Ahh! Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Having to live forever would be very tiring. I like the idea I live 60, 70, 80 years and then I just stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhampir Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 I wish I could go for like 2 or 3 thousand, but yeah, I agree, I wouldn't want to be immortal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KT45 Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Moments become more precious since they are fleeting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YDOAPS Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 After so long, you'll have done everything and life will become painfully boring. Immortality would suck ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Most of the fictional shows/books/movies/etc. featuring immortals (like vampires, highlander-style immortals, and so on.) all make the point that there is a down side to it. Even without the blood drinking, killing, fighting, and the constant angst and drama, there is the watching everyone around you get old and die while you go on, ageless. That would seriously suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callyn Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 I can find good things and bad things about immortality. Eternal youth sounds like so much fun, but I can see how it would get boring. I dunno, I'd love being young and athletic for a couple centuries or millenia, but I'd have to do a lot of reading and have a lot of sex to keep me occupied or I'd end up killing myself anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Immortality? Naah. I'll pass. Some day I want to be part of a daisy or a supernova or something we've Never Ever Heard Of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonkey Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Some day I want to be part of a daisy or a supernova or something we've Never Ever Heard Of. Hear hear. I love looking up at the stars at night and thinking, "someday... I will be a part of that" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Most of the fictional shows/books/movies/etc. featuring immortals (like vampires, highlander-style immortals, and so on.) all make the point that there is a down side to it. Even without the blood drinking, killing, fighting, and the constant angst and drama, there is the watching everyone around you get old and die while you go on, ageless. That would seriously suck. Reminds me of a Star Trek Voyager episode called "Death Wish", where Q wanted to commit suicide because he had already seen and done everything, but he had to be turned into a mortal first. Great episode, btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 One of the biggest reliefs from deconverting was realizing that I didn't have to live for ever and ever and ever like some Energergizer Bunny. If life is worthwhile, then it isn't more worthwhile simply because the damn thing never ends. Eighty years is enough for me. My life is already full and thus would not be unduly upset if it ended now. I would still like the chance to have sex with a redhead with big breasts and raise some children. But besides that, I'm pretty much satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhia Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 I used to joke that I wanted to live forever, but now I don't. I don't want to be immortal, but I don't want to die before I've a chance to realize some of my dreams. I used to hate the thought of immortality as a Christian. I hated the thought of eternity with Jesus in Heaven, but that everything and everyone I loved wouldn't be there as I know them, even if they were there. WAY too much talk of "the new man" and shit when Christians talk about getting to heaven. I didn't like that supposedly we would be so different than our earthly selves that as soon as we got there, we wouldn't have the same emotions and dreams as we used to. The only thing we could think of is ecstatically worshiping god all the time, and all of our loved ones wouldn't care about us, they would just care about god. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piprus Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 What would I ever find to do for the next thousand years, let alone eternity? It might be fun if I could create mischief, but then I would end up being a little ol' demon, wouldn't I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I'd want immortality. I just don't want to miss anything. I want to see where humanity will go, what it will create......I know the world chugged along well before I came to be, but now that I'm here, I don't want to miss anything! If anything...it would be nice to be able to go backwards and see the real details of what came before, because no recorded history gets everything right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mman2000 Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I would have to say that I think immortality would kick ass, we would live to see the fall of religion. And imagine if people like Darwin lived forever, they would be alive to see their theories confirmed by ever increasing evidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callyn Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I would have to say that I think immortality would kick ass, we would live to see the fall of religion. And probably the end of humanity along with it. Sorry, but I have serious doubts that religion will ever completely vanish. It's kind of been hardwired into us by millenia of belief and meme evolution. That's not to say Christianity won't fall, but religion will probably always be around, even when records of our times have been lost completely a la Dune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Some day I want to be part of a daisy or a supernova or something we've Never Ever Heard Of. Hear hear. I love looking up at the stars at night and thinking, "someday... I will be a part of that" Y'know... I love looking up at the sky and thinking, "Once, I was a part of that." All the hydrogen in the universe arrived on the scene within the first 300 seconds of the Big Bang. How many molecules in your body contain hydrogen? <--- insert mindboggling here At a quantum level, every one of us is as old as the universe itself, and none of us will ever really "die". We'll just be broken down and recycled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I'm