If you suddenly discovered you were going to live forever, how would your attitude change?

I'd get really, really depressed...
but here's a horror for you...
what if they come up with technology that can keep you alive forever, and working...and well..
they just don't let you die till all your debt is paid off???

no thanks....
kind of looking foreward to death, it's the last great unknown.
or almost the last.

reply to post by dawnstar


lol, he did mention that living forever ...and ever. No doubt would be fascinating.

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Originally posted by dawnstar
I'd get really, really depressed...
but here's a horror for you...
what if they come up with technology that can keep you alive forever, and working...and well..
they just don't let you die till all your debt is paid off???

no thanks....
kind of looking foreward to death, it's the last great unknown.
or almost the last.

eeek... now that's a twist!!
would suck

Originally posted by resoe26
Impossible.

Doesn't matter and not really the point. The idea is that if you had a longer term perspective, would your attitude change?

I think you should have asked the question.....
"If you suddenly discovered you were going to die tomorrow, how would your attitude change....?"

I thought about that question, but it seemed too nonsensical to me. With only 24 hours or less of "attitude" left, what would be the point? Besides, I had all these links to present to you for you enjoyment plus an analysis of "Man from Earth" I thought you might like. And I'm genuinely interested in the answers people are providing which, as we see, are many and varied.

I'd probably start out ecstatic that I'd no longer age and try to experience all that I can that mortal humans cannot: Learning everything I can about all sorts of different things, try to pursue various academic degrees, become a master fighter and gunshooter, learn many languages, and learn to play instruments. Most likely, I'd become some sort of wander trying to limit my relations with people so I don't become too attached. I'd drop all affiliation to my country, after all I'd outlive even the US' lifespan.

Eventually as the years turn to decades, turn to centuries and onto millennium, I would probably become slowly more and more depressed as everyone I knew and will know will age and die in front of me. At some point I'd probably spiral into some sort of alcohol abuse or drug abuse to cope. I would bare witness to all the atrocities that humankind is capable of and what's worse will repeat over and over again. Eventually, I'd probably get tired of seeing this and try to become a recluse from all the mortals. Of course, how long until isolation drives me nuts? So in the end I'm sure a bullet to the head would be my answer. Immortality would be a sad lonely existence.

Of course this is all provided I can manage to stay off the radar of any government. With the growing centralization of identity databases, this would slowly become harder and harder. Right now its becoming harder to move from state to state without abandoning your identity. Soon it will transcend to countries and eventually the world. I'm sure that if my fingerprint shows up in some government check associated with actions or an identity that is over a 100 years old, the government would become suspicious and check on it. So lets throw growing paranoia into the whole mix.

If the government does catch me, then there would be nothing left for me. They'd lock me up so they can experiment on me and figure out why only I don't age and everyone else does. I'd probably never see the light of day again, because I'm sure that whatever government held me, their endgame would result in killing me and dissecting me.

I would be extremely depressed after realizing the diminishing return of having such a "gift".

-TheGhoster

I would plan out my remaining existence trying not to get stuck in a cave-in or free floating out in outer space. Even though getting to the point of having seen everything and experienced everything would turn life into monotony after a while, how bad would it be (at any point) but with literally nothing else to do, stuck forever encased in ice/lava or floating out in space with nothing around you to fiddle with.

MODERATOR NOTE:
Stop the bickering and stay on topic.

I would just like to add that nanotechnology allows for immortality. its in the blueprints. its a simple pill you take, with self replicating nanobots that repair failing DNA and prolong life in the event of extreme plasma loss, enabling at the same time super human strength and intelligence. Imagine taking a pill when you are 60 and looking 25 again in a few short weeks. I would go so far as to say this already exists you just haven't seen it.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


You've certainly addreessed some of the logistical issues you might face. You'd need to stay in touch with the underground to be able to forge new identities and such. It certainly would present a unique set of problems. And like you I think the joy of being able to "study forever" would be quite enthralling--at first.

From an attitudinal poiint of view I think I would be calmer about the issues. There's really not much new happening. "The good old days" were called "These trying times." I think it is inevitable that you would become more detached. You'd grow to mistrust anyone with a cause because you'd see more easily where such causes ended up. You'd absolutely have to become less nationalistic because nations, after all, are temporary constructs.

I'm assuming here that this state of affairs is not something you intentionally chose. It was bequeathed upon you without your knowledge or consent, but once you discovered it, you'd still have a survival instinct. Your attitude would probably become more self-serving because if it did not, you would be putting yourself at risk.

