Shuffle Off this Mortal Coil: A Memorial to Gibberish (1433 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.67 on 35 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by prophet (View user info) at 2004-10-01 13:51:29 EDT
Ubersite.
I have a strong feeling that we've all been desensitized to the concepts of life and death.
Desensitized to emotion, and the real people that exist on this website.
With news of Gibberish's impending passing (http://www.ubersite.com/m/46280), users came forward to console, to empathize, to cry, to look back on the good times with a smile, and even to admit that some of them were battling diseases of their own.
Reading through the 300+ comments of support on this post that got over 5000 hits in five days (highest I've seen in such a short time outside of a B@W or UberMadness post), I felt- more than ever before- the communal nature of the people on this site.
It can take something like this to wake up and realize that there are human beings behind every username.
While they are posting articles and writing witty reviews, some of these real people are losing their parents, losing their houses, or losing their life. Yet there are users that continue to write while cancer eats away at them.
Some of them tell you about it.
Many others don't.
I realize that what this site represents is far greater than any of its users, and I have an immense, profound respect for that now. For Christ's sake, I've heard of Ubersite users moving out of their homes to support other users during pregnancy!
This website isn't an AOL chatroom. The people here, for the most part, are honest about who they are, what they feel, and what they look like. They post real pictures of themselves, get together for real in-person meetings, and congregate as a community.
What that means to me is that things like http://www.ubersite.com/m/46710 aren't funny.
Not even a little bit.
The problem with Ubersite stems from people who don't respect the humanity of the users. People who exploit each other's emotions to stroke a twisted need for humor at the expense of the hearts and souls of others.
This post isn't a call to action; it's just an eye opener for me.
We don't, as a community, support these kinds of destructive users; nevertheless, they proliferate.
And I, for one, can't think of anything to do about it.
So I don't have anything else to say on the subject. Fuck ratings. I had to get this off my chest. If I wanted this to be rated better, it would be a short story instead of a diatribe.
But Gib, this one's for you. This post is my memorial to you while you're alive. You're a good person, and most people here know that. In the scope of the universal timeline, the existence of this web page and every user who ever has and ever will submit to it is a flash in the pan.
I'm going to use a metaphor that I have read, perhaps on this site, or perhaps elsewhere. My apologies if someone claims ownership to it, but it made enough of an impression on me that I care to share it with others.
Picture a massive boulder in your mind- spanning a hundred miles in diameter across a vast desert. On a single day, for a single minute, only once in every thousand years, a little bluebird alofts upon that giant rock to sharpen its beak.
When that rock has worn away entirely, a single day of eternity will have passed.
None of us have very long. And in the words of James Barron Hope, "Tis after death that we measure men."
I imagine you'll measure up quite well, my feline friend.
And I will soon see you in that big MSPaint window in the sky.
User Reviews
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-06-22 18:29:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
counter deuce against ProgramGeek
Submitted by ProgramGeek (user info) at 2005-06-22 14:18:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Your fucking terrible. Let me help you lower your score down.
Submitted by Timmah (user info) at 2004-10-20 09:33:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Originally I was goin to -1 this post, writing it off as whoring Gib's death. However after reading it and taking it in. +2 for you. Beautiful post.
Submitted by poorfit (user info) at 2004-10-20 09:14:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I agree with all points voiced in this brilliant post.
Prophet for MVA in 2005!
Submitted by Spookster (user info) at 2004-10-02 10:53:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by WiKi (user info) at 2004-10-02 09:13:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Awesome job.
Submitted by gibberish (user info) at 2004-10-01 20:15:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Yeah.
Submitted by NetProphet (user info) at 2004-10-01 17:58:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
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Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2004-10-01 16:33:23 (#)
Ranking: 0
Point taken. I guess I would've just preferred your post to be more of the, "You're a great guy gib and we'll miss you. NOW DON'T YOU DARE TO FUCKING DIE OR I'LL KILL YOU!" variety than the, "Cheerio, old chap. Best of luck to you in the afterlife" variety.
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Actually, I found that really quite amusing, because the "cheerio, old chap" statement quite accurately reflects my feelings on the matter... and I can see quite clearly why they would conflict with yours.
You see, my feelings on death are tantamount to those of Socrates... the great philosopher stated that because no man can be certain of which fate awaits him in the afterlife, there is no cause for concern, as it is equally likely that the outcome be beneficial as it is that it be detrimental. So why worry, when worrying only causes further grief?
When a person leaves this planet, it is as glorious a thing as when one arrives. I have seen this demonstrated in few places as eloquently as Richard Heinlein's classic novel, "Stranger in a Strange Land"- an absolutely excellent read for anyone with an interest in Science Fiction of the same caliber as Frank Herbert's "Dune" series.
My religious beliefs are a whole different story. I believe in reincarnation... not in the traditional sense, where a consciousness and complete memory is retained (though my beliefs show cause for that to happen in certain circumstances), but rather a reincarnation of the immortal soul, something else that Socrates believed in.
So rejoice! Gib's headed the same place as you and I. He'll just have a chance to set a place at the table for each of us.
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2004-10-01 16:33:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by NetProphet (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:52:56 (#)
Ranking: 0
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Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:26:06 (#)
Ranking: 2
There's one thing in this post I object to though: the "memorial to gib" part. I know, I know; you didn't mean it this way. But goddamn it, he's not fucking dead just yet.
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Fair enough... but in my mind, a memorial is worth so much more if the person can see it before they go. It reflects how worthwhile that person's existence really was. I guess that's a sentiment I got from reading Mitch Albom's "Tuesday's With Morrie".
