From: mailbox@cpacker.org   
      
   On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:05:51 -0000 (UTC), Keith F. Lynch wrote:   
      
   > Charles Packer  wrote:   
   >> Did you mean specifically a financial instrument?   
   >   
   > No.  Any intention by any person or organization that a particular thing   
   > will happen at a particular future date.   
   > ...   
   > What's the longest it took to build any cathedral?  Maybe that shouldn't   
   > count if it didn't have a specific completion date specified ahead of   
   > time.   
      
   The plans of that type that are known to the public are of   
   course the sending of probes to the outer planets. The completion   
   of some of those projects will be after the lifetimes of some   
   of their originators. But none of these projects are as long as   
   200 years -- yet. The most likely place to find really long-range   
   plans is probably in the realm of religion, perhaps the   
   literal realization of religious prophecy. In fact, we are talking   
   cathedrals -- but metaphorical ones -- say, like the creation of   
   a world religion to succeed Christianity. In fact, I've been   
   researching that subject for several years. I think in terms of   
   the probability that such a project is ongoing and when it began.   
   If there is such a project, I think the most likely origination   
   would have been the late 19th century, when visionaries could have   
   tapped into the most highly concentrated wealth in history.   
   But that's still not 200 years...you've set a high bar.   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)