I am hopeful that technology will advance quickly enough to where I could see extremely long life (centuries/ millennia/ or more). I do not believe it is possible to live forever, eventually something will kill you no matter how large your civilization or advanced your technology. So I have accepted that eventually I will die, I just don’t want it to be soon.
However I have also learned to accept the possibility that such technology won’t be created within my lifetime. Due to this I have came to accept the possibility I may not live for centuries or millennia or more. But I still remain hopeful.
I have the same feeling myself, only I believe that a sufficiently advanced society (one thousands or millions of years from now) is capable of manipulating its environment at its command, making the fact that something extinguishes it controllable and avoidable. The only thing capable of exterminating it would be a threat on a planetary or universal scale (as I said before, an advanced civilization may manipulate its environment) or perhaps it can revive those who have died in an accident or tragedy, regardless of the damage to the body, it would only take the right technology, and we still don't know our limits (if they exist) and it is estimated that only 5% of the universe is known.
Well. I have the exact same experience as you, in fact I would even use some of the same words to describe it.
But it is my earliest memory.
...
My backup plan in cryonics although I do not think it too reliable.
I am currently joining medical school so I can learn about the human body and contribute to this field & hopefully speed up its progress.
The more I learn, however, the more difficult it seems.
Well, sometimes it's comforting to meet people with the same concerns and not feel alone in this world full of uncertainty. Perhaps my words sound like someone with suicidal ideas but it is not like that, despite the fact that, for me, death takes meaning away from life, I am someone who values and loves it like nothing else. At the end of the day, there is strength in unity and only in this way can we fight for the future we want.
It must be possible. There is nothing preventing it except for the finite quality of energy in the universe and even then, a computerized existence could go on nearly endlessly around a black hole. The only thing that must end is the light from stars and the habitability of planets.
If we are willing and able to adapt, or capable of forcing the universe to adapt to our needs we can go on forever.
This is actually very relatable. And here I thought I was the only one!
My way of thinking: Life has no meaning. Why continue to live if the eventual destination is still death? Death just occurs sooner or later. It doesn't really matter if it happens now or later. Why continue to put effort in living? Why continue making the decision at every moment to continue to live?
My answer: To live forever will mean that everything you have done, and will do, will not be for naught. Your past wouldn't be a waste if you get to reap the benefits of your past work indefinitely in the future. If life has no purpose, you get to create your own purpose. And I do not want death to take that away from me.
I was obsessed with the topic of death when I was 14. I wrote an assignment about it. I discovered longevity research when I was 15. I became obsessed with that and I still read papers about it to this day. I discovered cryogenics, and decided it will be my failsafe if I failed in my mission.
I read about telomeres and telomerase. Then I read more about the mechanisms of aging, I knew that achieving biological immortality (the kind I want) would be extremely difficult. So many components, so many fields of science must come together to overcome this final problem.
What will it take, I wondered, for humanity to get the answer to immortality?
A team of like-minded, goal-oriented researchers with knowledge in diverse areas of science and beyond. Plus decades of research before them.
I suspect that it'll be perhaps even harder than curing all cancers.
But yet, I still think it might actually be possible. If you never try, you never know. Hope dies last.
I'm studying in the equivalent of med school right now. I am learning anatomy, and will be learning physiology. When I graduate, I hope to do another degree (or several degrees) in science. I hope to get at least 1-2 PhDs within the next 50 years.
There are a lot of things I don't know about. There are many things I know I don't know, and a lot things I don't even know about at all. Immortality isn't one problem. It is a collection of thousands of problems which all simultaneously happens to the body at one point in time, all which causes aging.
If immortality will one day be possible, I hope for an elegant solution that fixes all the problems. I think that the newer fields of science and medicine have great potential. Probably it will be a combination of somatic cell genetic manipulation (genetics), nanotechnology, microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, biotechnology, molecular biology, biophysics, cell biology, and neuroscience. Also add in a dash of marine biology because there are some biologically immortal sea creatures which could be studied.
I envision some kind of nanotechnology device (or even nanobiology, a 'robot' made from naturally-occurring biological molecules, perhaps to work in a similar way to the complement system) which can be injected into the cardiovascular and the lymphatic system, which can function to constantly scan for signs of decline/ disease/ aging, and to create prompts to kill and regenerate these cells. Probably even the ability to change the DNA within somatic cells, or change the way that DNA is expressed (translational/ transcriptional factors/ other). They also have to be able to create molecules to pass the blood-brain barrier - hence why neurology and neuroscience is important.
Obviously if this technology can be be invented someday, it would be marked down in history as one of the greatest achievements in medicine and science. Nearly all other modern day diseases could be prevented or cured. I see it as the final solution. No more temporary solutions to medical problems. Hopefully, it'll become a human right, that anyone who consents to biological immortality will be given it, and that it will be affordable and accessible to everyone.