So you would also need not only to be less acquisitive, but also less desirous of recognition. You'd have to actively choose to not become famous because all these things attract attention. In other words, you'd have to keep your ego in check. You'd have to develop an appreciation for the laws of the land and not break any law of any significance that might get you incarcerated. In other words, you would become more conservative.

And if you could take a pill for it? That's an interesting deviation and something fraught with issues, isn't it? I was thinking more along the lines of a lone wolf scenario, but that one deserves its own thread to explore the population dynamics and ethics of what, as you say, may already have happened.

I'm not saying this is all good, btw. i just wanted to explore what attitudinal shifts might take place had people more time to work with.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Haha, this thread is hilarious.

Well I wouldn't bother eating anymore and would save all my $$$.

Oh and I'd be jumping out of airplanes with no parachute.
Wait....this living forever thing...does it include no more pain?

Because hitting the ground and hurting for 200years as a result would suck.

Let's clear up this pain issue first.

Thanks for pointing out the gaps. I wasn't thinking this immortality would grant any super powers. In "The Man from Earth" the closest thing we get to that is the claim that John Oldaman "does not scar." From that I think we can comnclude that he can get cut and can probably feel pain; it's just that it heals, but I'm not sure you could take that to extremes, such as jumping out of airplanes or not eating. The meteor can still hit you and if you're at the apex of an atomic blast, you do go away.

I've had arguments with people over the issue that eventually you would die an accidental death, so this "could not happen." But that begs the question: What are the chances of dying an accidental death? I don't know the answer, but I would suggest it's pretty small. Besides, that's nit picking imaginary details. I never said this could happen, really (though maybe it can and has. I have no evidence.)

everything is down played. other peoples problems seem petty. you arnt worried about finances as much since you have time to pay back any debt. family members who used to be younger than you start to look older. when you go to clubs no matter if you by a drink or have id older women think your a kid. if you go to a mall young teens think your one of them. there is a sense of wisdom you have knowing that you will see things most won't. you dont have to worry about living a shallow life. you will worry about what your family thinks about you especially in these times. eventually you will find others like yourself. would it be worth it to find love if your partner was going to die. or should you search for others. too many questions. and anticipation of the future only brings anxiety. if i was a immortal i would just chill and smoke weed all day in pad with a bunch of models. eventually depending on who found you out. you will ether be experimented on or people will want to protect you. its all about being proactive if you have opposition. instead of being found out you should expose yourself to the right people. a grassroots following would be best. so know who your dealing with from the beginning

or maybe i would buy alot of land. build a complex. have a lot of children. use contractors for security and start my own nation with me as the godking. once your a immortal you have way more options. i would change the world for the better. why not I've got the time. i would eventually have the resources. some of our rulers today may very well be immortals from The Silent Generation. if you think about they saw the most technological advance and made all the rules on what we use today. they saw the greatest expansion of america after the great depression. they basically started modern technology as we see it. every secret to technology they know even the things that are frowned upon like brain biopsies and stuff. it is said that the things that benefit humanity the most are often inhumane. well im willing to bet they went ahead and did that anyways in the name of science.

i know one thing for sure i wouldn't fall into a drunken depression. that would be a complete waste. i would enjoy life that much more.

this is a rant. i think we should start a H+ forum

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Haha, this thread is hilarious.

Well I wouldn't bother eating anymore and would save all my $$$.

Oh and I'd be jumping out of airplanes with no parachute.
Wait....this living forever thing...does it include no more pain?

Because hitting the ground and hurting for 200years as a result would suck.

Let's clear up this pain issue first.

Thanks for pointing out the gaps. I wasn't thinking this immortality would grant any super powers. In "The Man from Earth" the closest thing we get to that is the claim that John Oldaman "does not scar." From that I think we can comnclude that he can get cut and can probably feel pain; it's just that it heals, but I'm not sure you could take that to extremes, such as jumping out of airplanes or not eating. The meteor can still hit you and if you're at the apex of an atomic blast, you do go away.

I've had arguments with people over the issue that eventually you would die an accidental death, so this "could not happen." But that begs the question: What are the chances of dying an accidental death? I don't know the answer, but I would suggest it's pretty small. Besides, that's nit picking imaginary details. I never said this could happen, really (though maybe it can and has. I have no evidence.)

Well statistically speaking no matter how small the odds of an accidental death, the longer you live the greater your chances become of having an accidental death. So while you living for a few centuries may be easy, as you start to approach millenniums and more, your chances of dying due to accidental deaths becomes greater and greater until just living one more day could be a statistical anomaly.

