Live forever without children or live a normal life with children?

With the huge strides lately in gene therapy and reverse aging techniques we may be faced with a dilemma.

Population.

Of course even now we are over populated.

But if the methods become available to extent the human life span a hundred or even thousand years? Then what?

Until we find a method to spread into the solar system how can he keep up the current birth rates AND increase life expectancy.

So we may have to face a choice. Forced sterilization in exchange for living many times past the 70 or 80 years we normally would or scrapping the current research and banning further developments in life extension.

We cant have both as it just unsustainable pure and simple.

So what would you all prefer?

Underground cities?

inb4: "The Illuminati already does that."

Self-edited into oblivion before I get Godsmacked by a moderator on the prowl.

reply to post by crazyewok


Have children, live a normal life.

(Then secretly download my brain into a computer and take over the world having my children lead the assault against humanity.)

reply to post by crazyewok


I have one child already and dont want more so I would be up to being able to live an extended period of time like a 1000 years. To be able to live to see what the future holds would be amazing! The only thing that would suck about it is I would out live my daughter if she chooses not to go the same route as daddy.

I vote to live a thousand years!

reply to post by crazyewok


I already have two kids and given the trouble they get into quite often, several times a day, I would opt for sterilization now.

But this is an issue that must be addressed soon within the next 100 years. The technology is almost there, I believe it has been already proven in rats. Faced with a planet full of immortals we would still have problems of sheer space, even if every resource problem was addressed and solved. The only option left would be to spread out.

I wouldn't worry about it.

If the technology is ever in place, only the richest billionaires will be able to afford it.

The common people would carry on regardless like they always have, recreating and dying.

Given the current state of our world, living past 80 doesn't really seem to have an appeal to me. Forced sterilization doesn't appeal to me either. Perhaps a tax or fee could be imposed on people that over produce. OR, if people could learn to be more self sustainable by growing gardens, hunting, living simply and such, perhaps having two or three rugrats around wouldn't be the worst. We need people around in order to perpetuate our human race. If we let the government decide who is going to get to do that, then we should make Ayn Rand a Goddess.

beezzer
reply to post by crazyewok

 

Have children, live a normal life.

(Then secretly download my brain into a computer and take over the world having my children lead the assault against humanity.)

But... but... I thought that this had already happened?



On a more serious note though... Nohing compares to the smile on the face of a happy child and to watching your children grow up... I will stick to the good old fashioned way of living thank you very much...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by crazyewok

Until we find a method to spread into the solar system how can he keep up the current birth rates AND increase life expectancy. - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

We already have known viable methods such as project orion (nuclear detonation propulsion) spaceship designs that could have modern equipment added to them to make them even better.

However if the choice is purely between having immortality and having kids, I personally would opt for immortality!

reply to post by crazyewok


I prefer people who shout: "overpopulation" learn how many percent of our Earth is actually inhabited...

we can start from there.

Immortality could possibly still lead to dementia or Alzheimer disease. Just think of the cost of having to stay in a nursing home for seven hundred years. It would be a good way to get the money from the rich though, the jobs created at the nursing home would span twenty generations.

Immortality would seem awesome....

Honestly it would seem to the the only way to get you to shoulder your weapon and fight on the front lines with me, bush and blair, your fear of dying would be non existent as your are now an indestructible immortal god.
But then that means everybody is immortal or only the super rich, but even so, it'll become BORING REAL QUICK.

I opt for a normal life of hardships and rewards, seeing my 1 year old daughters face and her smile makes my life that much more special, definitely a NORMAL life, its cool, I can do without you on the front lines, you'll probably hold me back anyways

Btw, interesting post me likes, S&F

AnteBellum

But this is an issue that must be addressed soon within the next 100 years.

Exactly.

It going to me a very big problem.

We will likely have to have one or the other.

demus
reply to post by crazyewok

 

I prefer people who shout: "overpopulation" learn how many percent of our Earth is actually inhabited...

we can start from there.

Yeah there is a lot of empty space.

But with life expectancy's of hundreds or thousands of years and breeding that will fill up faster than you think.

reply to post by crazyewok


Immortality from gene therapy won't protect us from accidents and my dad, who was a statistician, did some computer simulations for his place of work and they found out that a majority of people still die from accidents and murder etc and that the average lifespan is about 400yrs, although the odd 0.1% of people lived into the millions of years.

Please, do tell me exactly what a normal life is first. Is it only a normal life if you are married have kids, nice house, a car or two ,and a dog?

crazyewok

So we may have to face a choice. Forced sterilization in exchange for living many times past the 70 or 80 years we normally would or scrapping the current research and banning further developments in life extension.

We cant have both as it just unsustainable pure and simple.

Ahh , so that is why the Aliens are trying to breed with us. They obviously chose Forced sterilization .



But why the probing?

Lichter daraus
Please, do tell me exactly what a normal life is first. Is it only a normal life if you are married have kids, nice house, a car or two ,and a dog?

Its pretty simple.

Normal = what we have now. 70-80 odd years and being fertile.

Your just trying to be difficult

I would gladly trade the extra years to be able to have a child right now.
Immortality has never interested me. I would rather have a short full life with a large family, including siblings and cousins (something I will never have) than a long empty life.

By the age of 22 I was the oldest living blood relative. Something I wouldn't wish on anyone. No one to turn to for guidance, support or advice. If we severely limit the birth rate to increase longevity, but a young persons few relatives die due to accident, we would have a lot of people floundering in life with no one to turn to for guidance. I have a feeling this happens a lot in China.