Immortality

[Musicfreak]

Well. There's already plenty of highminded thought about it...but here's some of the common againsts:

One, a human's sense of time, as mentioned above. As it's currently thought, due to our short lives, we perceive time a certain way. That is, our lives -seem- pretty long to us. A year is a long time when you only live maybe 70-90 years. But, from an immortal's perspective, it's thought that time would kind of blur together, days become seconds, years become minutes etc.
I don't know whether this is actually something I believe however, being that there has been no immortals (that we know off) so it's not exactly as if you could just ask them if their sense of time was skewed.

Two. An immortal can not form permanent attachments. Related to the sense of time too, the idea is, that being immortal, you'll see all you're friends and family die. And while you could eventually make new ones, you may find yourself not caring anymore, after all, taking the time thing, if everyone around you has from your point of view the life span of a may fly, how can you form lasting bonds? This leads to a form a kind sociopathy in itself, as you may just cease to care about -anything-.

Three. What happens when the earth, and it will, eventually dies? I mean, if at that point you've got some kind of spaceship with unlimited fuel, great. But, if you don't, you're in for a loooooooong and lonely float. In space, it's not like swimming, don't think you just have to float long enough and you'll get somewhere, and given how big space is, you're not going anywhere fast.

(This is disregarding the distinctions between clinical and total immortality. Clinical immortality is where you simply have an increased lifespan. But someone could still shoot you say. Total immortality is where you are quite literally immune to everything. However, with the regards to the former, clinical immortality is a least somewhat more plausible, although still fiction at this time. Total immortality is a bit more out there, as anything we can think of a the moment all suffers from degradation and is capable of being destroyed i.e. cloning yourself, putting your brain in a jar, digitising your conciousness, and only temporary long term solutions at best.

I'm still not entirely sure how bad the sense of time thing would really be though As I said above You may be immortal but if others aren't wouldn't you still be able to keep your grounding in reality. Granted things that seem like a long time to others may seem like a short time to you but wouldn't you still be able to keep your mind sane?

Your second point I think would be the hardest for me if I was immortal but I think I could eventually get over it. Maybe I'm heartless for feeling that way, who knows.

I hadn't even thought about the third point but I'm sure there are ways I could work around it.

A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Immortality would get boring over time but I still don't think I would get bored. I'm the kinda guy that loves history, or watching the discovery channel and finding out new things. I'm always very curious to see how things play out on the world stage so living through hundreds of years and watching all the interesting historical events that unfold would be fascinating in itself.

 

[Nikajo]

Not really something I've considered, cos it's impossible in real life.

Also, I take little interest in the kind of stories/movies that involve immortality.

Technically it is possible. You just need to find a way to prevent cells from decaying.

There's hundreds of things you would need to stop happening. Stem cell research, although controversial, could be a path to extending life but you would always need to be replacing cells artificially and so many things can go wrong with processes like that. There's more chance of ending up a complete mess and dying very painfully. Personally, I'll stick with a normal death! or become a vampire lol

I find it funny that people can have such a decided opinion on immortality, seeing as though our minds aren't technically capable of fathoming eternity. It's not just a matter of people you love dying around though, although that would be awful - you would see entire species evolve into something almost unrecognisable. Thats a real mind fuck, especially if you remember everything and if you remain completely unchanged physically. Doing my head in just thinking about it lol! Interesting topic though.

 

[Fairee]

I can barely cope with one lifetime, living eternally seems like hell on earth.

 

[Donbett1974]

Immortal head on a stick.

 

[oliveira8]

*snip*

I'm still not entirely sure how bad the sense of time thing would really be though As I said above You may be immortal but if others aren't wouldn't you still be able to keep your grounding in reality. Granted things that seem like a long time to others may seem like a short time to you but wouldn't you still be able to keep your mind sane?

Your second point I think would be the hardest for me if I was immortal but I think I could eventually get over it. Maybe I'm heartless for feeling that way, who knows.

I hadn't even thought about the third point but I'm sure there are ways I could work around it.

