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Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s wife, talks about his death and afterlife

Carl Sagan’s wife, Ann Druyan, talked about his death, their immense love and the afterlife. I think you can love someone the most when you both are aware of the fact that there is no second life, its all here and now. You can give and receive all your love while you exist in this life form, for a tiny fraction of time, knowing that there is no tomorrow. The words she said below are magical. You can watch this video if you don’t know who Carl Sagan was.

Carl Sagan“When my husband died, because he was so famous & known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me — it still sometimes happens — & ask me if Carl changed at the end & converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again. Carl faced his death with unflagging courage & never sought refuge in illusions. The tragedy was that we knew we would never see each other again. I don’t ever expect to be reunited with Carl. But, the great thing is that when we were together, for nearly twenty years, we lived with a vivid appreciation of how brief & precious life is. We never trivialized the meaning of death by pretending it was anything other than a final parting. Every single moment that we were alive & we were together was miraculous — not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance… That pure chance could be so generous & so kind… That we could find each other, as Carl wrote so beautifully in Cosmos, you know, in the vastness of space & the immensity of time… That we could be together for twenty years. That is something which sustains me & it’s much more meaningful…

The way he treated me & the way I treated him, the way we took care of each other & our family, while he lived. That is so much more important than the idea I will see him someday. I don’t think I’ll ever see Carl again. But I saw him. We saw each other. We found each other in the cosmos, and that was wonderful.“

– Ann Druyan, talking about her husband, Carl Sagan

Mind blowing fact: Ann Druyan is the president of NORML.

33 Comments

  1. When Happy Is Hard |
    When Happy Is Hard | February 26, 2012

    […] think about how great breathing feels when a bad cold is blocking your nose.  It’s similar to those beautiful things Ann Druyan said after Carl Sagan’s […]

  2. ThinkAboutIt
    ThinkAboutIt August 12, 2012

    No hope of ever seeing each other again.  That is so comforting to know I will never see my loved ones ever again.  How wonderful that must feel……..

    • Forgetful Orange
      Forgetful Orange August 26, 2012

      Exactly, who wants comfort and wonderful feelings when they come with the price tag of believing in fairies and other supernatural imaginations?
      What a way to diminish the way things really are by force-feeding yourself some distorted reality just to make yourself feel better.
      I understand it is different & difficult for those with a more intuitive way of thinking (vs analytical) but there is such resolution in reality for me and it just seems pathetic that some people just cannot perceive how others do need not fantasy to feel good.

      • biblegaL1
        biblegaL1 January 19, 2015

        Actually, what difference does it make to you how people deal with this? What is wrong with comfort and wonderful feelings? Even if my belief in God were just an illusion and there is nothingness after death I have lived a very happy and productive life and serving my fellow human beings. We are very active in social issues. I am now 65 -became a Christian at 17 which saved the lives of me and my crazy alcoholic (among other things) family including my husband of 46 years and his family and numerous other people in our lives. BTW I am not only “intuitive” but also “analytical” majoring in chemistry and math in college and my husband is a retired Physicist/engineer (TOTALLY analytical) and teaches the entire bible and the science of Creation. WE have found the evidence is overwhelming for creation-not for evolution! But, hey, let’s just say there is a 50/50 chance that YOU are right, or, that WE are right-do ya really feel that “lucky?”

        • Matty Spliff
          Matty Spliff February 5, 2016

          2000+ religions. Yeah i’m sure ur religion is the right one. 🙂

        • Forgetful Orange
          Forgetful Orange February 19, 2016

          It doesn’t make all that much difference to me – I was answering someone who was criticizing the realistic way of dealing with this ie not believing in fairy stories.

          Anyone who finds the evidence for creation “overwhelming” is just plain stupid and/or deluded… I cannot contain that criticism.

    • Chris Mankey
      Chris Mankey October 18, 2012

      The important thing is to feel good, not to deal with the reality of death or anything else!

  3. Guest
    Guest October 18, 2012

    The important thing is to feel good, not to deal with the reality of death or anything else.

  4. […] life, itself. Over the years I have found Carl Sagan's views as being very synonymous with mine. Here's his wife talking about his death and their views. It's pretty comforting. […]

  5. Curtis
    Curtis February 21, 2013

    I am really moved by this post

  6. DarcyLaw
    DarcyLaw February 26, 2013

    I would like to watch Carl and Ann meet the great I AM who created the universe they so artfully and powerfully presented to the rest of us…imagine for a moment the great astronomer and his wonderful helpmeet looking out on the fantastic, incredible, beautiful universe in the company of its Originator and Sustainer…knowing and enjoying each other’s company, not for 20 years, but for eternity…that would be wonderful, indeed!