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Point taken. I guess I would've just preferred your post to be more of the, "You're a great guy gib and we'll miss you. NOW DON'T YOU DARE TO FUCKING DIE OR I'LL KILL YOU!" variety than the, "Cheerio, old chap. Best of luck to you in the afterlife" variety.
Submitted by Zoidberg (user info) at 2004-10-01 16:13:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
this whole deal is getting a little too maudlin for my tastes
Submitted by Monarch (user info) at 2004-10-01 16:09:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
"What that means to me is that things like http://www.ubersite.com/m/46710 aren't funny.
Not even a little bit."
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+2 ranking for the post.
+2 ranking for my respect for you.
Submitted by mikethescottish (user info) at 2004-10-01 16:02:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You ticked all the boxes.
Submitted by queensowntalia (user info) at 2004-10-01 15:21:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
couldnt agree more.
Submitted by Badlands (user info) at 2004-10-01 15:20:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Well said, Prophet.
Submitted by Tom (user info) at 2004-10-01 15:09:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I've been places online and seen things online where people have faked dying for some kind of instant gratification and whatnot. When it turns out that they aren't, in fact, dying, the people get a bit more jaded than they were before.
I am not too incredibly trusting about these sorts of things, but if he is dying, he has any support I can give.
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2004-10-01 15:00:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Amen brother. people often fail to see the humanity in at all...not just on this website, but in the real world as well.
Bill Bryson wrote an analogy in his book, "A Short History of Nearly Everything," (Which is a MUST-READ by the way): If the entire history of the universe were condensed to a timeline extending from one outstretched hand to another, with the big bang at the tip of the fingers on the left hand, and present time at the tip of the fingers on the right hand, the earth would not have been created until the right wrist. (then talked about a bu nch of other shit) humans would not have evolved until a scraping of fingernail dust off the tip of a finger...and a human life is not the size of an atom on that scraping of fingernail dust. just a l ittle perspective...
From the limited amount I have read, Gib, you're a good person. There is not much of a higher compliment that one can be paid than that.
and to close this monster of a rating...i leave you wi th a joke.
three guys are at a funeral, talking about what they would like to have people say a their funerals.
the first guy says, "i'd like to hear people say, 'he made a difference in the lives of children.'
the second guy says, "i hope they say i was a caring husband and father."
the third guy says, "I'd like to hear someone say, 'LOOK -- HE'S MOVING!'"
rock on
Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:58:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This +2 is self evident. I am glad someone here feels the way I do and is not afraid to express it in no uncertain terms.
Submitted by NetProphet (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:53:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Also, I don't know where the apostrophe came from in "Tuesdays with Morrie". Ignore it.
Submitted by NetProphet (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:52:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
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Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:26:06 (#)
Ranking: 2
There's one thing in this post I object to though: the "memorial to gib" part. I know, I know; you didn't mean it this way. But goddamn it, he's not fucking dead just yet.
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Fair enough... but in my mind, a memorial is worth so much more if the person can see it before they go. It reflects how worthwhile that person's existence really was. I guess that's a sentiment I got from reading Mitch Albom's "Tuesday's With Morrie".
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:51:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't know what to make of this.
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:28:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You, sir, have renewed my faith in humanity.
I agree with everything you say in this post.
Nothing pisses me off more than an insensitive person.
Submitted by Fartman (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:28:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
"It can take something like this to wake up and realize that there are human beings behind every username."
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Prophet gets his props.
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:26:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I like the sentiment.
There's one thing in this post I object to though: the "memorial to gib" part. I know, I know; you didn't mean it this way. But goddamn it, he's not fucking dead just yet. I don't know what he's suffering from, but this fatalism annoys me. They're doctors, not fucking god. So yeah, there's a good chance he won't make it, but does that mean he needs to give up now and act as though he's already dead? FUCK NO!
To gibberish I say: LIVE, GODDAMN IT! You haven't lost the battle until you've given up on surviving.
Submitted by Lyric (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:19:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Agreed.
Submitted by NerfHerder (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:19:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
yeah.
Submitted by William_Q_Percy (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:18:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
For all of the social connections that we make in this world, all the comfort we receive from them are ultimately temporary. In the end, its just you and nature. I guess that's why yourself is the best friend you can ever have.
Submitted by GodLovesALittleLovin (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:10:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Your respect for Gib though is admirable and very caring.
Submitted by mxc_jwebber (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:07:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good for you NetProphet... glad to see someone who really cares as a person.
Submitted by GodLovesALittleLovin (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:02:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I respect your opinions Prophet, I just don't necessarily agree with them, but I know why. I use this site as entertainment, while many others use it as ways of meeting people and gaining new friends. No doubt I have met quite a few very cool users, but yet I know this harsh reality surrounds everyone, therefore I don't want to waste my time sulking about how much it sucks to make it by. Since I figure that most people know this truth themselves I think it is irrelevant to voice certain things.
I'm crazy anyways. I just want attention.
Submitted by Istaros (user info) at 2004-10-01 14:01:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
ugh
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2004-10-01 13:59:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This website isn't an AOL chatroom. The people here, for the most part, are honest about who they are, what they feel, and what they look like. They post real pictures of themselves, get together for real in-person meetings, and congregate as a community.
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yesh.
Submitted by firefly (user info) at 2004-10-01 13:59:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2004-10-01 13:58:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
nice job
Submitted by NetProphet (user info) at 2004-10-01 13:55:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The cat in the MSPaint window wasn't copied from a Gib image... I did my best to draw it the way Gib draws it.
Just thought that bore mentioning.
I need to get off this sentimental shit and start writing again if I'm going to be ready for Madness round two.
Not to mention that people are dicks about these kinds of posts.
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2004-10-01 13:55:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is nice.
Uber IS much more than "just a website" sometimes.