If you could live forever...

[PointOfOrigin]

I'd probably choose immortality. Most of my family is older then me (a lot) so if everything takes place as nature intended it too, I'd outlive them either way. As far as mate goes... Never had any wish for a one *shrugs*

 

I just want to know and see what will happen.

[Dracowyn]

I'd hate it. To see all the people you care about die is terrible. And I'd get afraid to get to know new ones since I'd outlive them too. Also, after hundreds of years, I think you'd get tired of everything. There wouldn't be anything to do that you haven't done yet. It'd be depressing and lonely.

[Dauntingale]

Well... no. I mean an average length, but fulfilling life seems better than an endless lifetime watching others die.

What would I even do with all that time?

[klinneah]

That depends; are we talking about "won't die unless killed" type immortality or "Tuck Everlasting" type immortality? I'd rather have the former than the latter.

[Kyrieath]

I would not want to live forever. Maybe a little longer but not by a great deal..but never forever. My reasons are as follows:

 

1) the human brain can only keep so many things in storage. Eventually, all of the memories now current to who you are would wind up much like your memories of early childhood-incredibly vague or gone completely. After enough time, you wouldn't really even be the same person you are now, and in a very different way than growing up.

 

2) I'd not care to know I was likely to outlive those dear to me. I'm asocial enough as it is- I wouldn't need that encouraging me to distance myself from people even more.

[FallenAngel3]

I'd want to live longer but not forever.

I don't see the point if I'd just forget whatever precious memories I have now later. And, I'm a bit of a loner so I don't know many people and that most likely won't change. I prefer to be alone and I'd rather live a longer life peacefully, like a human being, than live forever being the same age like a vampire.

[Question]

Oh yes. It would be hard watching everyone die but I'd have to do that anyway as I get older. I'd be less afraid of doing things with an immortal body so I think I'd have more fun in life if I didn't have to fear death all the time.

[Wind-Swept-Canid]

Certainly not. If I had to watch my friends grow old and die while I stayed the same young age, I couldn't take it. I suppose it would be interesting to see how technology moves forward (or backward, depending on how it's used), but if I lived forever I think I would be even more cynical than I already am and probably lose faith in humanity when I saw all of the horror it's capable of. Not to say that human beings don't do wonderful things, because they do, it's just...the bad might outweigh the good, especially if I'm immortal.

[sheppardkid]

The only way I'd want to live forever is if I could choose a companion to share it with me. Being immortal can be a lonely business. I'd also only do it if my body were completely devoid of ailments and were in top-notch condition. Being like Jack Frost would a plus too. lol

[Xylene]

I'd be fine with living for the possibility of forever - with, of course, three 'conditions'.

1) For the 'biological age' thing, I really don't mind - 20 would be nice, but I wouldn't mind 40, or 50.

2) I don't want to be 'invulnerable'. I was immune to time as well as anything in the world, I'd go nuts. This also opens up the possibility of not actually living forever, if I get tired of it.

3) Having a decent memory - not a fantastic one, but I don't want to end up with Alzheimer's. Otherwise, I think I'd be okay with gradually forgetting some things. Motivation to write it down, take pictures.

 

I want to see how the world turns out. Right now I have nearly no faith in it as a whole - there are some people that are amazing, but then the most outspoken people can be complete butts. :| In 200 years, would the world be better? Worse? I'd want to be around to see for myself, rather than living another 70 years and hoping the future will be better.

 

I'd also want to meet people. Lots of people. Yes, it would hurt when they go - grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, friends - but right now, I feel that having met them outweighs having 'lost' them. People die, and it tears you up, but I don't see the point of saying "I don't want to outlive my family" - they could die in an accident tomorrow. I've outlived my cousin. I'm going to be about a decade older than him, and we were born the same year. It doesn't mean I'd rather have died before him, or that I'd rather have never known him. Same goes for the rest of my relatives.

 

It would be nice to have a friend or two along for the ride, but if that's not a possibility, I'd be fine with it. I'm a bit of a loner anyway. Personally, if it was 'live forever unless you get shot' and I had a companion who was killed in that way, it would sting more than outliving family. :/ Because I'd expect them to stick with me, and... they couldn't. There's a difference.

[Switch]

Ehhh... I don't really know? Maybe if I could choose when to stop... but at the same time... x___x I can't decide.

 

Tough question. Never really thought that hard about it...

[Moeru]

Just watching the news for the last 10-15 years and knowing anything about human history, I absolutely do NOT want to be immortal. The earth is slowly being choked to death and humans get up to all sorts of evil and disgusting shenanigans (fracking.... rape... etc) ...I'm about done with it already.

[DarkWaters]

I only want to live forever so I can help people and the world.

[cfmtfm]

Yes, as long as I am able to choose to end my life later on (which is unlikely to happen). I want to see what happens in the future. And, of course, I'd love to be stuck in the body of my age! o3o

 

But I'd want my partner/soulmate to live forever with me as well. <'3

[Nine]

Watching the earth succumb as humanity continues to make the same mistakes, willfully ignorant of reality, with an unbelievably slow response to crisis is not worth any brief curiosity I may have about the future. Seeing full limb and organ replacement using stem-cell/cloning technology and computers that are controlled by thoughts would be neat, but then I'd also have to bear witness to the massive super-bug disease pandemic, created by generations of antibiotic abuse and medical intervention, hypothesized by some to reach a mortality rate of at least 50% of the global population. Assuming I can put that out of mind, watching entire ecosystem collapse from increasing rates of extinction and dramatic climate change would drive me insane.