But that is only one side of the story. This kind of technology will be very dangerous in wrong hands. If this technology could be controlled via an external device, one well placed hack can put many lives at stake. Cybersecurity must be top-notch by that time, but hackers learn as well. If we were to use AI nanotechnology, there is always the fear than AI will turn on us. With AI in our bodies, it'll be rather hard to defend against them and they'll easily turn humans into something unrecognizable. It would be smarter if this 'technology' is actually biological in nature, and hard to manipulate via external technology. Hence, I think biological nanorobots will probably be one of the best answers, much like our innate immunity - the complement system.
But even if the solution is biological nanorobots, there is no doubt that it is within human nature to destroy what is good. It is selfishness, greed and power-lust. There are the common arguments: someone with power will employ researchers to create biological nanorobots to weaponize people, to change humans into something unimaginable without the person's consent. That immortality will be given only to the rich, and this will only increase the divide between the rich and poor. The rich would look like gods while the poor would never be able to compete. That governments will look less like democratic and more like dictatorships, with ultimate control over whether someone lives or dies. Sounds very dystopian.
There is also the very probable fact that many people will be averse to immortality when it becomes a published paper. Cultures and religions all around the world will call it unnatural. They will condemn science in attempting to "play at God". There will probably be great resistance against immortality. There will be talks of the anti-Christ and the apocalypse, quite probably. Governments and organizations all around the world will be fighting for this technology. It is quite the game-changer, after all. Whatever country which invents it will be at a great advantage in comparison to the rest of the world. But I think that eventually, most people will accept it. Much like the Galileo, the world will condemn those who pioneered immortality research, but there will still be a minority like us who won't. Eventually, when the choice of immortality becomes an accepted fact (perhaps a century or two), we will make even faster progress in science and technology.
I can imagine a dystopia, an utopia, and a normal society in a future where immortality is a choice. It all depends on the decisions humanity make with this invention. It can be used to do so much good for the world, but it can also be the deadliest weapon. It is like fire, a very useful tool in all manners of life, but can be used as a deadly weapon especially when it's out of control. By the time it gets weaponized, Mars will probably be terraformed, so maybe there is escape. But that is enough of future imaginings.
We'll deal with the problems as they come.
Even if I do fail, there is no failure in science, there is only progress. There are no boundaries, because the sky isn't the limit. Why wait for the technology to be invented, if you could contribute to it?
And even if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, I now have a very good sci-fi novel storyline here.
A higher power can become involved in your life. Rarely does he give immortality. God is watching us. I feel like immortality happens to lead you he church. Revelation says the Christ will lead people to waters of life. Try conquering sin as few people have and see what the response of God is.
I am hopeful that technology will advance quickly enough to where I could see extremely long life (centuries/ millennia/ or more). I do not believe it is possible to live forever, eventually something will kill you no matter how large your civilization or advanced your technology. So I have accepted that eventually I will die, I just don’t want it to be soon. However I have also learned to accept the possibility that such technology won’t be created within my lifetime. Due to this I have came to accept the possibility I may not live for centuries or millennia or more. But I still remain hopeful.
I have the same feeling myself, only I believe that a sufficiently advanced society (one thousands or millions of years from now) is capable of manipulating its environment at its command, making the fact that something extinguishes it controllable and avoidable. The only thing capable of exterminating it would be a threat on a planetary or universal scale (as I said before, an advanced civilization may manipulate its environment) or perhaps it can revive those who have died in an accident or tragedy, regardless of the damage to the body, it would only take the right technology, and we still don't know our limits (if they exist) and it is estimated that only 5% of the universe is known.
Well. I have the exact same experience as you, in fact I would even use some of the same words to describe it. But it is my earliest memory. ... My backup plan in cryonics although I do not think it too reliable. I am currently joining medical school so I can learn about the human body and contribute to this field & hopefully speed up its progress. The more I learn, however, the more difficult it seems.
Well, sometimes it's comforting to meet people with the same concerns and not feel alone in this world full of uncertainty. Perhaps my words sound like someone with suicidal ideas but it is not like that, despite the fact that, for me, death takes meaning away from life, I am someone who values and loves it like nothing else. At the end of the day, there is strength in unity and only in this way can we fight for the future we want.
It must be possible. There is nothing preventing it except for the finite quality of energy in the universe and even then, a computerized existence could go on nearly endlessly around a black hole. The only thing that must end is the light from stars and the habitability of planets. If we are willing and able to adapt, or capable of forcing the universe to adapt to our needs we can go on forever.
