Would we want to live forever?

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Reply Thu 25 Jun, 2009 01:42 pm
Would we as humans want to live forever? Even if we made the world perfect? Even if we got to the state of life being one giant orgasm of joy and love.

Personally I dont think so.

This would get boreing. And we would create games like this. Like life. With not quite perfectness. But a playing feild for beauty. And we would need death to kill our ego and start again. This way we will never get bored. This way there would be a reason for something to exist rather than nothing existing atall.

Are there any philosophers that have a similar view to this? basicly Buddhism but the goal not being to transition the ego but it having a purpose. Limiting us so we don't get bored. And always see beauty.
 
Lily
 
Reply Thu 25 Jun, 2009 02:09 pm
@glasstrees,
I don't think most people would want to live forever, what's the pint of living if you will always live. And I think that would be especially if the world was perfect. Drinking champange isn't half as intresting as running around in your house looking for, and evntually find, your left shoe. But I think most people would want to live longer.
 
glasstrees
 
Reply Thu 25 Jun, 2009 03:03 pm
@Lily,
Yeah. I agree. Things only really exist because of there contrast.

I found this that helps sum it up well too!

http://i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu109/dwixi/upload.jpg
 
William
 
Reply Thu 25 Jun, 2009 05:25 pm
@glasstrees,
You do live forever. Whether you want to or not. It's built into the program. There is no escape. It's like school. We will graduate throughout eternity, death is just a growth process. Just keep in mind the world you return to will be the world we are creating today. Hmmm?
William
 
glasstrees
 
Reply Thu 25 Jun, 2009 05:29 pm
@William,
William;72204 wrote:
You do live forever. Whether you want to or not. It's built into the program. There is no escape. It's like school. We will graduate throughout eternity, death is just a growth process. Just keep in mind the world you return to will be the world we are creating today. Hmmm?
William


hmm. I woudnt say the one we retern to is the one we create today. Theres no reason to think that we appear in the future. you could say odds our we will have conciousness recreated again in every single potability. and experience all of them. But anything to do with a structure for this happening is just silly isnt it?
 
Alan McDougall
 
Reply Mon 29 Jun, 2009 01:53 am
@glasstrees,
dwixi;72159 wrote:
Would we as humans want to live forever? Even if we made the world perfect? Even if we got to the state of life being one giant orgasm of joy and love.

Personally I dont think so.

This would get boreing. And we would create games like this. Like life. With not quite perfectness. But a playing feild for beauty. And we would need death to kill our ego and start again. This way we will never get bored. This way there would be a reason for something to exist rather than nothing existing atall.

Are there any philosophers that have a similar view to this? basicly Buddhism but the goal not being to transition the ego but it having a purpose. Limiting us so we don't get bored. And always see beauty.


Living for ever is a very scary idea, but I am sure the afterlife is full of challenges and learning. After all beyond this mortal life there is an eternity of meaning

I once read the immortal angels are envious of we mortal who die and never wake

If I could choose give me life not death!!
 
richrf
 
Reply Mon 29 Jun, 2009 03:27 pm
@Alan McDougall,
Hi,

I think of Life as a game of Monopoly. If the game goes on forever, then it really does get boring. At some point, if you have to stop -- and start over again!

After each game we learn something new. And we get better and better at the game. And then we start again, with a clear slate, the board is empty, and we play the game again. More skills. New skills. But a clear slate. And for some reason, each time the game is played it is still lots of fun! :bigsmile:

My girlfriend likes Scrabble. I like Risk and Chess. It is all the same. Each game is different but each is basically the same. You have some rules, though people do cheat. You try to win. Or you might not mind losing (I don't mind losing table tennis). But you are learning something. Experiencing something. Amusing oneself with other selves. :a-ok:



Rich
 
Imnotrussian
 
Reply Sat 4 Jul, 2009 05:46 pm
@glasstrees,
I personally would love to live forever, to experience life on earth as mankind evolves, learns and grows. I do fear death but out of a fear for the unknown, not out of fear for loss of life. I would miss my loved ones so i wouldnt live forever alone if given the choice, but i really want to witness the end of days. just to see who was right
 
Joe
 
Reply Sat 4 Jul, 2009 07:26 pm
@Imnotrussian,
Living forever would be interesting. I wonder how the human mind would deal with infinite information? Would we evolve and so forth? Emotions come and go, but how would consciousness be affected being inside the human mind, or vice versa?
 
