A Whole Lot Of People - Pascal Derrien - Ireland

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Pascal blog

A Whole Lot Of People

''A whole lot of people talking, Trying to make sense. Seems everybody's living on a barbed wire fence'' Rory Gallagher 1971.

The title of this article is obviously coming from ''Whole lot of people'', a song written by the famous Irish guitarist for the album ''Deuce'' in the early 70s. I particularly like those two first verses. The working title of this article was different though, it actually had a few but one strong contender for a while was '' A few questions about mortality & its heroes''. Sounds rather pompous? You don't have to answer that one :-).

Yet this was ultimately the topic I had picked. Now I am aware and realize that many of my articles have been wandering around the enigma of obsolete beings so why another one?. I don't know is the honest answer. I suppose I am not the only one because from the time I have penned the first draft (a few weeks ago) and today I have read so many eloquent articles on time, life and death.

Sniper Alley

As I am about to enter my fifth decade I am becoming ever so conscious about the fact that I probably have less to live than all the combined years to date. In my case and for any body over 50 the next 10 years are very often described as Sniper Alley. A decade whereby some of us will trip over the complications of life and fall under a few lost bullets known as illnesses, un-wellness or simply impairment.

For a few it will be an elaborated health skirmish while for others it will look like an abuse made shift ambush. In any case it will have caught up sooner than initially planned. Our robustness, vigor and overall fitness will be stress tested one more time before being allowed to reach the other side of the critical decennary.

Personally I am already carrying the weightiness of Diabetes. Paradox is that I am extremely fit and healthy hitherto I am still pretty ambivalent about the fact that this maybe an advantage or a vertical force dragging me down.

Sometimes I like to think that maybe my subconscious tried to tell me something and spared me a more gravitational calamity by sending me a friendly warning.

The Agnostic Front

For those like me who believe we will never leave the ground and levitate in a new found state it is pretty obvious our soul will not escape thru our tears.

The most practical among us have probably down to earth questions such as why is heaven not overflown (because that's a whole lot of people isn't it)? The most inclined of us to take a bet on life after death may think about a few advantages such as not being afraid of heights again or not being at risk to rust under the rain.

The list of interrogations is endless. When it's over are you joining a limited circle of like minds or you just end up somewhere where there is no night blinds?

Heroes

The last few years I have seen a few people on the edge of their lives. I heard a few stories about living warriors on the door step of expiry. For many it seems that death was no defeat. Falling was not failing maybe a dying of old hopes at best before a final rest. I don't know where most have found their strength and I am overwhelmed at the thought of many passing with courage, pride and sometimes beauty.

The death of all plans ends the so called glorious experiment that is life. I ponder whether its too scary or maybe it makes it easy to think that there is a possibility to become an astral body. In any case our conscience is thrown at a deep end sometimes rescued only by belief, grief or relief.

It may sound pretty ( I was about to say bleeding) obvious and I guess there is really not much to think about when I say I have to do my best with what's left.

Whatever it is, I fully intent to do this to the full extent because I wont have the opportunity to do it again.

Get busy livin' or get busy dyin' (Shawshank Redemption)

Sources

People & stuff

Photo Credit

Gustav Klimt - Death & life

Produced for beBee

#Sniper Alley #un #Paradox #Rory Gallagher #wellness

Comments

Bill Stankiewicz

5 years ago #44

#57
Great advice Lada Prkic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lada 🏡 Prkic

5 years ago #43

#58
It's most important to take care of our health, but often it isn't enough. Two of my friends died in their forties suddenly without being ill and despite living a healthy life. We never know.

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #42

#57
ah Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic I agree with you yet I don't want to avoid those questions either, I suppose my father dying suddenly at 60 from complications of diabetes is probably influencing my thinking process but have no plan to replicate the experience :-)

Lada 🏡 Prkic

5 years ago #41

Pascal, it is said that the fifties are new thirties, so why asking questions about mortality. :-) Whatever we think about life after death, we shouldn't be more concerned about it than the life we actually live. You're fit and healthy despite Diabetes. Go and meet life. :)) "So, let's not hang our heads The light will show through yet."

