Rummy Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 (edited) So, we've got the living hell/heaven on earth threads, and it makes me think of one topic. Immortality. It's something I've considered in the past, but moreso just in the last day or two having seen the original living hell thread, and I wondered what people's opinions on it were, because Immortality seems to be a common theme throughout humanity, and something that seems to fascinate people. I'll present one possible situation of immortality, and then ask you for your thoughts/alternatives etc. After all, it's hardly established ground and I don't want to rule anything out. As is often the case with threads of mine, I'll contribute personal opinions later on. So, back in line with the living hell thread, I thought of immortality on earth. Imagine if you were forever immortal, you could literally never ever die. Physically, you're essentially invincible. Now this is tricky ground, so let's say you suffer pain and hurt like anybody else, but no matter how much blood you lose, no matter how terribly destructive the injury is, your body eventually heals and returns to normal. It's not instant or superfast or anything, if anything it's at the 'same' pace as you do now, just extreme injuries somehow manage to heal themselves, although they take a relative amount of time to do so. You're blessed with this gift. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? What would you do? How would you find it? What do you think of even contemplating it? Aside from scenario presented, what are your thoughts on immortality? Would you like it, would you not, reasons why either way? Long story short; Immortality....discuss! Edited May 18, 2011 by Rummy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diageo Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Depends on what "age" you stay forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieColeslaw Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 What if you're trapped under a huge rock/fell into a really deep crevasse, in the middle of nowhere? D: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diageo Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I'd hate to be immortal like in that film "Death becomes her." And if you get in an accident your body decays yet you never die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grazza Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I'd be in favour of it. Sorry to be grim, but it reminds me of an episode of BBC4's "It's Only a Theory". They asked the audience "Who'd like to live forever?" (show of hands, not unanimous). Then they said "Who wants to die?" (obviously no one). I sometimes wonder if those who reject the idea of immortality are just trying to be noble (no offence intended), because when you look at the alternative, living forever is still the better option. How I'd love to see all the technology that man may eventually create - perfect health, flawless virtual reality, mental bliss... the possibilities are endless. And not to worry anyone, but the Sun will supernova in millions/billions of years time, so even if you get bored, I don't believe immortality lets you survive a supernova. Even if it did, you'd still need a planet to stand on, and you couldn't use the Earth. This is not even taking space travel into account, which you could use to keep yourself entertained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diageo Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 You would never try to accomplish anything, you have all the time in the world. You would be an enormous procrastinator. You would have to watch all of your friends die, over and over again. All of your family members. Your children would die before you, your grandchildren. You would get bored, you would feel like you've done everything good eventually. You would lose the love of your life over and over again. You would have many families and some of them would feel like you abandoned them. There's too many bad points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieColeslaw Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 You would never try to accomplish anything, you have all the time in the world. You would be an enormous procrastinator. You would have to watch all of your friends die, over and over again. All of your family members. Your children would die before you, your grandchildren. You would get bored, you would feel like you've done everything good eventually. You would lose the love of your life over and over again. You would have many families and some of them would feel like you abandoned them. There's too many bad points. This. Immortality => no closure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emasher Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I'd be in favour of it. Sorry to be grim, but it reminds me of an episode of BBC4's "It's Only a Theory". They asked the audience "Who'd like to live forever?" (show of hands, not unanimous). Then they said "Who wants to die?" (obviously no one). I sometimes wonder if those who reject the idea of immortality are just trying to be noble (no offence intended), because when you look at the alternative, living forever is still the better option. How I'd love to see all the technology that man may eventually create - perfect health, flawless virtual reality, mental bliss... the possibilities are endless. And not to worry anyone, but the Sun will supernova in millions/billions of years time, so even if you get bored, I don't believe immortality lets you survive a supernova. Even if it did, you'd still need a planet to stand on, and you couldn't use the Earth. This is not even taking space travel into account, which you could use to keep yourself entertained. The sun will never Supernova. Its not big enough. It will eventually swell into a red giant, which will engulf the inner planets though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnas Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I'd rather have eternal youth, not full blown immortality. Sure, the latter is appealing for you to pull off the most amazing stunts and dares with no fear, but I'd like to be able to bring closure to my life some day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supergrunch Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 It always amazes me that people would want to be immortal - live for longer, sure, but immortality would be awful, for the boredom if nothing else. I'd definitely like to die eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolness