Poll: You will live forever

[Barbas]

As you sit hunched one evening, clammy teenage fingers stabbing at faded keys, typing endless diatribes about gender politics to an audience that doesn't care, the Outsider materializes before you and offers a measure of his power. You will live as you are now, minus of all life-threatening conditions or diseases, forever. Your body will regenerate from any injury, and you will be unable to age or feel pain.

Is this a blessing, or a curse? What will you do with your time?

 

[Saelune]

Can I still lose weight? If not, can I like, take a raincheck for a work out montage?

Total blessing though. I'm someone who has a lot I want to do...but am lazy and procrastinate.

As for my time, Id do the obvious as a nerdy gamer and beat every game ever...eventually. I'd also want to learn all languages ever. Eventually Id want to travel everywhere. Since I am apparently truly immortal, I don't have to worry about a lot of the issues of world travel. At some point I suppose Id go the superhero route, or atleast just help people as I travel.

Doesn't help that Ive been itching to play DnD, cause now I have all these crazy scenarios in my head.

 

[Recusant]

A curse. I don't understand how anyone could see it as anything but. Do you really find this life so idyllic that you'd never want to experience another?

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

The not feel pain thing bothers me. Not that I enjoy pain, but only that I'd have to check my body daily to make sure I wasn't bitten by a lava spider or stepped on a nail or was shot in the chest and never noticed. And yeah, regenerate yadda-yadda, but blood all over a new suit is a social faux pa that'll take centuries to live down!

Aside from that I see no downside. Sign me up for a eternity of snarky bitter existence!

 

[Saelune]

A curse. I don't understand how anyone could see it as anything but. Do you really find this life so idyllic that you'd never want to experience another?

Life isn't so idyllic, that's why this is appealing to me. Not having to worries about reality's dangers, and living to maybe see better times. Plus with true immortality I could make life better.

 

[Sonmi]

It's absolutely a curse.

People succumb to existential ennui easily enough as it is, with an infinite lifespan, life would be a complete existential hell.

Also, living forever ensures you'll eventually get trapped somewhere, unable to die, with no-one to talk to, and no way to get out/move. A living nightmare.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I don't know how I'd feel about seeing everyone I love grow old and eventually die whilst leaving me behind; and if I bothered to try and start new by forging new relationships, watching it happen over and over again.

That being said, I like my alone time, so I might be able to make due, but it wouldn't be a happy existence, I'd probably try to save people or something, new experiences and knowledge would lose their appeal as I'd have no one particularly close to share with.

 

[Recusant]

A curse. I don't understand how anyone could see it as anything but. Do you really find this life so idyllic that you'd never want to experience another?

Life isn't so idyllic, that's why this is appealing to me. Not having to worries about reality's dangers, and living to maybe see better times. Plus with true immortality I could make life better.

But you're only immune from physical dangers. The heartbreak of watching your loved ones die, the isolation of having the philosophy of society alter around you, the revulsion of seeing what the next round of mutations bring the human race, the rejection of being seen as "that two-eyed, tiny-headed fogey", seeing every movie you ever loved remade into a horrible bastardized version by the thirty-second century version of Michael Bay...

You would see better times, to be sure. But you'd also see worse ones. You'd live long enough to see humanity at its worst, and that would rapidly take the shine off whatever your perceptions of immortality are.

 

[Saelune]

A curse. I don't understand how anyone could see it as anything but. Do you really find this life so idyllic that you'd never want to experience another?

Life isn't so idyllic, that's why this is appealing to me. Not having to worries about reality's dangers, and living to maybe see better times. Plus with true immortality I could make life better.

But you're only immune from physical dangers. The heartbreak of watching your loved ones die, the isolation of having the philosophy of society alter around you, the revulsion of seeing what the next round of mutations bring the human race, the rejection of being seen as "that two-eyed, tiny-headed fogey", seeing every movie you ever loved remade into a horrible bastardized version by the thirty-second century version of Michael Bay...

You would see better times, to be sure. But you'd also see worse ones. You'd live long enough to see humanity at its worst, and that would rapidly take the shine off whatever your perceptions of immortality are.