Imnotrussian
 
Reply Sat 4 Jul, 2009 07:33 pm
@glasstrees,
I think after the first century you'd simply go mad, imagine 100 or so years of memories, wars, historical moments, with the gift of living forever wouldnt that give you more license to interviene in global events?
 
Theaetetus
 
Reply Sat 4 Jul, 2009 07:38 pm
@glasstrees,
At times I am getting sick of living at 30. I cannot imagine living for ever...It seems like that would be a total hell on earth.
 
parker pyne
 
Reply Sat 4 Jul, 2009 08:12 pm
@Theaetetus,
Theaetetus;74876 wrote:
At times I am getting sick of living at 30. I cannot imagine living for ever...It seems like that would be a total hell on earth.

Yeah, I just gave you a mental high five. I imagine living forever would be equivalent to a bad case of insomnia. Death is the sleep to end all sleep, and I could not imagine anything more peaceful.
 
Joe
 
Reply Sat 4 Jul, 2009 08:25 pm
@parker pyne,
Those nights laying with your soul mate and telling each other you want things to be like this forever, thats the only reason I would want to live forever. Maybe over a million years it would be easier to feel like those particular moments all the time. Maybe not.:arguing:
 
ElAleph
 
Reply Tue 7 Jul, 2009 03:20 pm
@glasstrees,
I intend to live forever, or die trying.
 
Alan McDougall
 
Reply Tue 7 Jul, 2009 09:58 pm
@Theaetetus,
Theaetetus;74876 wrote:
At times I am getting sick of living at 30. I cannot imagine living for ever...It seems like that would be a total hell on earth.


Who says you have to live forever on this planet? Even out earth will not lasr forever. There is the entire universe in which to live in physically and I am sure our consciousness will exist forever, out there in the great somewhen and somewhere after physical life on earth
 
manored
 
Reply Thu 9 Jul, 2009 05:41 pm
@glasstrees,
Personally I also believe in the idea of that there is no death, only change. What also means there is not the eternal rest some lust for, sorry Smile

I believe that, if we die, eventually something else will rise to support your consciousness. It might be in a totally different universe and time, but that will happen. It will also happen immediatly after death, since we dont notice time passing then we are dead Smile

Imnotrussian;74873 wrote:
I think after the first century you'd simply go mad, imagine 100 or so years of memories, wars, historical moments, with the gift of living forever wouldnt that give you more license to interviene in global events?
Im not sure about it, living forever would involve super-human, possibily god-like powers. After all being the supreme ruler of a world is the only way to assure eternal life on it. Assuming it was just the enough to allow eternal life on earth, I think it would involve the intelect necessary to handle so much information... off course, we could as well end up having just human minds that burn out whats older Smile
 
salima
 
Reply Thu 9 Jul, 2009 06:14 pm
@glasstrees,
i wouldnt like to live forever without having an alternative. i want a choice rather than finding myself condemned to eternal existence. i want to be able to get my hat and check out.
 
Alan McDougall
 
Reply Thu 9 Jul, 2009 07:52 pm
@salima,
salima;76186 wrote:
i wouldnt like to live forever without having an alternative. i want a choice rather than finding myself condemned to eternal existence. i want to be able to get my hat and check out.


Remember dear Salima in the afterlife you can sleep for as long or short as you want to, so it is not a state of endless meaningless consciousness
 
salima
 
Reply Thu 9 Jul, 2009 11:37 pm
@Alan McDougall,
Alan McDougall;76196 wrote:
Remember dear Salima in the afterlife you can sleep for as long or short as you want to, so it is not a state of endless meaningless consciousness


i suppose i could ask for complete amnesia too. although i should be quiet asking for things because sometimes wishes we dont really want come true before we are ready....:eek:
 
Alan McDougall
 
Reply Fri 10 Jul, 2009 12:08 am
@salima,
salima;76236 wrote:
i suppose i could ask for complete amnesia too. although i should be quiet asking for things because sometimes wishes we dont really want come true before we are ready....:eek:


How much of our childhood do we really remember?, it is only a vague ghostly image is it not salima to most of us?

We are not really the same psychical being we were as a child, all the atoms that constitute of mortal bodies have been replaced many times over during our life time, it is only the awareness of self that has remained constant
 
 

 
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