    • Cramshawbar
      Cramshawbar July 1, 2013

      What?

    • shaun lamont
      shaun lamont November 5, 2013

      wtf are you gibbering about?….at least you should know, that you suffer from the very delusion that he, and all other rational people try to rid the world of.

    • joe comohoyo
      joe comohoyo October 23, 2014

      If Carl Sagan were in some mystical afterlife right now, he’d die, again, laughing at your ridiculous and delusional premise. But he’s not. He’s dead. So I, and the rest of my rational cohorts, will laugh at you, in honor of Carl.

    • biblegaL1
      biblegaL1 January 19, 2015

      The only problem with this is that they will realize too late that they should have decided to get forgiveness for their sins and worship Him through His Messiah, Jesus who said “I am the way the truth and the life-no one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:6

      • Gisela Broomfield
        Gisela Broomfield February 23, 2016

        Lol

  7. Victoria
    Victoria September 16, 2013

    I’m crying. This is such a tragedy. We lost a great mind.

  8. Arun
    Arun March 5, 2014

    I chanced upon this wonderful site while looking for website of Carl Sagan. What beautiful thoughts penned down by Ms. Ann Druyan…….literally brought tears to my eyes while once again made a resolve to love and care for my close ones coz…..this is a brief chance that’s given to us to be born and live in this world never to come back again….

  9. Jack Vodak
    Jack Vodak July 30, 2014

    I believe in God the father almighty, creater of heaven and earth, who sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. On the third day he rose again. I am not ashamed to be a christian and a physicist. Belief in God and Christ is no crazier than a belief in a tiny mass suddenly exploding and…poof here we are. You can create theories, but they still, to some extent, require faith…belief in the unseen. No one witnessed the Big Bang either, so dont tell me it is any different than a belief in God. Sure there are mathematical equations, but these were derived by humans who are limited by their own understanding. The universe is much bigger, more mysterious, and greater than any human could possibly imagine.

    • Eli Sicken
      Eli Sicken August 14, 2014

      Believing in observable laws of physics is more rational than believing in a guy with magical powers who kills innocent people and answers every question with “my thinking is above yours.” So don’t tell me that The Big Bang is on the same level. The only way they are even relatable is because we don’t know where that matter came from, which is an overwhelmingly amazing and spiritual feeling to me. I was raised Christian but realizing God is a fantasy from long ago before we observed the fact we have today and accepting reality has brought me more happiness and peace than any part of The Holy Trinity ever could.

    • John Allred
      John Allred November 30, 2014

      And what a wondrous being it must have been that created God! And how amazing must have been the being who created that being, etc., etc.. I am also awestruck that God created trillions of stars and planets just for our amusement!

    • Gisela Broomfield
      Gisela Broomfield February 23, 2016

      Yes, those mathematical equations were derived by humans, but who do you think derived the bible? Human beings with an understanding of the world corresponding to the times they lived in!

  10. Doctor, The
    Doctor, The May 5, 2016

    Ann’s same-timeline incarnation hates me. 🙁

  11. GT
    GT August 15, 2016

    So Carl Sagan was in defiance of science itself?
    The Law of Energy – Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it transforms from one form to another.
    Therefore, his theory is virtually saying – nothing exists after we die?
    No sight
    No sound
    No smell
    For eternity?
    Blank, null, void?
    Truly there is nothing sadder than both ignorance and a stubbornness to even think this.
    Believe as you shall. But nothingness is neither a theory nor rational thought.
    To write nothing as a thesis is deserving of a Zero!

  12. s k
    s k December 19, 2016

    I don’t think he’s dead.

  13. Andros
    Andros April 3, 2017

    And yet she didn’t take his last name?

  14. John Johnson
    John Johnson April 10, 2018

    Meaningless, Meaningless says the Preacher, ALL IS MEANINGLESS!

  15. nazeer ashouri
    nazeer ashouri August 22, 2018

    I believe on God, the Supreme Power, who created this life .. I find it logical to have another life where our belief will be verified, and where everyone would know why he was in life and treated according to his standards.

    We need to trace the guidance that revealed by true God, which should not be missed .. It should provide answers to all our questions regarding our life aspects.

    If further assistance is required you may contact me
    Nzashouri@gmail.com

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