Would you like to be immortal?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-11-09 03:12am

If you were given immortality, able to live for millennia upon millennia till the end of everything, and perhaps even beyond that, would you accept immortality?

For me: I would accept immortality without a second thought (this is assuming that said immortality has no strings attached, as stated above). It is in my personal opinion that there is no end to the things one can discover in the cosmos. I'll be perfectly happy finding out about all of them.

Additionally, this would grant me the capability to meet new people generation after generation. Basically like that.

What about you guys?

Note: Immortality does not mean Q-like omnipotence or omniscience. You can't die, or stay dead, but that doesn't mean you can will people out of existence. You'll still be like yourself(unless you learn some leet martial arts skills or ki arts along the way), even though you can now live forever.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-11-09 03:19am

Can someone possibly move this to the science/morality forum? I think it belongs there more than it does here.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2002-11-09 03:20am

No. Thinking long term you will be the last person in the universe. You will exist and there will be nothing. Forever. As much as there is in the cosmos, there will be eventually nothing and you will be there until another possible universe comes into being.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 03:21am

No. Emotions would overwhelm me, to see rise and destruction of entire species (including humanity), the emotional attachments involved, to see society change around me, to never know the joys of having someone to be there with you always....I couldn't take it. The prospect of knowing what mortals go through, and what I can't is too much. God must have been very lonely before he created everything.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-11-09 03:24am

I suppose one could put oneself in stasis if waiting for the next universe to come around proves to be too much of a bore.

Also there's the idea of parallel universes. Oh well, and thanks for adding your opinions to this thread.

A Big Flying Fish · Post by **A Big Flying Fish** » 2002-11-09 06:29am

I'd take it without a thought. Just the thought of being able to live forever constantly obtaining knowledge is just too big a chance to skip, especially since I hate not knowing something that I want to know, such as finding out whether alien life exists, what will happen to the human species in the next 10,000 years. Only problem might be if humanity continues to evolve and changes beyond recognition. You'd just become some out of place museum exhibit.

Laughing Mechanicus · Post by **Laughing Mechanicus** » 2002-11-09 08:43am

I'd definately go for it, people often say that it would drive you mad because you would always lose people you love, but that happens fairly often in a normal lifetime, I think you would probably just become accustomed to it and learn to deal with the grief and move on. What attracts me is the limitless scientific knowledge you could learn, you could become an expert in every field of scientific endevour, you could see the universe die and be reborn, you could watch life evolve from a single cell to a comlex intelligent life form like man.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 08:46am

Aaron Ash wrote:I'd definately go for it, people often say that it would drive you mad because you would always lose people you love, but that happens fairly often in a normal lifetime, I think you would probably just become accustomed to it and learn to deal with the grief and move on. What attracts me is the limitless scientific knowledge you could learn, you could become an expert in every field of scientific endevour, you could see the universe die and be reborn, you could watch life evolve from a single cell to a comlex intelligent life form like man.

That's the problem: you become desensitized to everything. WOuld you rather die knowing who you lost and would leave behind, or live and never feel anything (after some point) ever again...Think....no emtion....no happiness, no sadness.....nothing.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2002-11-09 08:46am

No, there will probably be stuff in the future I won't want to see.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-11-09 09:30am

What kind of immortality is this? Because that would matter a whole lot about whether I would take it.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 09:33am

Stormbringer wrote:What kind of immortality is this? Because that would matter a whole lot about whether I would take it.

There's more than one ind of immortality?

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-11-09 09:37am

verilon wrote:
Stormbringer wrote:What kind of immortality is this? Because that would matter a whole lot about whether I would take it.
There's more than one ind of immortality?

Sort of. Theres vampire immortality, immortality ala Highlander, etc. The circumstances of my immortality matter a lot.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 09:38am

Stormbringer wrote:
verilon wrote:
Stormbringer wrote:What kind of immortality is this? Because that would matter a whole lot about whether I would take it.
There's more than one ind of immortality?
Sort of. Theres vampire immortality, immortality ala Highlander, etc. The circumstances of my immortality matter a lot.

