Eternal Life
Nov 21, 2017 10:21:57 GMT -5
Post by 40oz on Nov 21, 2017 10:21:57 GMT -5
My grandfather is the son of Irish immigrants. He has been a pretty strong and independent man until he recently suffered some symptoms of dementia. Sometimes he tells the same story a few times in the same night, or repeats the punchline of a joke. When he goes to the grocery store, he forgets where he is, what he came here for, and who he came here with. He can't remember where he parked, and with some assistance, when he eventually finds his car, he sometimes forgets how to get home. Some increasingly scary events have happened which eventually led to him having his driver's license taken away. This has been going on for some time now, and now he has trouble recognizing his own family. Normal every day activities have become too difficult to accomplish without someone keeping him directed and on task. It doesn't seem like he has much time left. He's at death's door.
As you know, our lives are finite. No one has ever made it past 123 years. People you know and love will eventually die and leave us behind with only the keepsakes and memories of their existence. You're born, you live, and then you blink out of existence. Our civilization is built upon the necessity of preserving life. All civilized societies have a law that you may not kill another person. And to do so, sometimes you pay that debt with your own life. We live very comfortable lives, rarely thinking about death. We get frustrated with menial things that don't matter in the larger scope of our feeble existence. We aren't chased by predators, we order pizza with our phones, and sleep in our comfortable beds each day. 2000 years ago, few people lived past 40. The risk of death is kept at a minimum the best we can and with that, people have been living much longer and fruitful lives. But death is always inevitable.
But what if it wasn't?
Medical science is always working to cure diseases and ward off illnesses and help each and every person to continue living just a little bit longer. What we know and understand about the human body's ability to live is far more advanced today than it was 20 years ago. But with that comes, a variety of new problems to solve. Overpopulation will certainly return a lack of resources like food, water, space, and energy.
Suppose the goal of civilization were to be accomplished. People can't die, whether it's by natural or unnatural causes. What do we do next?
As you know, our lives are finite. No one has ever made it past 123 years. People you know and love will eventually die and leave us behind with only the keepsakes and memories of their existence. You're born, you live, and then you blink out of existence. Our civilization is built upon the necessity of preserving life. All civilized societies have a law that you may not kill another person. And to do so, sometimes you pay that debt with your own life. We live very comfortable lives, rarely thinking about death. We get frustrated with menial things that don't matter in the larger scope of our feeble existence. We aren't chased by predators, we order pizza with our phones, and sleep in our comfortable beds each day. 2000 years ago, few people lived past 40. The risk of death is kept at a minimum the best we can and with that, people have been living much longer and fruitful lives. But death is always inevitable.
But what if it wasn't?
Medical science is always working to cure diseases and ward off illnesses and help each and every person to continue living just a little bit longer. What we know and understand about the human body's ability to live is far more advanced today than it was 20 years ago. But with that comes, a variety of new problems to solve. Overpopulation will certainly return a lack of resources like food, water, space, and energy.
Suppose the goal of civilization were to be accomplished. People can't die, whether it's by natural or unnatural causes. What do we do next?