Ben's tongue is like sunscreen...It's good for your health and should be applied liberally.
John GreenI don't think pandemics make us afraid of death, I think they make us afraid of oblivion. They force us to grapple with the futility of effort. Also they make us barf which isn't fun either... Wash your hands, cover your coughs, and find a way to hold in balance the futility of effort with the necessity to struggle.
John GreenWe are all going, I thought, and it applies to turtles and turtlenecks, Alaska the girl and Alaska the place, because nothing can last, not even the earth itself. The Buddha said that suffering was caused by desire, we'd learned, and that the cessation of desire meant the cessation of suffering. When you stopped wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you'd stop suffering when they did.
John GreenAugustus, perhaps youโd like to share your fears with the group.โ โMy fears?โ โYes.โ โI fear oblivion,โ he said without a momentโs pause. โI fear it like the proverbial blind man whoโs afraid of the dark.โ โToo soon,โ Isaac said, cracking a smile. โWas that insensitive?โ Augustus asked. โI can be pretty blind to other peopleโs feelings.
John GreenI can't imagine us saying these things to each other out loud. But even if I can't imagine hearing these words, I can imagine living them. I don't even picture it. Instead I'm in it. How I would feel with him here. That peace. It would be so happy, and it makes me sad because it only exists in words.
John Green