You can't die, or stay dead

I thought it was pretty clear. *shrug* Maybe not.

Post by **Vympel** » 2002-11-09 09:40am

I assume by immortality you mean just never die.

I wouldn't go for it. Sure, it seems nice now, but 1,000,000 years from now when you're still around you'll be DAMN bored.

I'd rather be perpetually in excellent health- no effort required. You'll die of old age eventually, but man you'll feel good for a very long time.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-11-09 09:40am

verilon wrote:
You can't die, or stay dead
I thought it was pretty clear. *shrug* Maybe not.

Like I said, theres more to it than just staying alive.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 09:43am

Stormbringer wrote:
verilon wrote:
You can't die, or stay dead
I thought it was pretty clear. *shrug* Maybe not.
Like I said, theres more to it than just staying alive.

True. But let's assume that you just *can't* die. No "types" of immortality, per se, but you just *can't* die, and even if you somehow could, you didn't *stay* dead. (As proposed above)

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-11-09 09:45am

verilon wrote:
Stormbringer wrote:
verilon wrote: I thought it was pretty clear. *shrug* Maybe not.
Like I said, theres more to it than just staying alive.
True. But let's assume that you just *can't* die. No "types" of immortality, per se, but you just *can't* die, and even if you somehow could, you didn't *stay* dead. (As proposed above)

I'd have to think about that a lot. Becuase I'd hate to be the only person left at the death of the universe. And loosing everyone and everything I care about eventually would get to be a major drag.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 09:47am

Stormbringer wrote:I'd have to think about that a lot. Becuase I'd hate to be the only person left at the death of the universe. And loosing everyone and everything I care about eventually would get to be a major drag.

That is SUCH an understatement....and exactly my point. Why would you want to survive to see the end of the universe? Like I said, God must have been pretty lonely in the beginning...

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2002-11-09 10:13am

Perfect Imortatilty is the greatest Curse possible

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 10:14am

Mr Bean wrote:Perfect Imortatilty is the greatest Curse possible

Nuff said.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2002-11-09 10:15am

i´d go for it. to avoid boredom you´d sooner or later have the required knowledge to build yourself one of these stasis tanks mentioned above.

Laughing Mechanicus · Post by **Laughing Mechanicus** » 2002-11-09 11:32am

That's the problem: you become desensitized to everything. WOuld you rather die knowing who you lost and would leave behind, or live and never feel anything (after some point) ever again...Think....no emtion....no happiness, no sadness.....nothing.

I don't think I would become dessensitized to all emotion, I would simply learn through experience more and more efficient ways of dealing with the unpleasent ones (as everyone does as they grow up). I wouldn't inexplicably lose the ability to make friends or have fun after 'X' amount of time, and as old friends died it would still be tragic, but I would make new friends.

If humanity were to manage to destroy itself (something which, being immortal, I would be in a good position to prevent), I would bide my time and use it to build machines with the enormous amount of scientific and engineering knowedge I would have garnered from such a long life, imagine the kind of space ship you could build if you spent several hundred or even thosand years on it. Thats the great thing about being immortal, you'r never racing against the clock, you quite literally have all the time in the universe. And although I would be sad to lose my friends, I never want for human company for the sake of human company, I am perfectly happy to be alone with my thoughts.

This is the sort of question though where no one definitive answer can be obtained, for me living forever would be an oppurtunity not to miss, a chance to become god-like in knowledge and power. But I am not disputing that for some it could drive them completely insane, especially if you defined yourself in terms of other peoples opinions of you, or if you were just a person who is normally gets very emotional (I am not a very emotional person).

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-09 11:35am

By having your heart broken as many times as it might, you will be desensitized to heartbreak, which can only be caused by love. So to desensitize yourself to heartbreak, you have to get rid of love.

Larz · Post by **Larz** » 2002-11-09 01:18pm

Probably no... humans get attached to easily and couldn't handle it, the price of being complex

Tosho · Post by **Tosho** » 2002-11-09 01:43pm

I'm just wondering, would you have eternal youth too, if i was a million years old I sure as hell wouldn't want to look that old.

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