Many have pondered over the millennium the concept of living forever here on Earth, in other words not dying. Some say that death is good because it is the only way that mankind could progress. However when people die with knowledge, observations, and experiences they take all of that with them when they die, and unless they wrote it down we don't have it.
Therefore, we are doomed to repeat and learn it all over again, and even if they did write it down, the language changes, it's interpreted incorrectly, and we make the same mistakes again. What if we didn't have too? Okay so, let's talk about this for a little bit; specifically let's talk about the psychological challenges of unlimited life on the human psyche.
In fact, there was a very interesting article in the September-November 2005 issue of "What Is Enlightenment?" The article was an interview with Ray Kurzweil titled; "Chasing Immortality" on page 58 where the interviewer seemed to ask the question that although humans want to live forever and that they have a fear of dying or death, they are not really psychologically able to deal with immortality. To this, I disagree. Let me explain.
Ray Kurzweil said; "psychologically, we are not equipped to live 500 years so if we're talking about conquering disease and aging, and then just living as human beings in our current form for hundreds or thousands of years, that would lead to serious problems. I think we would develop a deep ennui, a sort of profound despair. We would get bored with the level of intelligence we have in the level of experience we have available to us."
Whereas, that may be so, it also seems that humans are put under a tremendous amount of stress with the reality that their lives may end, they are also disheartened when loved ones around them die, often too early. I'd say that is psychologically challenging, even more so than extended time periods of life, at least people could have the choice to check out if they wished. To suggest that humans could not psychologically handle an unlimited life is mere speculation, and whereas, some folks may not be able to handle it, others would probably have no problem with it - either way humans would adapt.
And, I am with Ray Kurzweil on this; just because there might be psychological challenges ahead for life extension, doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We spend an awful lot of time trying to cure diseases, ailments, and even cancer. We devote vast amounts of resources to extending human life in the short-term. But in the end everyone who has ever lived, has died, or at the present period of human technology; will die. But why I ask, if we have the technology, understanding, and are able to hack the human bio-system creating something which can last for 1000 years, then we should do it.
Lastly, for those who are of a religious context and believe that mankind was not meant to live forever, as he was only meant to be on Earth as a testing period, until which time he would seek eternal salvation with the Savior, then, obviously mankind seems to be able to deal with the concept of heaven and living the remainder of their life experience in there. Thus, a good many folks are already pre-prepared for unlimited life, even if such a story is currently a myth. Indeed I hope you will please consider that point as well, think of all this.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Mind and Memory. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/
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