Thursday, December 20, 2018

Addendum to Otzi the Iceman

Otzi, portrayed in a painting as he lay dying atop a mountain
 
Otzi, the Iceman, up close & personal
 
The last object or person seen as eyes close forever on this Earth; the last word spoken or heard; the last beat of the heart; the final gasp or breath .... some of these things are recorded for official records and some noted for the memory of family and friends. Everyone will experience death at some point during their life. Some will have time to prepare for their death; some will never know that it happened: The proverbial here one second, gone the next.
 
I have a habit of trying to closely examine some photographs and paintings. There are times I see things which I cannot be certain were intentionally placed there or not by the creator of the photograph or of the painting. With life draining from his body in the painting of Otzi the Iceman, for instance, he seems to be gazing at something or someone. Who? What? His demise is coming high in the mountainous Alps in the midst of snow and ice. It is cold. His breath seems to be hovering visible just beyond his mouth. Does he realize it is there? Does he even know that he is dying? Did the artist present the conception of the last moments of Otzi in this manner intentionally or did it just happen?
 
All I know is that things such as these make me curious and they are questions to which I never will know the answers. On a cosmic scale these things would seem to have no relevance; on a personal scale, I like to think the answers would hold some of the explanation of the reason for us being here.
 
Some years ago, I wrote a short story about the Earth being a "test tube" in an ever-expanding laboratory called the universe. In the story, a somewhat crazed scientist "learned" a way to shatter the test tube. The story ended with him struggling to decide if he should or should not shatter it. I suppose somehow, somewhere, he still is thinking about it ....
 
 

10 comments:

Anita said...

Hi Fram!I should like to know what the painter says about his picture..It is not good to know whats going on with Otzi.His thoughs struggle and may be relief..

I like the Vangelis video very much,,it is just beautiful!

Will this be your last post before Christmas??

Hope all is well and take it easy!

Anita

Fram Actual said...

It would be interesting to talk with the artist who produced the painting, but he is anonymous -- I think -- and I do not have the appetite to try to find out who he or she might be. When I say anonymous, I saw the painting uncredited in a London Daily Mail article about Otzi. I read the article, but I did not see any reference regarding the identity of the painter.

In another way, I am content to live with my own impressions -- my own interpretations -- of what Otzi was experiencing as he was captured approaching the moment of death in the painting. I have had a few experiences with death and I am very curious about it. I have no fear of death and, in a way, I would like to experience it except for the fact that it annoys me because every indication is that it will be the end of consciousness / of memory / of any further experiences. I suppose I think of death mostly as an inevitable annoyance.

What I like most about the Vangelis video are the two scenes where there are three climbers. I think of them as individuals who know how to experience life the way it is meant to be experienced and how to live without fear in complete freedom. I wonder if they are the same three climbers in both segments and if any of them are women.

I hope to have another post either Christmas Eve day or Christmas Day, but as of this moment I really have nothing planned and not even any real ideas. We shall see ....

Yes, all is well. By the way, the book I mentioned, "Lost Secrets," rests atop a stack of "unreads." I have a feeling that it is sort of daring me to actually pick it up and to begin reading it. The thought of reading even a fictional story does unnerve me in the sense that I am not sure how it might influence my opinions and concepts about Otzi. Even historical fiction has a habit of swaying my view point at times.

Thank you, Anita, for coming and for writing a comment for me. This post is a bit inexplicable, I suppose, but it reflects me quite accurately, I think. I hope all is fine and good for you, as well, and that the holiday season will be splendid for you and your "crew."

Kaya said...

Merry Christmas, Fram!
In a few hours I am going to travel and I would not be able to write to you later.
Best wishes from Utah!

Fram Actual said...

Merry Christmas, Kaya ....

Thank you, for coming here and for your holiday wish. Do not forget to leave a note for Santa Claus so he knows where to find you. Have a good time on your journey and stay safe ....

Anita said...

Ihope you have a nice Christmas Fram.Here we are well overfed and time to go to bed.This night quess who is sleeping beside me??My beloved doggie Pelle:))))
See you tommorrow



Anita

Fram Actual said...

As much as you hike the woodlands and the mountains, Anita, I think you should have no issues or worries about what you eat or how much you eat. I have been sliding back up the scale, gaining about a pound a week recently, and need to drop five or six pounds to get back to "fighting" weight.

At the moment, I am watching Christmas in Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota. It is a relatively small college with 2,200 students and the event features three choirs, an orchestra and dance programs. Some triva .... John Denver met his first wife, Annie -- "Annie's Song" -- when he performed there and she was a student there. I enjoy Christmas concerts and try to watch a few every year.

Not only Christmas Day, but the entire week will be quiet and uneventful for me, it appears. My son had planned to arrive on Wednesday, but now a snowstorm is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday and Friday so as a precaution, he will postpone his visit until another time .... such is life.

Thank you, Anita, for thinking of me this Christmas Eve and for coming by for a visit. Give Pelle a treat for me ....

Anita said...

Ok.If this is so next year I invite you for a Christmas stay in my place Norway.I will come back and give a note to your Christmas post-i have forgot my charger Samsung at work and my whole life is there..I have to go back to work to get it,Everything is closed here today even the busses dont go..Gotta be a loong walk !Thanx for reply and stay tuned!

Anita

Fram Actual said...

Do you actually make plans an entire year in advance of an event? You and I and the world might easily be entirely different from what/who we are now over that span of time, Anita.

In your life, Alexander might have married and be the father of triples or you might have been swept off your feet by a millionaire film actor and living in Hollywood, California. I might be attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean in a canoe and swatting at sharks with the paddle. World War III might be in progress or the Earth may have been invaded by aliens from the Twilight Zone.

I am teasing, of course, but two or three days ago I did not know Christmas week would have me alone due to the weather. Oh, yes, the erratic and capricious weather. Weather is the one thing over which mankind has no control and we all are slaves to its whimsy.

But, my traveling to Bergen certainly is something we can think about and talk about.

You need to buy a second charger so you can have one both at work and at home. Everything is closed here, too, but, fortunately, I have two vehicles so only the weather or some disaster can keep me trapped at home.

Thank you, Anita. You truly are a sweetie and I am very glad our paths crossed. Take care and stay safe and ....

Anita said...

Sorry if I offended you-it was only a good thought!

Anita

Fram Actual said...

I think it probably is time for me to stop teasing and/or trying to be funny, which is what I was doing (or trying to do) in my response to your earlier comment, Anita. You did not upset me or offend me in the least with your suggestion of me traveling to Norway and staying with you next Christmas if I find myself alone again. I was, in fact, flattered by your offer.

I always have been an incurable tease even though I long ago learned many people do not like being teased. It is I who should apologize to you, and I do. All I was attempting to say was that it is an idea to think about and to talk about, and to see where it leads when we are closer to the time.

Thank you, for your offer, for your proposal .... I will end this remark the same as I did my previous one: You truly are a sweetie and I am very glad our paths crossed ....

Something special ....