Quote 43
Thomas Edison's last words were: "It's very beautiful over there." I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful. (136after.18)
Miles, like he said in his first essay for the Old Man, believes that a piece of Alaska continues to live on because he can't bear for it not to. What does he mean by he hopes it's beautiful where she is? How does this relate to mortality and suffering, both his and hers?
Quote 44
"So this guy," I said, standing in the doorway of the living room. "Francois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were 'I go to seek a Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." (136before.18)
Miles is seduced by adventure and the idea of living in the now that adventure implies. He's no longer satisfied with a comfortable life… but now he's opened himself up to the suffering that is tied to a Great Perhaps. Does he realize what he's about to do?
Quote 45
People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn't bear the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn't bear the thought of their loved ones not existing, and couldn't even imagine themselves not existing. I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to. (4before.4)
Miles talks about "people" here, but does he include himself in this category? And does this mean he believes in the religious traditions? How does this idea about death and meaning connect to the Great Perhaps he has envisioned for himself?