I'm already embittered by my inability to really do anything. Such power would allow me to do more than sit on my ass and complain. Ive seen fiction where immortal beings become jaded by such, but that's cause they just sit around and complain...forever. I certainly wouldn't just be some observant outsider. Id be out there doing things.

 

[Sonmi]

A curse. I don't understand how anyone could see it as anything but. Do you really find this life so idyllic that you'd never want to experience another?

Life isn't so idyllic, that's why this is appealing to me. Not having to worries about reality's dangers, and living to maybe see better times. Plus with true immortality I could make life better.

But you're only immune from physical dangers. The heartbreak of watching your loved ones die, the isolation of having the philosophy of society alter around you, the revulsion of seeing what the next round of mutations bring the human race, the rejection of being seen as "that two-eyed, tiny-headed fogey", seeing every movie you ever loved remade into a horrible bastardized version by the thirty-second century version of Michael Bay...

You would see better times, to be sure. But you'd also see worse ones. You'd live long enough to see humanity at its worst, and that would rapidly take the shine off whatever your perceptions of immortality are.

I'm already embittered by my inability to really do anything. Such power would allow me to do more than sit on my ass and complain. Ive seen fiction where immortal beings become jaded by such, but that's cause they just sit around and complain...forever. I certainly wouldn't just be some observant outsider. Id be out there doing things.

But that's the thing, your perception of things won't stay the same forever... those actions, these people you help, they won't matter to you anymore.

See, your perception of time is entirely relative to your living experience. A year when you are 5 years old feels longer than when you are 20, which feels longer than when you are 40, and so on and so on. Eventually, a lifetime will feel like a week, you will be completely unable to forge any long lasting relationships with anyone due to having an experience so different than anyone else's, and you won't be able to do anything about it.

All of that is if you even get to then without getting physically stuck somewhere. Let's say you piss off the wrong mob boss and he decides to give you cement shoes, you won't die, but you'll certainly turn crazy from drowning over and over and over for years, incapable to act. Same thing if you just decide to wander around, but get stuck in a crevasse or something.

EDIT: Or the government discovers your immortality, and decides to experiment on you, forever.

 

[Barbas]

I don't know how I'd feel about seeing everyone I love grow old and eventually die whilst leaving me behind; and if I bothered to try and start new by forging new relationships, watching it happen over and over again.

That being said, I like my alone time, so I might be able to make due, but it wouldn't be a happy existence, I'd probably try to save people or something, new experiences and knowledge would lose their appeal as I'd have no one particularly close to share with.

Why not be a monk? Monks are fun.

 

[Saelune]

A curse. I don't understand how anyone could see it as anything but. Do you really find this life so idyllic that you'd never want to experience another?

Life isn't so idyllic, that's why this is appealing to me. Not having to worries about reality's dangers, and living to maybe see better times. Plus with true immortality I could make life better.

But you're only immune from physical dangers. The heartbreak of watching your loved ones die, the isolation of having the philosophy of society alter around you, the revulsion of seeing what the next round of mutations bring the human race, the rejection of being seen as "that two-eyed, tiny-headed fogey", seeing every movie you ever loved remade into a horrible bastardized version by the thirty-second century version of Michael Bay...

You would see better times, to be sure. But you'd also see worse ones. You'd live long enough to see humanity at its worst, and that would rapidly take the shine off whatever your perceptions of immortality are.

I'm already embittered by my inability to really do anything. Such power would allow me to do more than sit on my ass and complain. Ive seen fiction where immortal beings become jaded by such, but that's cause they just sit around and complain...forever. I certainly wouldn't just be some observant outsider. Id be out there doing things.

But that's the thing, your perception of things won't stay the same forever... those actions, these people you help, they won't matter to you anymore.

See, your perception of time is entirely relative to your living experience. A year when you are 5 years old feels longer than when you are 20, which feels longer than when you are 40, and so on and so on. Eventually, a lifetime will feel like a week, you will be completely unable to forge any long lasting relationships with anyone due to having an experience so different than anyone else's, and you won't be able to do anything about it.

