A few folks have it in abundance, many have so little its pathetic. Its Called "COOL"

by Joe B.

I won’t be talk of the Kennedyesque guy gunning for mayor and last weeks protest of small business shaking hands.

Because some who is very good at investigation told me what I should’ve known had I been thinking about being in the public eye and perception good or bad can for a few pol’s can be just as calming as nicotine and chocolate for others.

So I’ll speak of other things for a while.

Cool, the word conjures up refreshing drinks, cold ice across warm heads hot summer days and as an adjective a way of feeling, being, or becoming.

There was a program on a few months on PBS’s Front Line called "The Merchants of Cool" about Madison Addison Avenue and other Ad agencies hiring Teens to capture the market on the latest trends, fads, who and what is in or out.

It got me thinking about cool’s meaning through the ages.

The meaning of cool is mercurial and since it is a recent phenomenon I wondered even the word at first didn’t convey what it does now how did folks in the past define the certain Panache, flair, charm, in the past?

Beside the few words above what set these few individuals apart. What is the secret "It" they have had, lost, gained, other men, women, children, and young adults didn’t posses? What I’ve learned is that cool in the past, present, or future cannot be quantified like the soul its essence is felt, known, quantified only by humans or sentient beings we have yet to make first contact with.

Take away fashion, looks, intelligence, and sense of humor, honor, and bravery even if it’s the accidental kind. You know when the high school, college, university bully girl, man, woman, or girl who’s been picked on all during the year; and there’s a personal crisis that the bully(s) didn’t know about. So they do their routine.

This time however something goes wrong as the victim doesn’t act as usual, in fact they just don’t care, the victim want to get the taunting and beating over with once and for all and never go through it ever again.
No longer embarrassed by a crowd say things they never would of said other wise never would and win or lose the bully may not change but the former victims can never set upon again and gains an inner "cool" from that time on.

Cool can be lost if one thinks about being it and yet when not being aware of if makes one cool! We never know when we’re cool and when where not is so arbitrary and subjective. Like the picture of a shirtless brawny guy gently holding an infant or playing with children being natural and completely not unaware of women and girls looking at them and mental swoon. Because he looks to be not only good lover but husband, father and nurturing material for the children and herself.

The same guy in a bar, on the street can be a jerk.
Children and animals can sense reality when people talk or smile at them.
Me I was raised with lizards, fish, cat, dogs, and turtles. There must be some kind of balance I’ve achieved because I keep hearing most people like dogs because they’re loyal than cats with their independent airs.

I don’t know which to chose it could be cats because they chose who they want to be with while dogs love being petted if they sense no fear.
However cats even if they like you may not want to nuzzled or pet and spit or scratch if they’re moody. A last thing is the future of cool.

It might be distilled or not from chemical or genetic means from folks who have so much charisma they become famous.

The next Frontier of "Cool" is many faceted whether it’s an Astronaut, researcher, scientist, or regular J. Q. public participating in life extending science and technologies, what type of personality is willing to be live a century or more?

A failure means illness or death but succeeding will mean a longer life than participants ever dreamed.

The question is how does a person(s) deal with an extended life span with the public looking on?

What will make him/her seem cool to the public after 30 to 50 years with a slowed or age stop so they are a strong in body, quick minded as they were decades past?

Like cats, dogs, and children might help and keeping up with the times also is a way of remaining cool.

Wanting everyone to have what they have, forming ways it could happen make enemies but ultimately is "Hero Cool."

Having a "God" complex is anti-cool, Hiding out, traveling, learning languages or otherwise being out of the public eye then returning on they’re own or because they are needed is or is not cool.

But staying in the public eye as a public immortal is tacky and will not be perceived as cool.

I think of cool as both cultural, sociological, mental construct.

Though it can be nudged cannot be directed or controlled by Ad agencies but up to individuals to define.

Long ago I myself learned that cool happens spontaneously and one cannot depend on friends to clue you in because our own minds have to decide our own way of what is comfortable for us.

To those who were and are always cool.

You know being yourself when everyone is against you is one of many secrets.

When I was growing up being cool meant dressing, having a dangerous, menacing aura about them was way cooler than a non-threatening one.

Later lots of the danger guys and gals died or in jails and it came to me that I’d rather live a quiet longer life, have lots of safe sex, and live longer less stressful life.

In the not to near future there will be a four way split in humanity:
1)

Will be having a traditional burial or being cryo-frozen.
2) learning and self-participation in life extension.
3) Going further to be an active immoralist.

4) Those on the sidelines trying to decide the best path for them to join.

They’re looking at the good and bad of all the three other groups.

For myself my own three pronged strategy of cool is learning about the Life

Extension and Immoralist, revolution while preparing for Cryonics Freezing immediately after death.

I figure, the longer I live a healthier life I might live through the small and medium extension breakthroughs and if not the cold cooling option is waiting.

I didn’t want to place all my eggs in one basket but spread them because if any of these blending and merging sciences begin feeding off each other…

I want to be around, sound, healthy, with regained youth and glad for taking the ultimate gamble.

You see, I don’t gamble a lot or bet but this last one is for a lifetime.

I cannot afford to make any errors in judgments as I’ve done in my still too short life. At least they weren’t fatal but now near infinity is on the line so slow, steady, for now as a turtle then fast and furious as a hare when the best of science and technology is able to save me.

It may not be cool to plan for death, yet hope for eternal life. But I see it this way; if I lose no big deal but if I live or get revived from a frozen coffin I’ll will be smiling with tears in my eyes shivering and shaking from cold and excitement.

I may be seen as an anachronism, barbarian, or one of the lucky few with enough vision to go for one last adventure.

If I’m revived, the cool mentality construct will be the last thing on my mind.

How about you readers out there, if it happens to you how would you then define
"COOL? Bye…