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< Questions & Answers ~ Immortality: A Fate Worse Than Death? |
| The Odd One |
 Posted: Sat Mar 24 XLII A.S. 06:04 pm |
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Member III°
Joined: 07 Sep XL A.S.
Posts: 81
Location: New England
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As I sat in my dorm room staring blankly at the polished mahogany surface of my desk I found myself without a thing to do. I moved to the window, peered outside and watched the remaining traces of this year's winter flow into the sewers. The newly exposed grass proclaiming the beginning of spring and the natural beauty that accompanies it...
I found myself privileged.
I wonder... if you were offered immortality in the traditional sense of the word, a physical life never-ending, not life through whatever mark one may leave on the world, would you take it? Why, or why not?
I wouldn't.
My reasons for refusing such a "gift" is best described in a quote spoken by Achilles to Briseis in the epic film, Troy.
The quote reads, "Let me tell you a secret, something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be more lovely than you are now. We will never be here again."
I can't say it any better, so I'll leave it at that unless this topic draws user interest.
Until then.
*raises wine glass* |
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| faolchu |
| Posted: Sat Mar 24 XLII A.S. 11:21 pm |
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H.N.I.C.
Joined: 19 Aug XL A.S.
Posts: 134
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| The reason I would not take such a gift is the fact that while as a mortal you are doomed to die, as an immortal you are doomed to watch everyone around you that you love, die. Over, and over, and over again. The only hope would be to shut yourself off from such vulnerabilities. But, I would venture to say that once you do that, you stop being able to really live anyway. |
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| Charon l'Cypher |
| Posted: Tue Apr 10 XLII A.S. 10:55 pm |
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Member III°
Joined: 09 Sep XL A.S.
Posts: 37
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
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Should we then resent being born at all, when this leads to so much loved ones' deaths?
And how is "refusing immortality" different from "commiting suicide"?
If given such gift... don't truly know. I have a great desire to see mankind in 1000, 2000,... years. My final answer would probably depend on possibility of commiting suicide, i.e. finishing immortality when I wish to. |
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Welcome, my Friend, my name is Charon
Please take my hand, I know The Secret Land
Don't be afraid... |
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| faolchu |
| Posted: Thu Apr 12 XLII A.S. 11:20 pm |
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H.N.I.C.
Joined: 19 Aug XL A.S.
Posts: 134
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I would imagine if such a life was something you eventually regretted, the natural path would be, I would assume, to regret being born.
And if you could commit suicide, then you really aren't immortal. You just have really good genes  |
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| Charon l'Cypher |
| Posted: Thu Apr 12 XLII A.S. 11:40 pm |
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Member III°
Joined: 09 Sep XL A.S.
Posts: 37
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
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faolchu wrote: I would imagine if such a life was something you eventually regretted, the natural path would be, I would assume, to regret being born.
Regret is not necessary. IMO, boredom and/or tiredness are more likely to happen.
faolchu wrote: And if you could commit suicide, then you really aren't immortal. You just have really good genes
As with god(s), there is a problem of definition. I see immortality as "incapability to be killed by outside factors" (age, other people, sickness,...). If we use literar meaning (as in "incapable of dying at all"), then it would suck big time, for it would mean reprieving yourself of the only way out that always works.
Besides, universe is expected to collapse in a few billion years. It would be fun to see it, but not to outlive it and live in nothingness. |
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Welcome, my Friend, my name is Charon
Please take my hand, I know The Secret Land
Don't be afraid... |
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| faolchu |
| Posted: Fri Apr 13 XLII A.S. 07:58 am |
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H.N.I.C.
Joined: 19 Aug XL A.S.
Posts: 134
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Charon l'Cypher wrote: Besides, universe is expected to collapse in a few billion years. It would be fun to see it, but not to outlive it and live in nothingness.
Indeed. That would be one interesting day in the life. |
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| Fitz |
| Posted: Wed Apr 25 XLII A.S. 10:19 am |
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BBS Admin V°
Joined: 18 Aug XL A.S.
Posts: 109
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Here's a look at what semi-immortality might mean from a podcast that is usually a lot of fun, Logically Critical
http://www.logicallycritical.net/podcast/15%20Semi-Immortal.mp3
"What would life be like if we all lived to be 500?"
Also you might find Robert A. Heinlein's Time Enough For Love an interesting read along this topic. |
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| mdag |
| Posted: Sun Nov 22 XLIV A.S. 10:04 am |
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Member I°
Joined: 03 Apr XLI A.S.
Posts: 34
Location: Montreal
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Death is beautiful. Its a simple situation going back to ancient Greek philosophy that the world functions on opposites. I mean, who would CHOOSE to live forever. You experience all the beauty (if indeed one can understand such a concept without the accompanying concept of death) but you also experience all the war, all the disease, all the general despair. However, does emotion truly exists without death? Meh, i don't think so.
What point is there to living if you know you cannot die? |
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"Not everyone born free and equal, as the constitution says, but everyone MADE equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against."
-Beatty ('Fahrenheit 451') |
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| Charon l'Cypher |
| Posted: Sun Nov 22 XLIV A.S. 10:30 am |
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Member III°
Joined: 09 Sep XL A.S.
Posts: 37
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
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mdag wrote: Death is beautiful.
Is that experience or philosophy talking?
mdag wrote: You experience all the beauty (if indeed one can understand such a concept without the accompanying concept of death) but you also experience all the war, all the disease, all the general despair. However, does emotion truly exists without death? Meh, i don't think so.
Why are "all the war, all the disease, all the general despair" not enough opposites to the beauties in life? Why would we also need death?
mdag wrote: What point is there to living if you know you cannot die?
We've discussed this a bit above: immortality as in "inability to die" definitely sucks as it rids you of an important possibility (ability); but, immortality as in "inability to be killed by an outside factor" ("good genes", as faolchu called it) sounds fine to me.
As for point to living without dieing... the point of living lays in what you do with your life and not in its end. That kind of thinking (that life is all about death) sounds kinda like a Christian and Muslim way of thinking, NHF. |
_________________
Welcome, my Friend, my name is Charon
Please take my hand, I know The Secret Land
Don't be afraid... |
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