Comments on: On the Problem of Being Immortal http://thestormypresent.com/ocean/2008/07/10/on-the-problem-of-being-immortal/ Bursts of Clarity, Illuminated. Thu, 07 May 2009 15:48:24 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: FlannelDoormat http://thestormypresent.com/ocean/2008/07/10/on-the-problem-of-being-immortal/comment-page-1/#comment-114 FlannelDoormat Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:01:06 +0000 http://thestormypresent.com/ocean/?p=119#comment-114 Not to be an arrogant jackass (though I suspect it's far too late for that) but I don't think I'd mind being 32 (my current age) for an extended period. It's the first time in my adult life I haven't had worries about money or work or having kids or relationships or housing or education (etc). It kind of rules. Not to be an arrogant jackass (though I suspect it’s far too late for that) but I don’t think I’d mind being 32 (my current age) for an extended period. It’s the first time in my adult life I haven’t had worries about money or work or having kids or relationships or housing or education (etc). It kind of rules.

]]> By: OceansOfThought http://thestormypresent.com/ocean/2008/07/10/on-the-problem-of-being-immortal/comment-page-1/#comment-113 OceansOfThought Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:10:50 +0000 http://thestormypresent.com/ocean/?p=119#comment-113 One of the things i didn't add to the article was suppose the aging is stopped, (instead of just living long) so now, what age do you want to be? What should you look like? I myself want to live quite a long life, but i don't want to look 200 years old or drool over my chest... One of the things i didn’t add to the article was suppose the aging is stopped, (instead of just living long) so now, what age do you want to be? What should you look like?

I myself want to live quite a long life, but i don’t want to look 200 years old or drool over my chest…

]]> By: FlannelDoormat http://thestormypresent.com/ocean/2008/07/10/on-the-problem-of-being-immortal/comment-page-1/#comment-112 FlannelDoormat Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:02:47 +0000 http://thestormypresent.com/ocean/?p=119#comment-112 This topic makes my skin crawl. Will the natural maturation of bodies/minds differ proportionally with the increase in lifespan? after all, our great grandparents weren't expected to live nearly as long as we do today, but they also quit school in the 8th grade (unless they were farmers, then it was even earlier) and got married when they were 14-17 (when they'd also start having children). I wonder if people live to be 300 (or 200) will we have 40-60 year olds running around wreaking havoc like today's teenagers? will "kids" need to be enrolled in school until they're 40? or learn to drive when they're 35? will the old people still have their faculties about them? today I can look at a select few healthy 90 year-olds that might benefit from an extra year or two, but more often I'll see severe decreases in mobility and many suffering from dementia to the point that they don't even recognize their own family or daily healthcare workers. I suppose it will ultimately depend on the generally agreed upon definition of "life" and whether it's worth preserving...does a human vegetable deserve more rights than the tiny, moist mouse fur jacket mentioned several weeks ago? I thougth that the living garment was creepy enough, but the idea of a nation of vegetables (or more likely their associated legal proponents) demanding prolonged care chills me through to my very bones. This topic makes my skin crawl. Will the natural maturation of bodies/minds differ proportionally with the increase in lifespan? after all, our great grandparents weren’t expected to live nearly as long as we do today, but they also quit school in the 8th grade (unless they were farmers, then it was even earlier) and got married when they were 14-17 (when they’d also start having children).

I wonder if people live to be 300 (or 200) will we have 40-60 year olds running around wreaking havoc like today’s teenagers? will “kids” need to be enrolled in school until they’re 40? or learn to drive when they’re 35?

will the old people still have their faculties about them? today I can look at a select few healthy 90 year-olds that might benefit from an extra year or two, but more often I’ll see severe decreases in mobility and many suffering from dementia to the point that they don’t even recognize their own family or daily healthcare workers.

I suppose it will ultimately depend on the generally agreed upon definition of “life” and whether it’s worth preserving…does a human vegetable deserve more rights than the tiny, moist mouse fur jacket mentioned several weeks ago? I thougth that the living garment was creepy enough, but the idea of a nation of vegetables (or more likely their associated legal proponents) demanding prolonged care chills me through to my very bones.

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