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #40

#54
ah thanks 🙏 I was called once prince of darkness but master of morbid is new one ☝️ many thanks for the good wishes and likewise hope to see you commenting when you 102 😉

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #39

#52
ah thanks Claire L Cardwell its a process and like anything else I think its about cut off point and decision point sometimes it takes longer than anticipated or it takes a disruptive event to realize something go to change :-)

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #38

#50
I would not disagree Chris \ud83d\udc1d Guest I am a marathoner and a long distance cyclist and feel much healthier than I have ever been despite being diabetic which is a bit of a paradox for many people :-)

Neil Smith

5 years ago #37

#48
It's a well worn saying but I always like the idea that there are those who get older without ever growing up. Lots to be said for it.

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #36

#47
ah thanks Neil Smith maturity and wisdom have not yet knocked on my door I am a bit too wild for that , forever young then :-)

Neil Smith

5 years ago #35

You young folks! Always worried about something. 😉 Happy birthday when it gets here.

Bill Stankiewicz

5 years ago #34

#42
Fatima, i agree with your words here very true, Pascal call me at anytime my friend if I can cheer you up, my # 1.404.750.3200

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #33

#44
thanks Veronica that's a nice comment to read too :-) This is all what it is all about

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #32

#42
ah thank you always good to see you around here reading my musing errands and because I am not good at numbers I must confess that my B day is actually end of Dec. I guess because its a big one I started the process of munching about it a bit earlier. I am a Capricorn apparently not sure if it does mean good or bad :-) Stigma and perception now, as you know 0ver 50 in recruitment is a different ballgame whether once accept it or not but it s a reality

🐝 Fatima G. Williams

5 years ago #31

Hi Pascal Derrien Wishing you a very very very happy birthday. May all the happiness in the world be yours. I agree with your thoughts on ageing. They say age is just a number but you and I know the world simply can’t accept it. Especially if you are not married after 30 and oh if you don’t have a kid. I agree a healthy lifestyle is very important for a long life but so is the full satisfaction of living life each day. Worry ages our bodies faster. But I thought you were my age pal 😉😉😉 Happy birthday month 🎁🎂🎉 So you are a Scorpio uh

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #30

#36
I know that age is just a number :-) being the devils advocate here a bit. On your offer Id ont drink I will pass the wine but surely will have a look at the cheese all in moderation obviously :-)

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #29

#38
indeed I find it very powerful too Nick Mlatchkov :-)

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #28

#34
indeed Ren\u00e9e \ud83d\udc1d Cormier I always keep my head up high however as it is often the case with me I don't want to shy away from talking about the wide and sometimes darker spectrum of a topic :-) Sound lady your mum :-).

Bill Stankiewicz

5 years ago #27

Pascal Derrien, your a young man my friend, stay positive, be kind, keep in touch here with friends, go out enjoy a glass of wine with cheese. Best, Bill Stankieiwcz

Bill Stankiewicz

5 years ago #26

#34
You go girl, I agree Renee, hope to have a toast with you and many bees at 105 years of age

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #25

#31
yes true Nick he speaks to a different generation I should have added 🤔

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #24

#27
Actually and you would guess he is pretty big here in terms of reputation albeit among a specific generation obviously that said there is a yearly rock festival carrying his name down In Cork. Bernie Torme made a rare Irish stage apparition as one of the line up guests last year. In a way his true impact on music is only starting to be understood now....

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #23

#25
Ah Don \ud83d\udc1d Kerr what a nice surprise to see you dropping by :-) I will take you up on that , funnily enough I am just back from a Radio interview and the host told me ''gosh you look much younger than I thought ?'' :-)

don kerr

5 years ago #22

Pascal Derrien You have many wondrous years ahead of you. You're still a young pup and the craic alone should be enough to keep you ticking for decades.

