Who wants to live forever?

[Stive Pesley]

1 hour ago, maxjam said:

Nothing chronically narcissistic about wanting to experience life to the fullest

That's not quite what I meant - we should all want to experience life to the fullest, but in a "be grateful for every day" kind of way. That's my issue - if life is not limited then where's the incentive. I meant the narcissist comment about these idiots who spend what precious time they have on the planet obsessing over ways to extend their life. It's just about the dumbest thing you could do.

Sorry if I'm being a bit down - we just lost a really good friend to cancer at 60. She was one of the healthiest, cleanest living people I knew. Woke up one morning and couldn't walk. Turned out she was riddled with cancer. 2 months later she is dead. 

I'm a big proponent of live life to the fullest and when your number's up, your number's up. 

[angieram]

This is an interesting topic. 

Would we limit eternal life to those who'd earned it? 

Or do we keep the murderers, rapists, despots alive with the rest of us? 

[maxjam]

8 minutes ago, Stive Pesley said:

That's not quite what I meant - we should all want to experience life to the fullest, but in a "be grateful for every day" kind of way. That's my issue - if life is not limited then where's the incentive. I meant the narcissist comment about these idiots who spend what precious time they have on the planet obsessing over ways to extend their life. It's just about the dumbest thing you could do.

Sorry if I'm being a bit down - we just lost a really good friend to cancer at 60. She was one of the healthiest, cleanest living people I knew. Woke up one morning and couldn't walk. Turned out she was riddled with cancer. 2 months later she is dead. 

I'm a big proponent of live life to the fullest and when your number's up, your number's up. 

One of those idiots will obsess over it too much and help cure aging!

But yeah life does suck at times and you never know when your numbers gonna be called, enjoy it whilst you're fit, healthy and active.  Its over way too soon and unless something does actually follow death, you gotta make the most of things whilst the goings good.

Back on topic... If you give me an unlimited healthy life and the technological advances that will have hopefully occurred in the meantime, I'm pretty sure I could keep myself busy for a long, long time.  IMHO its actually pretty sad to see two thirds of people replying to the topic (at time of replying) against living forever, but each to their own I guess.  You lot have gotta have a bit more drive and and passion, not to mention an inquisitive nature to explore and learn!

I swear I was born too late to map and explore the Earth and too early to fly out into the galaxy and see what it holds.  Ah well, I've got Starfield, I'll go play that for a bit instead 😛

[Stive Pesley]

Coincidentally just popped up on my timeline - made me laugh

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/worlds-oldest-woman-who-didnt-30899986

 

Quote

A woman believed to be the oldest person to have ever lived died at the age of 129.

Koku Istambulova, a survivor of Stalin’s repressions, would have turned 130 in June, according to accepted pension records in Russia. She was older than a woman listed in the Russian Book of Records who died last month supposedly aged 128, officials believed. Koku made headlines by saying she had never lived a single happy day in her long life.

 

[Normanton Lad]

About 15 years ago there was a story in The Derby Telegraph about a Derby man in his 90s who used to visit his mother who was in an old folks home. She was about 115. Does anyone remember this?

I lot of the things we think happened to us didn't so I am prepared to accept that this might have been an invented memory.

[ilkleyram]

4 hours ago, maxjam said:

One of those idiots will obsess over it too much and help cure aging!

But yeah life does suck at times and you never know when your numbers gonna be called, enjoy it whilst you're fit, healthy and active.  Its over way too soon and unless something does actually follow death, you gotta make the most of things whilst the goings good.

Back on topic... If you give me an unlimited healthy life and the technological advances that will have hopefully occurred in the meantime, I'm pretty sure I could keep myself busy for a long, long time.  IMHO its actually pretty sad to see two thirds of people replying to the topic (at time of replying) against living forever, but each to their own I guess.  You lot have gotta have a bit more drive and and passion, not to mention an inquisitive nature to explore and learn!