A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Immortality would get boring over time but I still don't think I would get bored. I'm the kinda guy that loves history, or watching the discovery channel and finding out new things. I'm always very curious to see how things play out on the world stage so living through hundreds of years and watching all the interesting historical events that unfold would be fascinating in itself.

The thing is you watch history in the History channel and stuff like that in 1 hour. Being immortal you get to live trough the painless and notice how slow history actually moves.

You better off watching the 3 hour documentary about the Roman Empire than living the 400 years of the Roman Empire.

Thats why immortality is only good with this

Spoiler

 

[garjian]

people seem to be focussing on this as though you would be the only immortal person... i dont think any wise person would want that...

i just dont see how anyone can accept the fact that you lose everything in death...
surely fixing that is a good thing... despite overpopulation, and the string of problems preventing/living with that would cause...

besides, then wed be forced to explore the universe...

 

[Socdk]

I'm bored enough as it is... I really wouldn't want eternal life like that!

 

[oliveira8]

people seem to be focussing on this as though you would be the only immortal person... i dont think any wise person would want that...

i just dont see how anyone can accept the fact that you lose everything in death...
surely fixing that is a good thing... despite overpopulation, and the string of problems preventing/living with that would cause...

besides, then wed be forced to explore the universe...

We should have started exploring deep space 10 years ago!!! Instead the money we wasting money on Iraq wars!!

This planet is on course for massive fail!! Before we destroy it and consume the entire human race lets ruin other planets!!

Also Bill Hicks is right, life is just a ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1RQmnSJoRg

 

[Biag]

By the time the earth and everyone in it had died, you would have gathered enough knowledge to transcend humanity. So, yes I would take it. And over the years, I would add robotic enhancements to my body, making myself a technological god and evolving to the highest state of being possible! Civilizations would rise, and I would be their god, toying with their puny lives as I see fit! Plus I would eventually become a kickass guitar player.

...No, I don't have power fantasies, why do you ask?

 

[Epifols]

Well, luckily for you people, you can find out all about immortality when you experience it. Everyone so far has assumed that life ends when your body dies, which I don't think is the case.

 

[Musicfreak]

*snip*

I'm still not entirely sure how bad the sense of time thing would really be though As I said above You may be immortal but if others aren't wouldn't you still be able to keep your grounding in reality. Granted things that seem like a long time to others may seem like a short time to you but wouldn't you still be able to keep your mind sane?

Your second point I think would be the hardest for me if I was immortal but I think I could eventually get over it. Maybe I'm heartless for feeling that way, who knows.

I hadn't even thought about the third point but I'm sure there are ways I could work around it.

A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Immortality would get boring over time but I still don't think I would get bored. I'm the kinda guy that loves history, or watching the discovery channel and finding out new things. I'm always very curious to see how things play out on the world stage so living through hundreds of years and watching all the interesting historical events that unfold would be fascinating in itself.

The thing is you watch history in the History channel and stuff like that in 1 hour. Being immortal you get to live trough the painless and notice how slow history actually moves.

You better off watching the 3 hour documentary about the Roman Empire than living the 400 years of the Roman Empire.

Thats why immortality is only good with this

Spoiler

ah but the thing is we are all living through history even if we don't know it.
You may find it slow and boring but I find it quite fascinating. Besides the 3 hour documentary is bound to have missed things. How can one truly understand something without experiencing it.

 

[Agayek]

A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Immortality would get boring over time but I still don't think I would get bored. I'm the kinda guy that loves history, or watching the discovery channel and finding out new things. I'm always very curious to see how things play out on the world stage so living through hundreds of years and watching all the interesting historical events that unfold would be fascinating in itself.

Problem:

You don't live for hundreds of years.

You live FOREVER.

It doesn't matter what you like, eventually you will have done literally everything you are physically capable of doing, enough times that even the mere thought of doing it again is enough to make you retch. Eventually you will get extremely bored, with everything.

I guess you could go the Hitchhiker route and try to insult everyone in the universe, in alphabetical order, but even that would get dull after the first few hundred millenia.

