Fao Jim

[woofgang]

Jim I appreciate your not turning Mikey's thread into a discussion but I would be genuinely interested to hear your comment on the "You want a Physicist" quote. Even though I believe in god. I do take comfort from its message that nothing is lost, but with current knowledge would you please comment on how factually accurate it is? and your general opinion of it? many thanks. For those interested, the actual quote is the first answer below this.

[woofgang]

"You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to your grieving family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died. You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed. You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every Btu of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world. You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got.

And at one point you'd hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him/her that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you. And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let him/her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her/his eyes, that those photons created within her/him constellations of electromagnetically charged neurons whose energy will go on forever.

And the physicist will remind the congregation of how much of all our energy is given off as heat. There may be a few fanning themselves with their programs as he says it. And he will tell them that the warmth that flowed through you in life is still here, still part of all that we are, even as we who mourn continue the heat of our own lives.

And you'll want the physicist to explain to those who loved you that they need not have faith. Let them know that scientists have measured precisely the conservation of energy and found it accurate, verifiable and consistent across space and time. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they'll be comforted to know your energy's still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you're just less orderly".

Aaron Freeman

[ToraToraTora]

sounds about right to me, energy and matter are neither created nor destroyed. Quiet a good idea that. It is nice to be reminded that every bit of energy we ever put out is still there, every particle is still available for other entities to use.

[jim360]

There's nothing about it that strikes me as particularly inaccurate really, I just feel that maybe it's a little too sentimental for my tastes.

I have often -- perhaps a little too often -- pondered about what I might say at my mother's funeral. Since she is Christian I have no doubt that it would take place in a church, but since I'm not I've wondered about how to deal with the clash. Perhaps at that moment, I might reconsider my views on the quote and borrow some, most or all of it, but there you are.

I didn't want to kick up a fuss mostly because I was a little embarrassed at being dragged into a thread about Mikey, rather than because I had any particularly strong opinions about the quote one way or another.

[woofgang]

Its the facts and the sentiment rather than the words that I like....it was written by an American comedian and its not new. I think that both things show.

[bigbadmarty]

That was a nice quote
Shame about .Mikey working class hero is something to be
Hope this gets through rubbish internet in Lanzarote

[gness]

Nice to see you popping in, BigbadM.....you on holiday or living there?...x

[bigbadmarty]

Just taking advantage of the tax free status
Smashing place

[gness]

Enjoy.......and keep popping in.....Gx

[bigbadmarty]

Ok just sad about Mikey

[gness]

Heartbreaking isn't it.......I still can't quite believe it, he was such a lovely gentleman and brought so much to AB.....x

[Peter Pedant]

sorry that was me
havent kept up with whats going on with Mikeys funeral.
and did not wish to cause ructions in e-mourners

the quote given below seemed very long
went on and on
and I didnt much like some of stuff - talk to the family about conservation of energy. Actually I dont agree with that
talk to family - yes
conservation of energy - yes
but not linked - and certainly not at a funeral

and thought Jim cd do a much better job.

apolz to all parties who were upset - or whose thoughts were diverted from Mike

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - (still thinking about Mikey) - a sombre time for me
thinking of other deaths as well

[vetuste_ennemi]

I thought the point of the "Physicist as Celebrant" quotation was to show the inadequacy of science to explain psychological phenomena. Everything the physicist says is "true", and none of it is relevant.