Would you want to live forever?
Discussion
Following on from the futility thread - would you actually want to live forever?
This is the scenario (loosely based on a book I read as a kid)
You have a genetic condition which causes your body to remain as it is when you were 30 years old, and renews itself constantly from that point - so you never age. Your brain is the same, you have the learning ability of the average 30 year old and it will never improve or get worse as it would with age.
You can still catch diseases such as flu or suchlike, but you are immune to AIDS or Cancer due to the perfect renewal process that you have.
You will heal from accidents the same as you would before, so you can still get killed just as easily from a car crash, falling from a great height etc.
Lastly, on a social context for some bizarre reason, you are considered "normal" - so no wierdos trying to chase you down and extract the secret of life from you.
On that basis, as you have a greater choice (being careful of accidents) to literally live as long as the planet could sustain you, would you want to? Also being aware that all your loved ones will literally grow old and die around you. Your hot 20 year old model girlfriend is great then, but in 60 years time when you are still 30...
This is the scenario (loosely based on a book I read as a kid)
You have a genetic condition which causes your body to remain as it is when you were 30 years old, and renews itself constantly from that point - so you never age. Your brain is the same, you have the learning ability of the average 30 year old and it will never improve or get worse as it would with age.
You can still catch diseases such as flu or suchlike, but you are immune to AIDS or Cancer due to the perfect renewal process that you have.
You will heal from accidents the same as you would before, so you can still get killed just as easily from a car crash, falling from a great height etc.
Lastly, on a social context for some bizarre reason, you are considered "normal" - so no wierdos trying to chase you down and extract the secret of life from you.
On that basis, as you have a greater choice (being careful of accidents) to literally live as long as the planet could sustain you, would you want to? Also being aware that all your loved ones will literally grow old and die around you. Your hot 20 year old model girlfriend is great then, but in 60 years time when you are still 30...
Interesting one.
One one side it would be fasinating to live and see the world change and develop over the years, with new technologies being introduced daily and the changes in society.. you could complete numerous quests for knowledge and obtain qualifications in almost anything you desired..
The one thing that would destroy me as a person would be living through the death of my partners/children over and over. Its hard enough coping with it once, but twice.. three times.. it wouldnt be great.. they would grow older and would slowly be less able to do the things you could do as a 30year old..
I suppose at the end of the day though you still have a way out if you had to, you are not invincible, simply immune to life threatening disease and ageing.
All in all i would probably give it a go, would be interesting and like i say, theres always a way out if you had to.
One one side it would be fasinating to live and see the world change and develop over the years, with new technologies being introduced daily and the changes in society.. you could complete numerous quests for knowledge and obtain qualifications in almost anything you desired..
The one thing that would destroy me as a person would be living through the death of my partners/children over and over. Its hard enough coping with it once, but twice.. three times.. it wouldnt be great.. they would grow older and would slowly be less able to do the things you could do as a 30year old..
I suppose at the end of the day though you still have a way out if you had to, you are not invincible, simply immune to life threatening disease and ageing.
All in all i would probably give it a go, would be interesting and like i say, theres always a way out if you had to.
ewenm said:
So you'd have to work for long enough to pay off a mortgage, then living costs go down, but aren't eliminated. So you'd need to work... forever, as your lifetime costs are infinite...
It's a "no" from me.
but you could slowly a mass great wealth over time and then enjoy it being super richIt's a "no" from me.
With a pension they start paying once you hit 65 and keep paying it till you die? So I'd get to 65 and keep cashing in my pension, obviously I'd have stuck as much cash as possible into my pension and had it linked to inflation as I know I'm going to be drawing on it for a long time.
tankplanker said:
With a pension they start paying once you hit 65 and keep paying it till you die? So I'd get to 65 and keep cashing in my pension, obviously I'd have stuck as much cash as possible into my pension and had it linked to inflation as I know I'm going to be drawing on it for a long time.
Perhaps your best would be to start your own religion L. Ron Hubbard style. Eternal pension and reverence as a God.
Given the parameters above, the only answer is yes. This is what is known as a free option.
If you don't like it, you have the option to end things. Quicky, quietly and painlessly. God, you can end it after 85 years like anyone else if you like, you just don't have to bother going through the rigours of old age.
The equation only changes if you [u]don't[/u] have the option of ending things, or you only have the option once every 500 years or something. THEN it becomes a whole other ball game.
As it stands, you'd be a certified cretin to say no.
If you don't like it, you have the option to end things. Quicky, quietly and painlessly. God, you can end it after 85 years like anyone else if you like, you just don't have to bother going through the rigours of old age.
The equation only changes if you [u]don't[/u] have the option of ending things, or you only have the option once every 500 years or something. THEN it becomes a whole other ball game.
As it stands, you'd be a certified cretin to say no.
Cactussed said:
Given the parameters above, the only answer is yes. This is what is known as a free option.
If you don't like it, you have the option to end things. Quicky, quietly and painlessly. God, you can end it after 85 years like anyone else if you like, you just don't have to bother going through the rigours of old age.
The equation only changes if you [u]don't[/u] have the option of ending things, or you only have the option once every 500 years or something. THEN it becomes a whole other ball game.
As it stands, you'd be a certified cretin to say no.
Then you would have enough time to get your car running perfectly...If you don't like it, you have the option to end things. Quicky, quietly and painlessly. God, you can end it after 85 years like anyone else if you like, you just don't have to bother going through the rigours of old age.
The equation only changes if you [u]don't[/u] have the option of ending things, or you only have the option once every 500 years or something. THEN it becomes a whole other ball game.
As it stands, you'd be a certified cretin to say no.
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