You can't take it with you

[rov1100]

Then what's the point of gaining a lifetime of knowledge which continues up and until your death?

The same could almost be said about the richest people in the graveyard.

[jomifl]

You knowledge always goes with you, the same cannot be said for your money

[VHG]

Well of course on that premis there is no point in doing anything.

I guess the reason is people enjoy gaining the knowledge, or earning the money, it what drives them on.

I must say though on a personal level I have always been a bit of a "glass half empty" person and have often had feelings like in your original question, a sort of "whats the point".

I know Kenneth Willimans, the comedy actor, struggled with ill health in his later years, and the last entry in his diary is "oh - what's the bl**dy point".

http://www.findadeath...s/kennethwilliams.htm

[VHG]

>>>>I know Kenneth Willimans

Whoops that should be Kenneth Williams

[boxtops]

I've often thought about that - it's a shame there's no way that highly knowledgeable people can't download their brain-stuff, somehow.

Same when people retire from work - we lose all that knowledge and expertise, and have to start all over again :-(

[JonnyBoy12]

We will carry our knowledge with us into the next world but not our wealth. I think that has already been said though. I hope we are able to know everything in Heaven as there is nothing I hate more than ignorance.

"Those who think that they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do".

Can anyone tell me who this quote comes from?

[jomifl]

Haven't a clue mate

[mibn2cweus]

It's what you don't know that get's you to the point of pointlessness sooner rather than later.

[hippyhoppy]

There was a question in the Daily Mail (boo hiss I know) in which this woman had no family other than her elderly husband and was concerned about her 'knick knacks' once she'd passed.. I'm lumbering my old crap onto the kids.. but I suppose she has a point.. that green liquor that was so enticing in Greece isn't going to be fun for anyone else...

[andy-hughes]

Having read Kenneth Williams' diaries, I think his final question was directed at his entire life - his failing career and his failing health, and his inability to form anything like a relationship with anyone other than his mother.

I do agree with other posters who comment on the fact that making money is pleasurable still for people who have more than enough of it - since it is often a by-product of their enjoyment, rather than an end-product.

The attitude of anything in life having no point because of death is a sad one. I personally gan knowledge because i enjoy doing do - I have never before considered that it is a waste because it will die with me - and having considered the question, I don't think it's a waste at all.

[naomi24]

//You can't take it with you//

... but you can leave it as a legacy.

[EDDIE51]

Share your knowledge on AB before you 'pop your clogs'
How about that for a slogan, Ed are you listening. ?
Or 'Answer Bank' pop in before you pop off ?
On a more realistic note , in my last full time job, the person who held the job before me had written an exercise book of details of how to do everything and of problems he had encountered. I inherited the job and the book, it was very helpfull. An idea for the future ?

[dzug2]

<<it's a shame there's no way that highly knowledgeable people can't download their brain-stuff, somehow.>>

There is - they write books, articles, all sorts

[boxtops]

Good idea, eddie, but that's about processes and "how to" - what about the mass of useful stuff that you might only be called on to use, say, once every couple of years.... or that you have just learned, informed your working practices?

[grasscarp]

Eddie I did a careful write out of everything I did and all necessary procedures in a job I was leaving once. I revisited after 6 months and found all things had changed which was disappointing. However ..... after another few months they told me the new ways didnt work and all reverted to what I had written. We cant take our knowledge with us, but it should not stop us trying to become more knowledgeable or attempting to pass on what we think will help others.
Confuscious said Learn as if you are going to live forever, and live as if you are going to die tomorrow.

[boxtops]

You're right, dzug - but often it's the day to day minutiae which matter, when we say "I wish X were still here, he knew how this bit works".

[WyeDyed]

It's true that you can't take it with you but the important thing is what you leave behind.
Other than your worldly possessions you pass on knowledge and experience.
When you interact with someone their brain alters slightly (this has been shown experimentally) the more you interact the more of an impression you leave.
The body may perish but you leave a lasting impression on those you knew.
What's the point?
The betterment of your loved ones and, ultimately, your species.

[boxtops]

That's a good thought, wyedyed

[birdie1971]

Ultimately, life itself is pointless when you look hard at at. It doesn't really serve any purpose at all. If there were no life on Earth, the planet would still exist. The only difference would be that there would be no one around to give it a name.

Regardless of my somewhat bleak viewpoint, life matters greatly to an individual member of any species since sentience seems to be a state of being that most creatures are unwilling to relinquish without a damn good fight. Even deeply religious people who 'know' they are going to a better place when they die have been known to beg for their lives. But that's another story.

Suffice to say, there is no point other than to provide a legacy for the still conscience and as WyeDyed rightly says, “... [for] the betterment of your loved ones and, ultimately, your species.”.

[trt]

Most of you are wrong.

I have always discussed my experiences and knowledge with my children when I was young, the good times, the poverty and the really bad times of when I was a child growing up and, they realise how lucky they are now!

So its not wasted, unless you don't share it!

[wildwood]

If knowledge was always passed on, not gained, we would still be thinking the same old stuff of way back. Our imagination to do things better and quicker has produced the stuff around us now.