 

Immortality would be the ultimate psychological torment; forced to live through the slow and agonizing destruction of everyone and everything around you all while retaining centuries' worth of memories in a brain not designed for it.

 

/seriousface

 

=D

[karofsky]

No. In all honesty, even the idea that I could live into my 80's is daunting enough. It's not about the age, even if I were to freeze at a young age the answer would be the same. I've barely reached my 20's and already this world is too complicated and screw up for my liking.

I like simplicity. I find the idea of strolling through life enjoying the time you have to be ideal. I wouldn't like a life of constant bills, death, heartache, sickness, anything really. I'm not suicidal, but I'm not scared of death either. I find it comforting, actually, that one day none of this is going to matter. A sort of 'yeah, it sucks now, but you're going to die and what's troubling you now isn't going to be all that important.' I'm a Christian, and believe in an afterlife, so I guess that adds to the comfort. Even if I'm wrong and there's nothing after death, there would be no worry or mortality.

 

The world will end eventually. Whether it's because of a religious reason or the sun burning out, it's going to happen. Personally, I don't want to be hanging around when the sun dies. Especially if you live through it.

 

Whether you're immortal or not, people close to you are going to die before you. I don't really factor that in my decision. I'd just hate to hang around more than necessary. I'd like to live long enough to see my younger family members grow up and start their lives, then leave peacefully. The idea of outliving everything and watching life repeat itself is... horrible to me. Especially with how violent humans are. You watch the news and there's stories of old men being beaten for $10, children being shot, mass murders for seemingly no reason, and it only seems to be getting worse. Sure, I'd love to see how technology grows over the years into something I could barely imagine, but I'll probably live long enough to sate that curiosity. I honestly believe you'd end up getting bored of life after so long.

 

So, no. I wouldn't stick around longer than necessary.

Edited March 30, 2013 by karofsky

[goldL]

I would have to say no.

 

I must say that there is a certain age where you are carefree and nothing really matters except for the imaginary. If I could stay that age for a while, then that would be nice.

 

But, I wouldn't want to live forever. I feel like there is a certain time in life when you are ready to leave the Earth. You are ready to leave your friends and family and you feel as if you have fulfilled your life dreams. If I lived forever, I would not need any life goals because I would always be here. I would always have the opportunity to achieve my dreams. By not having immortal life, we are keeping passion, determination, and desire alive in our hearts.

[Blear]

I would take the chance to live forever without a moments thought, the idea of suddenly losing everything I have scares me, even if I lost all my senses and only had a slight consciousness I need to keep my memories, because if I don't then they will be lost completely and absolutely, like they never existed.

 

I am not religious though I wish I could believe in some irrational hope of something other than oblivion.

 

Yes it would be horrible to watch those around me die, but at least I would definitely be still alive and with them to experience their final moments and provide comfort as they lose everything.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Blear

[sarahfish89]

I would take the ability to live forever, only if I could end you life when I wanted to. I find time goes to quickly already, and I'm only 14 (15 this year). I would love to see what the future holds and gain more knowledge (I love to learn). I wouldn't mind aging more slowly either. Sure people do horrible and terrible things, but they do them all the time now. Maybe if you live forever then would have enough money to solve some problems (especially if you kept working) by donating to charity. It would be very sad to see people die, but most of us will see die anyway due to the human lifetime (younger people outliving older people).

[kiffren]

Yes, as long as I am not immortal. I still would want to be able to die.

 

The only major downside is the people you care about dying. Think about how short the lifespan of a fly seems to us, after a few thousand years that's how short human lives would seem. I think you'd lose what it means to be human unless there were other forever-living people there with you.

[FaustEvolved]

I'd say yeah.

 

It'd be difficult at first watching all of your loved ones die off, but eventually it'll become a normal occurrence since you'll have been used to it all of those years.

 

What I'd do: Since I could live forever, I'd try to spend time making life a little easier on those around me. After all, their time is limited while mine isn't. Plus, a little positive karma would never hurt...

 

In my free time I'd explore the limits of the human mind. Think about it, thousands of years of continuous research. So many things are there to be discovered but sadly cannot because our lifespans prevent said discovery.

 

To sum it up: Help people, make amazing discoveries.

[glass_kisses]

No, I would absolutely hate to be immortal. The idea of watching people you love grow old and die or even strangers in the world ageing and being exempt from it is horrible. If living forever meant being incapable of dying, what would happen once humanity is wiped out? Because I doubt being alive and alone in a desolate, barren wasteland is anyone's idea of a good thing. A normal human lifespan where you see age with everyone else is so much more ideal.

 

Even if everyone in the world were immortal, it'd still be somewhat uncomfortable. As someone who likes to plan ahead, that means I'd have to plan thousands and thousands of years in advance. Although I'm at an age where I feel uncomfortable with the prospect of death and ageing.

 

 

[Mupen64 Man]

I would take the chance to live forever without a moments thought, the idea of suddenly losing everything I have scares me, even if I lost all my senses and only had a slight consciousness I need to keep my memories, because if I don't then they will be lost completely and absolutely, like they never existed.

 

I am not religious though I wish I could believe in some irrational hope of something other than oblivion.

 

Yes it would be horrible to watch those around me die, but at least I would definitely be still alive and with them to experience their final moments and provide comfort as they lose everything.

Your response is how I feel about the matter.

[wonton55912]

I'd like to live forever, I'd just... observe humanity until it's end...

[Ioanna]

Probably not.

 

It'd depend on several things though.

 

But of course, I want to live as long as possible, healthily.

Edited April 1, 2013 by Slytherin7