 

[IsoNeko]

Immortality...Think about that, for a second. Just think, that in a few million years. Your home and everything you know and cherish around you will be gone. Lost to the Sun in one of it's many expansions before it goes Supernova. The only time, that life could possibly become boring. Would be the time when everything in all the Universes has been discovered, and that would never last long, as it is always ever changing.

 

[darkless]

In the words of someone i cant remember...might have been the cracked columnist, being immortal seems like a good idea at the start. Eventually though a human life would fly by like that of a may fly, you would never be able to make a meaningful connection with another human after a few century's and i reckon it would end with you going bat shit insane.

 

[oliveira8]

*snip*

I'm still not entirely sure how bad the sense of time thing would really be though As I said above You may be immortal but if others aren't wouldn't you still be able to keep your grounding in reality. Granted things that seem like a long time to others may seem like a short time to you but wouldn't you still be able to keep your mind sane?

Your second point I think would be the hardest for me if I was immortal but I think I could eventually get over it. Maybe I'm heartless for feeling that way, who knows.

I hadn't even thought about the third point but I'm sure there are ways I could work around it.

A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Immortality would get boring over time but I still don't think I would get bored. I'm the kinda guy that loves history, or watching the discovery channel and finding out new things. I'm always very curious to see how things play out on the world stage so living through hundreds of years and watching all the interesting historical events that unfold would be fascinating in itself.

The thing is you watch history in the History channel and stuff like that in 1 hour. Being immortal you get to live trough the painless and notice how slow history actually moves.

You better off watching the 3 hour documentary about the Roman Empire than living the 400 years of the Roman Empire.

Thats why immortality is only good with this

Spoiler

ah but the thing is we are all living through history even if we don't know it.
You may find it slow and boring but I find it quite fascinating. Besides the 3 hour documentary is bound to have missed things. How can one truly understand something without experiencing it.

The thing no one thinks the period they in is remotly interesting till they look back at it in 10-20 years. It also comes down to who you are in such a given time. If you a Roman Soldier in the black forest waiting for the German Barbarians to break trough the trees at any moment your view of history aint the best one.Only the Emperor's apart from being crazy and all wanted to make their names echo forever in time, actually got a chance of living the full experience and enjoy the great things of the Roman Empire.

The thing is you may be living it but you only get smacked on the head when you realise its finally behind you. Thats why we all fantasize about living in another time period or go back in time. So we can live what we didnt see or so we can relive again that great moment in our lifes.

In the end it comes down if you were someone important or not to have lived today. The commun folk are left to day dream how good it would have been living when Julius Cesar conquered Gaul and became Emperor.

 

[the captain]

Immortality isn't bad at all. You just need to keep up with the world and all of it's new technologies so you can still fit in.

Signed,
the captain: the highlander

 

[Kogarian]

Not really something I've considered, cos it's impossible in real life.

Also, I take little interest in the kind of stories/movies that involve immortality.

Technically it is possible. You just need to find a way to prevent cells from decaying.

thats called cancer. The cells loose their cut-off ability and then just deform.

Cancer doesn't prevent decay. It just makes cell reproduce uncontrollably. You actually have to prevent errors from duplication, stop infections, and keep your organs young and healthy from environmental factors, et cetera, to reach immortality.

But I wouldn't want to be immortal. What would be the point to it?

 

[Erana]

Its a "meh" thing.
First off, our minds aren't equipped to last very long, and we need a sense of scale. To never die would to loose all sense of time, being another path to insanity.

And inevitably, you'd do something that would get you in trouble, wether it be torture or imprisonment for life.

I don't really see how you would lose your sense of time you may never change but everything else does. You need only turn on the T.V or plug in your i pod to know that none of it even existed hundreds of years prior.

You would probably go to jail at least once but that wouldn't end your life and you could escape. The only thing I can see ruining Immortality would be a tramatic event that you just can't seem to recover from but even then you have all the time in the world.

But our minds are wired in a finite manner. It would become a jumbled mess.

 

[NeoDeath90]

Immortality means eternal loneliness. You make friends and even loves, but they die while you survive. You are destined to walk to earth forever alone, and when the earth finally ends, you don;t even have the courtesy that is death.