A war that's worth fighting

We spend billions of dollars a year of taxpayer money on killing people, ie going to war, and on locking up people for victimless crimes, ie the war on drugs.

How about a meaningful war? How about a war on death?

Every day, 150,000 people die. That's the equivalent of 50 World Trade Centers a day.

And you know what? It's not necessary.

Aubrey De Grey believes that there is a 50/50 chance we will cure aging within the next 25-30 years. Basically he says that fundamentally the human body is a machine and that there's no reason we can't repair it indefinitely like a century old car or 500 year old house.

The main opposition to anti aging would be the neo-Malthusians/nature worshippers and also religious people opposed to it. Not only that but a lot of people believe the problem is futile or too big, much like global warming or have become content with a short life.

Certainly if we lived that long, the economy would have to be structured differently. Nobody is going to want to have to work 800 years in a row!

I think we should take all the money out of all these wars and start funding the war against the Grim Reaper itself. I'm 23 years old and personally I plan on living more than 57 more years....

Well, we should most certainly stop funding war and genocide (actively happening!)

Although that's easier said than done (the tipping point is revolt or global slavery)

On a side note, the Grim Reaper can NEVER be cheated....Unless organic robotoids are involved

As far as I know aging is basically a copy-error that comes from cell division . Try looking up the word telomere , that's a little cap on the end of the DNA stands . Figuring out how to keep those glued on would go a long way toward eliminating old age .

I don't want to live that long. I thrive in the natural world and love flying, scuba diving, whitewater kayaking and a myriad of other outdoor pursuits. Given the current state of Humanity (or lack of) I can only imagine lifespans that long leading to a bored, dystopian society. Our differences among races and nations are simply to great to overcome. Can you imagine the wealth disparity if people like the Koch Brother lived 800 years?

Too horrific for me. I fear death not a bit. It is the answer to all we don't know.

Originally posted by Mamatus
I don't want to live that long. I thrive in the natural world and love flying, scuba diving, whitewater kayaking and a myriad of other outdoor pursuits. Given the current state of Humanity (or lack of) I can only imagine lifespans that long leading to a bored, dystopian society. Our differences among races and nations are simply to great to overcome. Can you imagine the wealth disparity if people like the Koch Brother lived 800 years?

Too horrific for me. I fear death not a bit. It is the answer to all we don't know.

If you want to die painfully of old age, that's a bummer but be my guest.

I see the issues of injustice as being totally separate from life extension. Whether we live 80 or 80,000 years, such issues still need to be addressed.

although it would interest me to extend my life a hundred or 2 years, ultimately it would be boring and mere ego extension. the only valid reason to extend it would be to be on a spiritual path, actively pursuing cosmic consciousness and to interrupt that with death would be to take a gamble on a fortuitous re- birth where one could resume ones focus on cos.con. it is not otherwise necessary to live long and constantly dream up new distractions to give meaning to an illusory ego, where whatever attracts you will hold you back from your real self and supreme reality.

Originally posted by lampsalot

Originally posted by Mamatus
I don't want to live that long. I thrive in the natural world and love flying, scuba diving, whitewater kayaking and a myriad of other outdoor pursuits. Given the current state of Humanity (or lack of) I can only imagine lifespans that long leading to a bored, dystopian society. Our differences among races and nations are simply to great to overcome. Can you imagine the wealth disparity if people like the Koch Brother lived 800 years?

Too horrific for me. I fear death not a bit. It is the answer to all we don't know.

If you want to die painfully of old age, that's a bummer but be my guest.

I see the issues of injustice as being totally separate from life extension. Whether we live 80 or 80,000 years, such issues still need to be addressed.

it may not be the answer but merely the other side of the coin. better to throw the coin away and simply be at one with all.

if life is lived carefully, eating intelligently, doing yoga or tai chi, thinking purely, one can live a longish life and die without pain.

If I were young, I would be far more more enthusiastic about living 800 years old. Now, things just seem same old, same old.

The same food, the same family and friends, the same activities. Who wants to go to gym for that long. LOL

The power that created us got it right in my little opinion and I have certain convictions that our consciousness does evolve somehow. So in a sense, we already have immortality. We just don't understand the process.

Living is for the strong, the rich and takes an incredible amount of courage. No matter what, people will still die of accidents. Imagine how many dead people you would have known after that time period. I would feel an emptiness and loneliness at some point.

