The problem with eternal life is firstly that people get bored; secondly, people are greedy; and lastly, we usually don't imagine the consequences of an event beyond our immediate time and space.
Let's go down the list. What do you do when everything's been done, twice? Being bored is terrible. With eternal life, there had better be some real good TV to while the time away.
Vitalia blamed her greediness for the predicament. 'Ooh, eternal life. Sounds great. I'll get to travel and do everything I ever wanted.' Think a little harder about the cons and one might want to reconsider.
Perhaps it's our selfish need for 'tangible immortality' that would trick us into drinking the potion. If I can't write a great novel or discover some new species or be Prime Minister, would anyone remember me when I’m gone? Have I done anything significant enough to make a lasting impression on history, what I call 'tangible immortality'? If not, maybe eternal life will allow me to see through my ambitions. Maybe.
Having read Vitalia's situation, most of us will appreciate the folly of her ways, and if given the opportunity, would refuse the elixir of eternal life. Lesson learned, we make the right decision. But how many of us would turn down the offer if we hadn't read this article and had to make a decision on the spot? We would likely agree to receive, having skipped, hopped and jumped through the superficial advantages. The same thing sometimes happens when we buy a car on impulse - it's cool in the present, then petrol, parking and maintenance woes kick in. Thinking ahead, you'll figure that it isn't fun when your friends and family start dying and you're alone. Vitalia found that out the hard way. Sorry man, you can't chuck immortality.
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4 comments:
You are responsible for your life. This one, the one before and the more to come.
Nice blog. Thats all.
Perhaps there is an issue here in that we need a sense of live having a beginning, a middle and an end, even if we don't like the thought of dying. To live forever means no conclusion, no goal, no end point, and that will perhaps always be unsatisfactory.
I'm actually not convinced this isn't just something we tell ourselves to feel better about being mortal. You'd get to see the rise and fall of empires and civilizations...I don't know, might get boring sometimes, but it's not worth dying over.
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