As a species, humans have able to grow by passing on their stories filled with knowledge, experience and wisdom. We’ve managed to do it quite well, given how far we’ve come, so its easy to assume that with some effort we can preserve our stories for ever. Now that we’re in digital age where anyone can buy a hard-drive and store massive amounts of their lives on it, everyone can try to leave behind their stories; the good, the bad, and the embaressing. We think that these devices would outlive us and survive for eternity. Agrippa challenges us to re-evaluate this idea of imortallity.

It demonstrates that our memories would fade, the books and diaries that preserve our memories would rot. The images taken to represent our lives would erase. We may try to preserve the books and the images by scaning them and putting them on a hard-drive but after some point, they too would become corrupted. Even if they survive, the knowledge on how to access them would be lost; just ask anyone, “Do you know what’s a punch card?” to see this in action.

Nothing Lasts forever.