Oh those bones, oh those bones, oh, those skeleton bones… Oh, mercy how they scare! (old spiritual by James Weldon Johnston)
Now in the 21st century, the boundaries separating chemistry, physics, and medicine have become blurred, and as happened during the Renaissance, scientists are following their curiosities even when they run beyond the formal limits of their training. (Peter Agre)
Several weeks ago, I woke up around 2 a.m., which has been usual lately due to nightly pain in my shoulders and knees. The pain occurs, I think, due to the physical stimulation I do get during the day. When I woke up, I had the frighting sensation of waking up in a decaying body and in fact, I had a mental image not unlike the Tarot card Death. I worried about this for the rest of the night and day till it dawned on me that I was observing a physical body. Science tells us our bodies are decaying every day, but also being renewed; as we age, this process of renewal slows down. I had forgotten that what I saw was not the ME decaying, but a physical body—one I happen to occupy! You and I are not the physical bodies we happen to be born with; we are much, much more.
Because of my increasing concern for the escalating pain in my shoulders, hands and knees, I went to an osteoporosis specialist who ordered 5 X-rays, then a MRI. The doctor's verdict was more arthritis, and I was told that I would have to have both shoulders and a knee replacement. With those replacements, along with a cochlear implant for both ears that I have wanted to have done, I would become bionic, maybe part android or a cyborg!
Fortunately, I own a vintage brain, and I am alive and well in the 21st century, still making records, still working at an intense pace and most of all, still having fun doing it. (Tony Visconti)
I often joke about one day waking up in the 21st Century— I am the type of guy that still looks around for a phone booth! I think this was my 21st century moment. A doctor friend told me, " I guess you will have to decide which body parts to replace when. The miracle is that they can be replaced. Welcome to the 21st century!" By the way, she also told me to "plug in your heating pad for those bones in this winter weather." Sound advice— HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I think there's every reason this 21st century will be much happier. (Dalai Lama)