I swear I was born too late to map and explore the Earth and too early to fly out into the galaxy and see what it holds.  Ah well, I've got Starfield, I'll go play that for a bit instead 😛

This might be pedantic but you can’t cure aging - every single one of us is aging all the time.
What you can impact are the effects of aging - what you do for yourself- not smoking or drinking or taking drugs, taking exercise, keeping mobile etc - and what the medical profession does by way of research and developing medical skills and the pharmaceutical industry does by way of research and drug development. 
Between them the medical and pharmaceutical professions have been responsible for significantly extending life expectancy over the last few generations and greater knowledge and wealth as well as access to better healthcare systems in the developed world especially have also played their part 

[Mucker1884]

22 hours ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

 

TBH I'd rather die with dignity in my 70s than s******* myself in my 80s, but, that's easy to say in your 40s. If I felt I'd become a burden I'd probably do away with myself anyway.

 

Having been “lucky enough” not to have experienced relatives that “have become a burden”, (losing both parents before they hit 50, and a sister who just made it into her 60’s), I cannot speak from experience, but I imagine that if you have reached the point where you have “become a burden”, there’s a very high probability that you are in no fit state to “Do away with yourself”?

🤷‍♂️

[Ram-Alf]

10 hours ago, Normanton Lad said:

About 15 years ago there was a story in The Derby Telegraph about a Derby man in his 90s who used to visit his mother who was in an old folks home. She was about 115. Does anyone remember this?

I lot of the things we think happened to us didn't so I am prepared to accept that this might have been an invented memory.

Found this...but she's 107, The story you heard was most likely...a story

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/derbys-oldest-woman-celebrates-107th-4635367

Then there is this one...but not Derby

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/oldest-person-uk-briton-died-115-sant-493655

[Normanton Lad]

6 minutes ago, The Last Post said:

Found this...but she's 107, The story you heard was most likely...a story

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/derbys-oldest-woman-celebrates-107th-4635367

Then there is this one...but not Derby

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/oldest-person-uk-briton-died-115-sant-493655

Thanks for that, but the story I think I remember was mainly about the son having to travel back and forth between his house in Littleover or Mickleover and the old folks home. However, I am quite prepared to accept that it was some kind of dream I am mistaking for reality.

I've told a few people over the years about the odd situation of a 90 something year old in Derby looking after his mother. After you tell the story a few times it becomes reality. I think George Best came to believe the "Where did it all go wrong" story was real.

[RadioactiveWaste]

1 hour ago, Mucker1884 said:

Having been “lucky enough” not to have experienced relatives that “have become a burden”, (losing both parents before they hit 50, and a sister who just made it into her 60’s), I cannot speak from experience, but I imagine that if you have reached the point where you have “become a burden”, there’s a very high probability that you are in no fit state to “Do away with yourself”?

🤷‍♂️

Fair point.

[TigerTedd]

39 minutes ago, Normanton Lad said:

Thanks for that, but the story I think I remember was mainly about the son having to travel back and forth between his house in Littleover or Mickleover and the old folks home. However, I am quite prepared to accept that it was some kind of dream I am mistaking for reality.

I've told a few people over the years about the odd situation of a 90 something year old in Derby looking after his mother. After you tell the story a few times it becomes reality. I think George Best came to believe the "Where did it all go wrong" story was real.

It’s a fair point though. Seems weird, but totally possible these days, to be 80 and still being told off by your parents. 

Charles only just got his first real job when most of us are retiring. I assume I’ll see another coronation in my life time, as I’m the same as as William, but who’s to say Charles won’t live to 120.

[TigerTedd]

8 hours ago, ilkleyram said:

This might be pedantic but you can’t cure aging - every single one of us is aging all the time.
What you can impact are the effects of aging - what you do for yourself- not smoking or drinking or taking drugs, taking exercise, keeping mobile etc - and what the medical profession does by way of research and developing medical skills and the pharmaceutical industry does by way of research and drug development. 

Imagine if you could pause the aging process in this way? What age would you choose to pause it at? Is it too late for us old guys, could they reverse it? Would a footballer stay at his prime and have a 100 year career?