Originally posted by orangutang

if life is lived carefully, eating intelligently, doing yoga or tai chi, thinking purely, one can live a longish life and die without pain.

Yeah but 95 years is still really damn short.

Originally posted by SinMaker
If I were young, I would be far more more enthusiastic about living 800 years old. Now, things just seem same old, same old.

The same food, the same family and friends, the same activities. Who wants to go to gym for that long. LOL

The power that created us got it right in my little opinion and I have certain convictions that our consciousness does evolve somehow. So in a sense, we already have immortality. We just don't understand the process.

Living is for the strong, the rich and takes an incredible amount of courage. No matter what, people will still die of accidents. Imagine how many dead people you would have known after that time period. I would feel an emptiness and loneliness at some point.

Maybe you need to get out there more, I don't know. I think life is full of infinite possibilities, maybe it's our work-obsessed culture that makes people less enthusiastic about life.

Are you kidding me? War on Death?

Death is big business buddy! There are 10's of thousands of morticians, pastors, cemetery owners and backhoe operators that gotta feed their kids! Not to mention all the shareholders of Military Industrial Complex portfolios...

Think of the children, damn you!

But seriously. Death is as significant a part of life as birth. Life cured of death would devolve into an orgy of wasted time, people flitting from one vice to another, sampling every destructive apple on the tree. Some would achieve amazing unimaginable heights in science, art and humanity, but I fear human nature would rule the rest.

Right now today we have records that so many of the richest, most powerful people want us dead. Population control is HUGE to these men. Conversely, this longevity would be theirs far before us proles had the option. Would immortality embolden them to carry out a more direct approach?

Originally posted by blamethegreys
But seriously. Death is as significant a part of life as birth.
?

You're rationalizing something out of defeatism, who cares if death is significant? Why does it effect life?

reply to post by lampsalot


I try not to debate philosophy and religious things on ATS, it's a circular and pointless tail-chase. But I'll give you a quick response, as unphilosophical as possible:

Because having an expiration tag on life motivates us to accomplish more in life, for more noble reasons.

As we age, death becomes a more pressing inevitability. I think the face of death looming in the rearview makes us work smarter and for a better cause: Our own children and the future generations. Without death it would be easy (and human nature) to think "The kids have all the time in the world to figure it out for themselves. I'm gonna go do [insert selfish personal desire]!!!"

Finally, the fact that death is closing ground later in life helps many to examine and develop a mature sense of spirituality (or community, humanism, whatever). This sense motivates these old dustbags to volunteer in all walks of life, serving all over town. Where would your town be if all the silver foxes just up and quit helping?
Point is, the giving back to community completes this cycle of humanity, tying the elders to the youth. In a more perfect place, this service would be the times where the young listen and learn many important hard-earned lessons.

IDK, I keep wanting to ramble but I think I made my point. I need some more coffee.

Originally posted by blamethegreys
reply to post by lampsalot

 

I try not to debate philosophy and religious things on ATS, it's a circular and pointless tail-chase. But I'll give you a quick response, as unphilosophical as possible:

Because having an expiration tag on life motivates us to accomplish more in life, for more noble reasons.

As we age, death becomes a more pressing inevitability. I think the face of death looming in the rearview makes us work smarter and for a better cause: Our own children and the future generations. Without death it would be easy (and human nature) to think "The kids have all the time in the world to figure it out for themselves. I'm gonna go do [insert selfish personal desire]!!!"

Finally, the fact that death is closing ground later in life helps many to examine and develop a mature sense of spirituality (or community, humanism, whatever). This sense motivates these old dustbags to volunteer in all walks of life, serving all over town. Where would your town be if all the silver foxes just up and quit helping?
Point is, the giving back to community completes this cycle of humanity, tying the elders to the youth. In a more perfect place, this service would be the times where the young listen and learn many important hard-earned lessons.

IDK, I keep wanting to ramble but I think I made my point. I need some more coffee.

Still I don't even see the point in all that if all we accomplish is only to die at age 80.

reply to post by lampsalot


Maybe there isn't a point. Maybe 80 years is just what all this organized stardust can brew up, the limits of primate man.

or

Biblical teachings say that pre-flood mankind lived much longer lives. And they got so corrupt that God was like, "Oh crap, it locked up...RESET!" After the flood, mankind only got 80-100 years.

Less time for us to really break anything