Immortality is the young man's game. Life seems to go on forever in an unbroken stream that ends in the far future -
certainly too far away to be of any concern. And then, one day, along comes the realization that the far future might not
be all that far away after all.
How should a rational, methodical man face up to that grim prospect? With resignation? With
acceptance? With hope? Or should he choose to confront the possibility of impending extinction head on and take
extraordinary steps to cram as much as possible into whatever time is left, knowing that no matter how much trouble it
gets him into, he might not have to live long with the consequences?
This is how one man dealt with his personal version of the problem of uncertainty, and his
solution to it.
Robert Helm opted for a wild ride which took him from England to Greece, Austria, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein and Italy. He moved among men worth millions, and even billions, and he staked his life for so many
thousands of dollars that the numbers began to lose all meaning.
Helm became involved in games, some with a deadly purpose, and international conspiracies,
one of which was aimed at saving the world with an act of monumental destruction. His initial object was to raise
enough money to enjoy himself in case the news from his doctor was grave; in a literal sense. He soon found that he had
no guarantee of staying alive to spend his earnings; unless he got really creative. |