trying to remember how I felt when I first accepted that there probably is no afterlife. Kind of relieved not to be responsible for preparing for the real life and just be free to enjoy this life. Also kind of sad to see all that future in heaven go down the drain. Mostly it's a relief having to worry only for this life. It's easier taking things one day at a time when you don't have to worry about the eternal consequences of every little decision made today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedah Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 If I had the choice, I would want to be immortal for exactly 2000 years starting on my 25th birthday. After the 2000 years are over, I would start aging again and die a natural death. I dont want to live forever, but I would love to live long enough to see where the human race ends up after another 2000 years. Will we finally be free from religion ? Will we have found an alien race or planet just as good as earth ? Will we have instantanious/lightspeed travel ? Or are we doomed to collapse within the next 400 years and wipe each other out. Regardless of where we end up, good or bad, I would want to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Reminds me of a Star Trek Voyager episode called "Death Wish", where Q wanted to commit suicide because he had already seen and done everything, but he had to be turned into a mortal first. Great episode, btw. I enjoyed that ep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I must say that I also find death refreshing, for the fact that there will come a time when nobody will remember all the stupid, mean, petty things I did in my life, because everyone involved will be dead. Everybody I love will die, but so will everybody I've ever offended. The embarrassments of my life will be wiped away once the last person who ever knew me dies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Personally, I'd much rather take my chances with madness by being immortal than endure the slow death of old age. I think I could deal with eternal life, but deteriorating health is damned hard to avoid, even in the healthiest people. And given some bits about my family's medical history, I do not look forward to life past my 40s - at all. I'd rather have to resort to suicide on account of the boredom of living ten lifetimes or so than have to resort to it to end the pain of old age, or just have to age and wear out in general. Though I don't think that would be my lot; I'm not hard to amuse, and I could keep myself busy and interested indefinitely, I believe. So long as I have good health and material security, I'd be ok. I don't know if our "souls" or consciousnesses go on forever or not, and I really am not bothered either way. I know the torment stories from Abrahamic mythologies are not real, so I'm not concerned. IMO, either I reincarnate, I dream forever, I enter a realm which is shaped by my beliefs and desires in this life, or I simply cease to be. I can deal with any of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythra Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I have spent way less time thinking about my demise since I escaped religion. I'm convinced that our consciousness ends when our brains end. That's the bottom line. I really don't give a shit what happens to the molecules that make up my body. It's consciousness that is the issue. And, no one can provide even a remotely plausible explanation of how consciousness can survive death. And so, we end someday. We cease to be. As does every other living thing on this planet eventually. We're in good company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I recall the first time I finally came to grips with my mortality. At first, it was frightening, then I had something I could relate to. I had surgery when I was 22. Not a serious procedure, but I had to be put "Under." I remember counting backwards from 10, taking deep breaths of that sweet-smelling gas, then the next thing I knew, I heard someone say, "He's waking up now." The procedure took a couple of hours (I think), though to me, this period of time did not exist. Or rather, it was my consciousness that did not exist during this time. I realized that if anything terrible had happened during this time, I would not have cared, because I was not conscious. Then I suddenly realized that, after I die, I will be about as concerned about my state of affairs as I was when I was under the gas. Or before I was born, for that matter. It was quite liberating. I realized that I didn't need to worry about death anymore; that death will take care of itself and will come to me eventually. I realized what I really needed to focus on was how I was living my life. Every day became something to be cherished and valued. I never again found myself sitting around wondering what to do. I stopped wishing for time to speed up to get past a bad moment; I learned to relish the downturns in my life as much as I did the upturns. I started making plans and doing the things I thought I would get around to doing one day. I might be gone tomorrow in a tragic accident, or I might live to be the world's oldest man. Both scenarios are unlikely, but are possible. As such, I live as though either outcome may be equally possible. What I find remarkably funny is that the same people who desire an eternal life don't yet know what they're going to do this weekend and usually aren't satisfied with what they're doing in life. Perhaps it is that dream of immortality that is holding them back from reaching their full potential. If you want to see the future of humankind, why not get into a science-oriented field, or, say, into engineering, and play an active part in shaping the future of humanity? From that perspective, you will be able to see the future, since you will be playing a role in shaping it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythra Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 digitalquirk: that was a really great post, man. Bravo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fender13 Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Moments become more precious since they are fleeting.... That's very, very true! I read a funny quote the other day but I'm not sure how relevent it is: I"m gonna live forever or die trying. As long as i can enjoy it while it lasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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