All of that is if you even get to then without getting physically stuck somewhere. Let's say you piss off the wrong mob boss and he decides to give you cement shoes, you won't die, but you'll certainly turn crazy from drowning over and over and over for years, incapable to act. Same thing if you just decide to wander around, but get stuck in a crevasse or something.

EDIT: Or the government discovers your immortality, and decides to experiment on you, forever.

Again, a lot of this to me is fine cause of true immortality. Not everyone is me, but I am not everyone, and the way my life personally has been, a lot of your fears don't scare me. Plus being truly immortal, it may take time, but I can eventually break out of those cement shoes somehow. Even if I have to hop a few miles over a few years. A lot of the difficulty comes from being mortal and dying, and just panicking too.

If the government captured me, they experiment, and then what? Again, time and true immortality is on my side.

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

It's absolutely a curse.

People succumb to existential ennui easily enough as it is, with an infinite lifespan, life would be a complete existential hell.

Also, living forever ensures you'll eventually get trapped somewhere, unable to die, with no-one to talk to, and no way to get out/move. A living nightmare.

You will get answer, and you will be able to get out. You have forever.

All of that is if you even get to then without getting physically stuck somewhere. Let's say you piss off the wrong mob boss and he decides to give you cement shoes, you won't die, but you'll certainly turn crazy from drowning over and over and over for years, incapable to act. Same thing if you just decide to wander around, but get stuck in a crevasse or something.

EDIT: Or the government discovers your immortality, and decides to experiment on you, forever.

You think cement, landscape, or government will last forever? Unlikely. Trivial things that only lasts fractions of fractions of fraction of time? You said it yourself- Immortals have different concept of time.

 

[Sonmi]

It's absolutely a curse.

People succumb to existential ennui easily enough as it is, with an infinite lifespan, life would be a complete existential hell.

Also, living forever ensures you'll eventually get trapped somewhere, unable to die, with no-one to talk to, and no way to get out/move. A living nightmare.

You will get answer, and you will be able to get out. You have forever.

If it means waiting thousands upon thousands of years, is it worth it?

You might very well outlive humanity, stuck in your crevasse, waiting.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Why not be a monk? Monks are fun.

Until said religion stops being a thing. I guess I've always wanted to try illuminated manuscript, I could bring it back into style, make a whole library, not really care if it burns down, just sigh and start all over again. I'll call myself the "Chronicler", just sit there all day writing the ultimate history book.

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

If it means waiting thousands upon thousands of years, is it worth it?

You might very well outlive humanity, stuck in your crevasse, waiting.

If is not the question of "if I outlive humanity", it is when.
And land will change over time. It might take some time though.

 

[Sonmi]

If it means waiting thousands upon thousands of years, is it worth it?

You might very well outlive humanity, stuck in your crevasse, waiting.

If is not the question of "if I outlive humanity", it is when.
And land will change over time. It might take some time though.

I think you underestimate the effects sensory deprivation has on the mind and the toll a full millennium stuck in emptiness takes on you.

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

I think you underestimate the effects sensory deprivation has on the mind and the toll a full millennium stuck in emptiness takes on you.

And thankfully, I have infinite time to recover from it. Why so pessimistic?

 

[MysticSlayer]

The first thing I'd do is find a really tall building and jump off.

After that, I don't know what I'd do. I could always go into entertainment. I could also spend time perfecting my (lacking) artistic talent. Sooner or later I'd make it big. Or I could just continue in computer science and see where that leads me.

Whatever the case, I won't complain. Yeah, seeing loved ones come and go might be hard, but it wouldn't remain debilitating for long.

So bring on the immortality!

 

[Sonmi]

I think you underestimate the effects sensory deprivation has on the mind and the toll a full millennium stuck in emptiness takes on you.

And thankfully, I have infinite time to recover from it. Why so pessimistic?

Who says you will ever recover from it? Not everything is a certainty given infinite time.

Once your mind is gone, it might very well be gone forever.