I read a sci fi novel once where you could take an injection to pause the aging process indefinitely. But your mind would still mature. And sometimes parents would give babies the injection so they can have a child forever, but it’s a living nightmare for the child. 

what’s the perfect physical age to stay at?

[TigerTedd]

13 hours ago, angieram said:

This is an interesting topic. 

Would we limit eternal life to those who'd earned it? 

Or do we keep the murderers, rapists, despots alive with the rest of us? 

That’s an interesting ethical question. If you say criminals don’t get the death cure then you’re essentially advocating the death penalty. Allowing them to die.

or you could go down the route that, given enough time, even the hardest criminal could reform. So it’s an opportunity to make sure prison could actually do some good.

we’d probably end up setting up prison colonies on remote asteroids or something. Like a futuristic Australia. 

[richinspain]

42 minutes ago, TigerTedd said:

That’s an interesting ethical question. If you say criminals don’t get the death cure then you’re essentially advocating the death penalty. Allowing them to die.

or you could go down the route that, given enough time, even the hardest criminal could reform. So it’s an opportunity to make sure prison could actually do some good.

we’d probably end up setting up prison colonies on remote asteroids or something. Like a futuristic Australia. 

And they would still beat us at cricket.

[Stive Pesley]

1 hour ago, TigerTedd said:

we’d probably end up setting up prison colonies on remote asteroids or something

You mean it'd be a punishment to be stuck on a remote planet, with a hostile environment, limited resources, restricted movement, poor food, constant peril and no escape?

Elon Musk is trying to sell that as a luxury opportunity 😂

 

[maxjam]

10 hours ago, ilkleyram said:

This might be pedantic but you can’t cure aging - every single one of us is aging all the time.
What you can impact are the effects of aging - what you do for yourself- not smoking or drinking or taking drugs, taking exercise, keeping mobile etc - and what the medical profession does by way of research and developing medical skills and the pharmaceutical industry does by way of research and drug development. 
Between them the medical and pharmaceutical professions have been responsible for significantly extending life expectancy over the last few generations and greater knowledge and wealth as well as access to better healthcare systems in the developed world especially have also played their part 

A little bit pedantic yeah 😛

I was just running with the OPs question, looking into the distant future and thinking of how my vision of an eternal (healthy) life would look.  Its basically Star Trek without the onesies!

I'm a big advocate of living a healthy lifestyle now and making the most of your time.  I believe you only get one shot and when its over, its over.

This thread had thrown up some interesting questions though - at what age do you pause aging and how long would prison sentences have to be when you can live forever etc. TBH I've not thought about it that deeply, its beyond the scope of my lifetime.  I'm just naively flitting from planet to planet in my head until I find Risa.

[Normanton Lad]

This is a short clip from Zardoz. A film about people who have the chance to live forever. This film is very strange and confusing but its overall message is that eternal life is not a good thing.

Zardoz ending

 

[Ram-Alf]

19 minutes ago, Normanton Lad said:

This is a short clip from Zardoz. A film about people who have the chance to live forever. This film is very strange and confusing but its overall message is that eternal life is not a good thing.

Zardoz ending

 

Sean Connery looked better at the end than he did at the beginning 😁 

[Ramifications]

I seem to remember reading that we all possess some kind of death gene. This means it's not medically possible to live past 125 years old. 

I think whenever ones time is up, it will never be the right time. Whether your aged 50 or 100. Imagine being 110 and Derby are top of the Championship with a few games left, only to pop your clogs. 

[Mucker1884]

44 minutes ago, Ramifications said:

I seem to remember reading that we all possess some kind of death gene. This means it's not medically possible to live past 125 years old. 

I think whenever ones time is up, it will never be the right time. Whether your aged 50 or 100. Imagine being 110 and Derby are top of the Championship with a few games left, only to pop your clogs. 

Or worse… watching Derby v QPR at Wembley, and having a heart attack as the ball gets pumped into our back left corner in added time…

… And St Peter commiserates you on the final score, as you float in through the gates!  😲