james L. Halperin The First Immortal

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A dead person can t own property. You do understand the finality of that,
don t you?
Could we set up a trust?
Sure. Trust laws are different in every state, so I imagine I can find a
viable venue somewhere. I ll have to do some research. Maybe Wisconsin. Come
to think of it, South Dakota might be just as tolerant of trusts in
perpetuity, and they have no state income tax. He shrugged. Ben, it s your
money. You can do whatever you want with it. Anything that will stand up to
legal challenge, that is.
I know. I guess I m a little uncomfortable with the whole idea. Ben thought
about the oxygen mask on the airplane, at first inspired by the analogy. Then
he faltered in his resolve. Maybe he wasn t really
seeing to his survival because his family might need him later. What if he was
hogging all the oxygen out of greed and fear? This is pretty selfish of me,
isn t it? he asked, hoping for approbation.
Webster provided it as if on cue. Pretty selfish? the lawyer chortled. Most
people would take it all with them if they could. You re providing for your
family now, and offering them hope of resurrection. If that s selfish, I think
I need a new dictio-nary. Then he shook his head as if to clear the
contradiction.
But if it works, aren t you worried about what the world ll be like by the
time scientists know how to revive you?
Ben had already considered that at length. Not really. If it s the sort of
world that s willing to revive people, and if they pos-sess a science so
advanced as to be able to restore a person from death as we now define it,
their action will have to be its own re-ward. It s not as though they d need
humans for slave labor or menial tasks. Machines would be able to do almost
anything humans could, for a lot less money. And they certainly won t need my
knowledge of twentieth century medicine. This world of the future would
function on digitized information and ro-botics; just as we depend on electric
lighting and internal com-bustion engines. No. If they re thawing people and
curing their diseases, they ll be doing so simply because they love doing it;
because they value human life for its own sake.
That makes sense, Webster said thoughtfully. And for the first time in their
conversation, Ben was convinced of the lawyer s sincerity. At least on that
point, he knew he d con-vinced Webster of his logic.
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Also, Ben continued, I think human existence tends to improve. Not in a
straight line, but gradual progress in fits and starts. It doesn t always seem
that way, especially if you read newspapers or watch the news on TV. But
that s only because good news isn t as interesting. Sure, we have
crime, the envi-ronment, nuclear bombs, and the population explosion to worry
about. Still, by most reasonable measures, society s becoming more open,
healthier, and more democratic throughout the world. On average.
You really believe this is gonna work, don t you? Web-ster s voice seemed to
carry a note of hope.
Probably not.
Oh. Webster tugged at an ear; his eyes narrowed. Then why bother with it?
My father used to tell a story about a devout man whose wife s injured in a
car wreck. She has to have an operation they can t afford or she ll never walk
again. So he prays, night and day: God, please let me win the lottery.
Finally, after some months he starts to lose faith. He berates God, and
screams, I
have been a pious man my entire life, have always tried to please you, and
have never asked for anything before. Now the one time I really need help, you
turn your back on me. When in the hell will you answer my prayers? Suddenly
the skies turn black, thunder roars, and lightning flashes. A deep voice
re-sounds from the sky, shaking the ground like an earthquake. And God asks,
When in the hell will you buy a lottery ticket?
October 19, 1985
A lazy Saturday morning, seven
A.M.
, and Ben reveled in the luxury of a leisurely read.
Boston Globe spread across floor, couch, and lap, he scanned the financial
section, his third choice after world news and the sports page.
Ford Taurus Firmly Established as America s Best Selling Automobile-
Big surprise.
Reagan to Sign Gramm-Rudman Act-
Yawn.
Yamatsuo International Launches Cellular Phone -
Whoa ... Ben read on, his interest intense, though hardly in the
subject matter at hand. Without thinking, he d lifted the phone, punched
zero, been told he could direct-dial, lied by telling the operator that he was
sight-impaired, then had his call quickly but courteously put through to
Japan. His emotions were charged and all-embracing, leaving no room for guilt.
... and it is nine
P.M.
here, sir, a secretary at Yamatsuo International headquarters was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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