Another question that will be asked of the panel I mentioned yesterday [senior citz talking to a class of nursing students who interviewed us during the past few months] is "if you could live forever would you? Why, or why not:?" I will be interested in others' answers and I have a feeling many will say no. I could be wrong. I've thought about it, "forever" of course is a very long time but in such a question one doesn't deal with little oddities like money or arthritis. The question is about our relationship with the world -- the whole big world, not just the relatively few people we know or the small portion of it we have experienced.
My answer would be yes. My reason would be that what we call civilization is really not very old in forever and geologic terms. We tend to think we're come a long way and certainly we've managed to learn a lot, invent a lot, and procreate a lot. But I think we have a long way to go and I would be curious how it works out. I think there are many mysteries to be unraveled, much to know about the world and it's physical laws, about ancient peoples, about every other form of life on the planet. Much technology will be invented. And, most interestingly, we humans will learn much about ourselves, individual potential, and how to live together. We will eventually have to learn to live without war, we will have to learn how to colonize other planets or to restrict our reproduction if we are to sre to survive on Earth. Very, very much will have to change just to remain viable in our numbers on a finite planet. I wonder how that will happen. I wonder about many, many things that I will certainly not learn the answers to in the finite life I have ahead. That will be my answer; I suspect it will be one of a kind but I don't really know ... Does anyone else have a view on this?
Another question that will be asked of the panel I mentioned yesterday [senior citz talking to a class of nursing students who interviewed us during the past few months] is "if you could live forever would you? Why, or why not:?" I will be interested in others' answers and I have a feeling many will say no. I could be wrong. I've thought about it, "forever" of course is a very long time but in such a question one doesn't deal with little oddities like money or arthritis. The question is about our relationship with the world -- the whole big world, not just the relatively few people we know or the small portion of it we have experienced.
My answer would be yes. My reason would be that what we call civilization is really not very old in forever and geologic terms. We tend to think we're come a long way and certainly we've managed to learn a lot, invent a lot, and procreate a lot. But I think we have a long way to go and I would be curious how it works out. I think there are many mysteries to be unraveled, much to know about the world and it's physical laws, about ancient peoples, about every other form of life on the planet. Much technology will be invented. And, most interestingly, we humans will learn much about ourselves, individual potential, and how to live together. We will eventually have to learn to live without war, we will have to learn how to colonize other planets or to restrict our reproduction if we are to sre to survive on Earth. Very, very much will have to change just to remain viable in our numbers on a finite planet. I wonder how that will happen. I wonder about many, many things that I will certainly not learn the answers to in the finite life I have ahead. That will be my answer; I suspect it will be one of a kind but I don't really know ... Does anyone else have a view on this?
3 comments:
I was raised in a religion that taught the concept of eternal life. At a very young age, I was very disturbed by the idea that I would go on and on and on and on....
It seems there is no escaping our existence, whether in this realm or the next...or another.
I'm not certain about any of it. I'll just take what comes.
i suspect that there are things we cannot fathom, limited as we are by our human bodies and brains. i suspect that we continue, after shedding this mortal coil, not in this form. i'm much more curious about what there is to be learned after death, than what will happen in this world. so, no, i don't want to live forever-at least, not here.
Live forever!?! Sheesh. Six decades into this and I'm already exhausted.
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