Originally posted by Krazysh0t
Well statistically speaking no matter how small the odds of an accidental death, the longer you live the greater your chances become of having an accidental death. So while you living for a few centuries may be easy, as you start to approach millenniums and more, your chances of dying due to accidental deaths becomes greater and greater until just living one more day could be a statistical anomaly.

Interesting idea, but i'm not sure statistics works that way. I don't think statistics keeps a cumulative score. For example, no matter how many times you flip a coin, the statistical probability of it turning up heads on any given throw is 50%. I'm not trying to argue with you. Just look at it as us both trying jointly to find an answer. I'm thinking we'll need a statistical expert for this one. I'll look around and see what I can turn up and report back.

reply to post by schuyler


I know a little about statistics in the example I choose, it would be like rolling a die over and over and over again trying to get a 6. Odds say that you should only have to roll the die 6 times and that if you keep rolling it over and over again it will become 1 out of 6 times. So lets say that the statistical probability of being hit by a falling meteor is 1 in 1 million every day you are alive (granted it is much lower than this, just making it up for arguments sake). After 1 million days you should have been hit by a meteor at least once. As you pile on more millions of days eventually that statistic would even out to the original 1 in million chance. Conversely your odds of NOT being hit by a meteor would eventually drop to close to zero (but never reach it) as according to the original statistic you should be hit by a meteor at least once within a million days.

Anyone who wants to live forever is nuts. Life isn't that great.

I want to die in my 60's before I get old and senile.

I don't believe my attitude would change, other than I wouldn't feel so rushed to accomplish experiencing life.
Forever, is a long time...but i suppose i would not be any more immune than anyone else to the decimation of this planet.
With that being said, I would wish to travel, to every continent. Study all there is to know about this world and every culture that resides on it.
I'd want to write it all down..book after book...and pass it from one generation to the next. I'd compile the thoughts of world leaders from each lifetime and compare them with the words of those whom they rule over...in essence...to help the future learn to live in peace.
Had enough of this capitalist crap, and if it takes my living forever to overturn it for the better of humanity, so be it.

As time went by and you started to see friends and family die away you would realise you are quite alone because no one you meet or know lasts. Eventually you would feel alone surrounded by something like characters on a movie screen, they are there for the duration of the movie until its over. The experiences you have with people would eventually become repetitive to the point of being bland. You will eventually try and find another immortal being so you have a companion that doesnt fade to dust.

I looked around for some statistics and this is the kind of thing I found: Lifetime odds of dying from an unspecified injury is 1 in 36, so statistically speaking this is saying you're not going to last much beyond 3,000 years. But this kind of begs the question of how statiticians ply their trade. Here are some more examples:

Motor Vehicle accident: 1 in 100
Falling down: 1 in 246
Natural Forces: 1 in 3,357

But it gets stranger:

Suicide: 1 in 121
Execution: 1 in 58,618
Asteroid Impact: 1 in 200,000
Tsunami: 1 in 500,000

So in the first group of three they are claiming that lifetime odds are 1 in 100 that you will die in an auto accident. So in 100 lifetimes it is fairly certain you will. Of course, that means no changes in how we drive cars and no improvements in safety because that figure was a lot higher in 1950 than it is today. Another example is the proverbial asteroid impact. In 1950 the chances were 1 in 20,000, but now that we have a much vaster knowledge of those asteroids, the chances have gone down exponentially.

And right next to it is the odds of dying of a tsunami being much less than by an asteroid impact. Yet people HAVE died in a tsunami. Thousands, in fact, and recently, yet no one has died of an asteroid impact. So how can these odds be correct? (BTW, just google "chances of dying in an accident" and you'll get hunreds of hits, many of which have tables like this, which, of course contradict each other.)

Now look at suicide. A 1 in 121 lifetime chance. So are they claiming that if you lived 121 lifetimes, then it is fairly certain you would commit suicide? Or are they claiming 1 in 121 people do commit suicide? And how does that apply here? Although that is not in the "accidental" category, it's suspicious the way they are cumulating these totals.

My conclusion is that the "chances of dying in an accident" question is nearly impossible to pin down. The only sure thing here is that the chances will change over time depending on who is doing the calculations in what manner. So we can revise the word "forever" to "possibly a very long time" and leave it at that. Spending too much time on the issue would be rather missing the point of this "gift."

To the issue that all your friends and loved ones would die off and you would be left alone and that would be a bummer. OK. Depending on how much of a misanthrope you are that would have to be an issue. Add that to the need to be wary and you might develop into a real loner. On the other hand, the gift of time would allow you to explore a great many topics. It reminds me of the adage:

"Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Study as if you were going to live forever."