Bears Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Love it. it would be beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayseven Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'd spend a few millennia fixing the society of earth, becoming an expert on everything, exploring our solar system once I'm smart enough and try to establish human colonies throughout (once we're all peaceful and stuff), before exploring the universe (ideally on a ship rather than the pain of just 'jumping' into space and seeing here I hit. Ofcourse I'd hate never dying, but there'd be 'new' experiences for a long time, and a lot of good could be done before the inevitable insanity hits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happenstance Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I think you'd have to become very detached out of necessity, with everyone you ever love or get close to eventually dying it would really start to take its toll happening over and over again. Immortality always sounds like a brilliant idea at first but then if you have to become so detached from everyone, would it be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'd rather know there was a cushy, lovely afterlife. Or even just an afterlife (whatever it's like). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'd love eternal youth a little more. Getting old doesn't bother me in the slightest but when you're older, you can't do the things you want to do. Immortality would also be cool but along with immortality, I would also not want to feel pain physically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReZourceman Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Theres a character in Invincible who is Immortal and its dealt with so awesomely. Like he is intricately linked into American history points that they casually drop in. Everyone should read Invincible. Invincible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyboy-the-Dane Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'd rather know there was a cushy, lovely afterlife. Or even just an afterlife (whatever it's like). This. Just this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Everyone should read Invincible. Invincible. Jiz is my name, no one else is the same, JIZ IS MAH NAAGAHAGAHAAMMEE!! Jiz. Jiz. Reference to the best thing on Youtube not many people will have watched despite constant urging, therefore doubly tying back to Invincible, which ReZ pushes like an ugly ho's pimp yet rarely gains new readers on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReZourceman Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I don't think rarely. We've got a reasonably constant stream. Retro is next. He promised. Probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayseven Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I've read some and loved it - but don't want/have the spare money to dole out and buy buttloads of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReZourceman Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I've read some and loved it - but don't want/have the spare money to dole out and buy buttloads of stuff. Oh you read some? Sweet. It gets better + better. Buy one every so often +orgasm. Or download it? I can provide links if you're not concerned about reading on a PC. Maybe we should do a list of NEreaders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayseven Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Please do not fill my inbox with such amounts of win. Please. PLEAAASE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rummy Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 You would never try to accomplish anything, you have all the time in the world. You would be an enormous procrastinator. You would have to watch all of your friends die, over and over again. All of your family members. Your children would die before you, your grandchildren. You would get bored, you would feel like you've done everything good eventually. You would lose the love of your life over and over again. You would have many families and some of them would feel like you abandoned them. There's too many bad points. For me, this is it, you get it. This is why I never understand why people would want immortality, eventually it'll just destroy your soul and you'll never find clousure, peace, anything. I wouldn't doubt you might find yourself wanting to die, and you just can't. For me, I think death is what makes life, I'd like to think I've made my peace with death, I eventually want to die. It's the mortality of knowing that one day we won't be here that makes me feel alive. I'd spend a few millennia fixing the society of earth, becoming an expert on everything, exploring our solar system once I'm smart enough and try to establish human colonies throughout (once we're all peaceful and stuff), before exploring the universe (ideally on a ship rather than the pain of just 'jumping' into space and seeing here I hit. Ofcourse I'd hate never dying, but there'd be 'new' experiences for a long time, and a lot of good could be done before the inevitable insanity hits. Would you be able to, though? You're still just one man, unremarkable except for the fact you just can't ever seem to die. How hard do you keep trying before you find out it just can't happen and you give up on it all? Depends on what "age" you stay forever. Hmm, didn't think of this, late 20s/early 30s, young enough but not too young, with one of those faces where it's hard to tell just how old/young you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grazza Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Hmm, didn't think of this, late 20s/early 30s, young enough but not too young, with one of those faces where it's hard to tell just how old/young you are. This part at least is easy to answer. There is a perfect biological age, ie. peak adulthood, which is around 20. We are designed to mature to adulthood, but no more than that. Sorry to be depressing, but once you get older than your 20s, you're not actually getting biologically older, it's cellular deterioration. The ideal would be to keep refreshing our cells, which would keep us in that "peak adulthood" zone of 20 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I would take immortality if I could have it with one of two bonus extras: 1. Make one or more other people immortal to spend eternity with me. 2. Have an off switch, so I can decide when I've lived long enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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