Explore "A Cynic Looks at Life" by Ambrose Bierce on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The desire for life everlasting has commonly been affirmed to be universal -- at least that is the view taken by those unacquainted with Oriental faiths and with Oriental character. Those of us whose knowledge is a trifle wider are not prepared to say that the desire is universal nor even general.
If the devout Buddhist, for example, wishes to "live always," he has not succeeded in very clearly formulating the desire. The sort of thing that he is pleased to hope for is not what we should call life, and not what many of us would care for.