Dr. Betty Frain’s newest adventure story – Korea
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From: —— —Betty Frain <dr.b.frain@sbcglobal.net>
During one of the last weeks I had in Korea, I watched Sixty Minutes with a group of airmen and women after meeting them on a tour.— First we explored the Chondung Temple, Gwanagseongbo Fortress and the Glass Village.— This tour attracted history buffs and military personnel who are from of military families, some going back three generations.
I had such fun with them, hiking up to the castle Samrangseong, founded by a Buddhist Monk who came from China in 375.— We drank from the natural spring and made wishes in the fountain. The temple offered us an opportunity to pray, chant and light incense for children who have died and for elders who have passed on.— There were 4 places of worship, each more beautiful than the next.
Over a delicious Korean lunch, we marveled at the endurance of the Korean people.— Time and time again they were invaded and taken over and yet they have persevered.— Our tour guide reminded us that the two Koreas are still at war.— South Korea is fighting for their country to be reunited and they must defend themselves from North Korea constantly.— Because of the constant threat, each young South Korean man must serve two years in the military to keep their country safe and strong.
Many of my fellow tour companions have traveled extensively through out Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. They had opinions about the strategy used in the wars between the various nations.
A few described their love of the Pacific Islands, its culture and history.— They spoke of being brought up with objects that their dads and grandfathers obtained on their tours.— They described dragon kites, and Japanese dolls that they were not permitted to touch as young children.— Two fellows were particularly drawn to these beautiful objects and wanted to learn more about where they came from.— Several said they didn’t think they could go back to live in the USA after so many tours in PACAF.— A few of the guys speak several languages some have studied at the Language College in Monterey; all have enough of a grasp to get by as travelers. My travel buddies were curious and had a big appetite for learning about the Korean culture.— I enjoyed traveling with such enthusiastic companions.
Some of the airmen heard that there was going to be special news report on bioengineering that may help military personnel regenerate lost limbs and thought we should get together to watch the show once we returned to the base.—— After dinner, we met at the community center where there is a large screen T.V, and settled in to watch the show.— Some members of our audience were skeptical and others of us hopeful.
Recently, I had a discussion about eternal life with Jay, the man who helped us in our street conflict in Beijing. Jay is a high tech wizard who believes that we are well on a path of being able to find ways to keep ourselves going strong with transplants and advanced medical breakthroughs.
I have been very interested in the topic ever since a college boyfriend, Steven J Mandell, told me that he wanted to be cryogenically frozen.—— Steve was studying to become an aeronautical engineer at NYU in 1967 when he learned that he had cancer.
He was a fan of science fiction and respected Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, and Robert Heinlein.— Steve had read Robert Ettinger’s book: Prospect of Immortality.— All of these authors were fans of life extension and immortality.
After he got his cancer diagnosis, he researched life extension and found out about cryonics (a term invented by a student of the architect William Katavolos of Pratt Institute). In 1968, Steve became the first patient of Cryonic Scoiety of New York when his Mom Pauline fulfilled his wish to have his body frozen.
He was a very bright young man who felt biological death wasn’t necessary.—— Steve loved science and technology and believe that a whole host of technologies would come into existence to bring him back to life in some form.— He took out a life insurance policy without telling N.Y. Life that he was terminally ill, with the hopes the insurance money could be used to keep him in liquid nitrogen until technology would become available to bring him back to life in some form.— He agreed with the groups motto:” Freeze, Wait and Reanimate.”
Steve told me that he wasn’t afraid to die, but that he loved life so much he wanted to do it again regardless of the immense challenges and the prospect that he would awake to a different and alien world.
What does Steve have to do with the young men and women with whom I viewed the show?— They share the same stage and age of life: in their twenties, smart, curious and open minded. They have faced their deaths early in life. They are open to new ideas about life and have many questions about its nature. Some were not opposed to being brought back to life or extending it through experimental means.
The culture of our worldview has changed since Steve was pondering his process of dying.—— Kubler Ross hadn’t published her work on death and dying yet.
When Steve was looking for ways to extend his life into the future the medical establishment was hostile to his ideas but now they are dabbling in some of the technologies he read about in science fiction and others that he never dreamed of.
Our group was excited to learn from the 60 Minutes Show that the Military is spending 250 million dollars on surgical research that will help with hand and limb replacements.— We learned how medical researchers are having success restoring muscle and tissues.
One of the women in the audience remarked that one day they could possible make a whole new Sandra through the use of her own cells.—— After the show there was a lengthy discussion about the ethics of stem cell research, bioengineering and transplantation.— Some wondered if they would stay in the military if they had a successful surgery of that kind, most wondered about the potential of bioengineering to enable people to regrow themselves.
After the show and discussion we went our separate ways, hoping to see each other again, but my schedule got really full toward the end of my assignment.—— I saw a few of them in the commissary, others at the Cirque de Soule performance and some at the Christmas party.— Every time we saw each other we would hug. —I think that talking about life and death issues in such an intimate way brought us really close.— I felt a special bond with one of them.— Tom was the most outspoken and adventurous of all.— He reminded me so much of Steve with his idealistic and passionate embrace of life.— He too loves life and wants to live forever.— I hope he gets to live a normal life span.— Tom is heading off to Afghanistan.