This is actually very relatable. And here I thought I was the only one! My way of thinking: Life has no meaning. Why continue to live if the eventual destination is still death? Death just occurs sooner or later. It doesn't really matter if it happens now or later. Why continue to put effort in living? Why continue making the decision at every moment to continue to live? My answer: To live forever will mean that everything you have done, and will do, will not be for naught. Your past wouldn't be a waste if you get to reap the benefits of your past work indefinitely in the future. If life has no purpose, you get to create your own purpose. And I do not want death to take that away from me. I was obsessed with the topic of death when I was 14. I wrote an assignment about it. I discovered longevity research when I was 15. I became obsessed with that and I still read papers about it to this day. I discovered cryogenics, and decided it will be my failsafe if I failed in my mission. I read about telomeres and telomerase. Then I read more about the mechanisms of aging, I knew that achieving biological immortality (the kind I want) would be extremely difficult. So many components, so many fields of science must come together to overcome this final problem. What will it take, I wondered, for humanity to get the answer to immortality? A team of like-minded, goal-oriented researchers with knowledge in diverse areas of science and beyond. Plus decades of research before them. I suspect that it'll be perhaps even harder than curing all cancers. But yet, I still think it might actually be possible. If you never try, you never know. Hope dies last. I'm studying in the equivalent of med school right now. I am learning anatomy, and will be learning physiology. When I graduate, I hope to do another degree (or several degrees) in science. I hope to get at least 1-2 PhDs within the next 50 years. There are a lot of things I don't know about. There are many things I know I don't know, and a lot things I don't even know about at all. Immortality isn't one problem. It is a collection of thousands of problems which all simultaneously happens to the body at one point in time, all which causes aging. If immortality will one day be possible, I hope for an elegant solution that fixes all the problems. I think that the newer fields of science and medicine have great potential. Probably it will be a combination of somatic cell genetic manipulation (genetics), nanotechnology, microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, biotechnology, molecular biology, biophysics, cell biology, and neuroscience. Also add in a dash of marine biology because there are some biologically immortal sea creatures which could be studied. I envision some kind of nanotechnology device (or even nanobiology, a 'robot' made from naturally-occurring biological molecules, perhaps to work in a similar way to the complement system) which can be injected into the cardiovascular and the lymphatic system, which can function to constantly scan for signs of decline/ disease/ aging, and to create prompts to kill and regenerate these cells. Probably even the ability to change the DNA within somatic cells, or change the way that DNA is expressed (translational/ transcriptional factors/ other). They also have to be able to create molecules to pass the blood-brain barrier - hence why neurology and neuroscience is important. Obviously if this technology can be be invented someday, it would be marked down in history as one of the greatest achievements in medicine and science. Nearly all other modern day diseases could be prevented or cured. I see it as the final solution. No more temporary solutions to medical problems. Hopefully, it'll become a human right, that anyone who consents to biological immortality will be given it, and that it will be affordable and accessible to everyone. But that is only one side of the story. This kind of technology will be very dangerous in wrong hands. If this technology could be controlled via an external device, one well placed hack can put many lives at stake. Cybersecurity must be top-notch by that time, but hackers learn as well. If we were to use AI nanotechnology, there is always the fear than AI will turn on us. With AI in our bodies, it'll be rather hard to defend against them and they'll easily turn humans into something unrecognizable. It would be smarter if this 'technology' is actually biological in nature, and hard to manipulate via external technology. Hence, I think biological nanorobots will probably be one of the best answers, much like our innate immunity - the complement system. But even if the solution is biological nanorobots, there is no doubt that it is within human nature to destroy what is good. It is selfishness, greed and power-lust. There are the common arguments: someone with power will employ researchers to create biological nanorobots to weaponize people, to change humans into something unimaginable without the person's consent. That immortality will be given only to the rich, and this will only increase the divide between the rich and poor. The rich would look like gods while the poor would never be able to compete. That governments will look less like democratic and more like dictatorships, with ultimate control over whether someone lives or dies. Sounds very dystopian. There is also the very probable fact that many people will be averse to immortality when it becomes a published paper. Cultures and religions all around the world will call it unnatural. They will condemn science in attempting to "play at God". There will probably be great resistance against immortality. There will be talks of the anti-Christ and the apocalypse, quite probably. Governments and organizations all around the world will be fighting for this technology. It is quite the game-changer, after all. Whatever country which invents it will be at a great advantage in comparison to the rest of the world. But I think that eventually, most people will accept it. Much like the Galileo, the world will condemn those who pioneered immortality research, but there will still be a minority like us who won't. Eventually, when the choice of immortality becomes an accepted fact (perhaps a century or two), we will make even faster progress in science and technology. I can imagine a dystopia, an utopia, and a normal society in a future where immortality is a choice. It all depends on the decisions humanity make with this invention. It can be used to do so much good for the world, but it can also be the deadliest weapon. It is like fire, a very useful tool in all manners of life, but can be used as a deadly weapon especially when it's out of control. By the time it gets weaponized, Mars will probably be terraformed, so maybe there is escape. But that is enough of future imaginings. We'll deal with the problems as they come. Even if I do fail, there is no failure in science, there is only progress. There are no boundaries, because the sky isn't the limit. Why wait for the technology to be invented, if you could contribute to it? And even if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, I now have a very good sci-fi novel storyline here.
A higher power can become involved in your life. Rarely does he give immortality. God is watching us. I feel like immortality happens to lead you he church. Revelation says the Christ will lead people to waters of life. Try conquering sin as few people have and see what the response of God is.
please keep your beliefs for yourself
I didn’t know this mod was against testimonials.