniscience and immortality to live out any number of fantasies; later, he falls into a suicidal depression, before finally coming out of his misery by putting the needs of others before his own.
The part that strikes me as the most likely afterlife scenario is how Phil is trapped in a world constrained by experiences he had in the real world. Suppose that when we die, it’s like that: we can go anywhere or see anyone we experienced while we were alive and we can do so eternally.
At first, it might be fun to visit Vegas, for instance, and play at being a high-roller. After eons, though, this would probably get tedious and lead us, like Phil, to overcome our narcissism.
With that in mind, though, it might make sense to do and visit as much as possible while we’re living so our own Punxatawnies are as large and varied as possible.
And if there is one, I wouldn’t be surprised a bit if it were something like what TV weatherman Phil Connors experiences in what might be my most favorite movie of all, Groundhog Day.
As anyone who doesn’t spend his or her life underground only to surface once a year looking for winter shadows well knows, Groundhog Day tells the story of a jaded and egotistical broadcast meteorologist, played by Bill Murray at his finest, who finds himself experiencing the same February 2nd over and over forever.
Phil transitions through a number of responses to his predicament. At first, he thinks he’s going crazy, then he embraces it, using his omniscience and immortality to live out any number of fantasies; later, he falls into a suicidal depression, before finally coming out of his misery by putting the needs of others before his own.
The part that strikes me as the most likely afterlife scenario is how Phil is trapped in a world constrained by experiences he had in the real world. Suppose that when we die, it’s like that: we can go anywhere or see anyone we experienced while we were alive and we can do so eternally.
At first, it might be fun to visit Vegas, for instance, and play at being a high-roller. After eons, though, this would probably get tedious and lead us, like Phil, to overcome our narcissism.
With that in mind, though, it might make sense to do and visit as much as possible while we’re living so our own Punxatawnies are as large and varied as possible.
posted by Professor Dave at 3:22 PM
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