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #21

#23
thanks for reenforcing what I thought Kim had a head start on looking after myself I am a marathoner and long distance cyclist I don’t even drink alcohol hopefully I have a few credits 😜

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #20

#17
Never thought about the possibility of starstruck, that's an interesting hypothesis CityVP \ud83d\udc1d Manjit :-)

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #19

#18
oh Ken Boddie I had not realized you were walking funny good thing is that you believe cats 🐈 are Gods meow 🐱

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #18

#19
thanks Ian Weinberg that’s reassuring coming from a professional in your field 😉👍

Ian Weinberg

5 years ago #17

As I recall Pascal Derrien the big ‘pause’ occurred around about the onset of the ‘fifties’. Thereafter it was a piece of cake.

Ken Boddie

5 years ago #16

Turning 50 doesn’t sound so bad when you’re my age, Pascal. Doesn’t seem so long ago that we used to call emojis hieroglyphics and I was using a slide rule as my first computer, although my kids think I invented the abacus. 🤔

CityVP Manjit

5 years ago #15

There is life after death if we are able to comprehend the number of stars in the universe. Most probably our next destination point for our soul would be being hitched to one of those stars. For sure we are stardust, but what would we think of life after death if we found our soul was made to permanently orbit a star, and each human being was given their own star that its soul orbits. Wouldn't that be such a downer :-)

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #14

#13
thanks Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador I still have roughly a month or so before the big day but I take good notes of your advices :-) Copy that :-)

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #13

#14
Many many thanks Debasish Majumder appreciate the ongoing support as always :-)

Debasish Majumder

5 years ago #12

absolutely fascinating buzz Pascal Derrien! enjoyed read and shared. thank you for the buzz.

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #11

#7
I ended up laughing with your last comment Harvey Lloyd :-) Yeah its a complex and complicated equation for a simple guy like me hence my questions are sometimes weirdly wired since I must say...something

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #10

#10
Kool Bill and glad to help bringing back some good memories from the vault, I like your take on the whole thing :-)

Liesbeth Leysen, MSc.

5 years ago #9

#8
love that expression, many thanks Pascal Derrien

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #8

#5
ah thanks you are one of a kind :-)

Harvey Lloyd

5 years ago #7

You bring interesting questions of infinity to bare on such deep topics. Humanity is either at the middle or nearing the end of existence. Scientifically, religiously or socially. Going forward the subject can get gruesome or fairytale. For me it is the beginning that is difficult to grasp. I entered into this world with chemistry and biology but yet find myself pondering neither. Rather the concept of nothing to something. Science wants desperately to find out that humanity is not unique, they will present anything. There was nothing and then there was something. So in consideration of something, know you came from nothing but now you are something. The greatest part of something is that you get to choose the something. Even greater, you get to share something with others. Maybe just maybe your something will change someone else's something for the better. By influencing someone's something you insure that you will be lifted from the ground through someone else's something. Great thoughts as always. If we ever get the chance to get a USB socket in the head and download brains, yours should be made available to all humanity. Your something ......welll.....is something:)

Liesbeth Leysen, MSc.

5 years ago #6

Pascal Derrien flowing towards another milestone

Liesbeth Leysen, MSc.

5 years ago #5

I wish you to become 100 years and even more. May God bless you for the wisdom and beauty you plant in beBee's world and beyond that. Wonderful article and an excellent reflection post!

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #4

#3
I will aspire to that but do you think it comes with better writing skills (only applicable to me obviously) :-)

Jim Murray

5 years ago #3

I made it through all the 50-60 shit with flying colours. I attribute it to bike riding and a high carb diet. LOL. You'll make it too.

Pascal Derrien

5 years ago #2

#1
thanks Ali that's the best birthday present to date :-)

Ali Anani

5 years ago #1

Pascal Derrien- you wrote "As I am about to enter my fifth decade I am becoming ever so conscious about the fact that I probably have less to live than all the combined years to date. In my case and for any body over 50 the next 10 years are very often described as Sniper Alley." We say here naughty people live extended lives. I bit you shall. Happy birthday

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