What would I do? I must say, I'd probably take death. But why? As soon as I type it, I regret my decision. And yet I'm afraid I can't jump whole-heartedly behind the other option either.
I share with you some very similar reflections. Sometimes ago, it occurred to me that my whole concept of death and dying, the very emotional relations I have with it, are entirely a product of cultural and probably genetic conditioning, rather than being a product of an independent reflective process.
In fact what made me so interested in the prospect of extreme life extension in the first place was not so much the prospect of years to be gained, but rather the intellectual and emotional challenge in sorting out this profound issue.
I find the every relation to mortality quite strange. Generally, our acceptance of the so called 'fact' of mortality is in inverse proportion to how far we believe we are from the moment of our own death. Besides that, vast intellectual resources were invested through the history of civilization to devise elaborate ways by which we can both deny (as in life after death) and explain (as in death is part of life) mortality. For me, as of today, all these is replaced by a big question mark. I am ready to contemplate a profound metaphysical paradigm shift regarding the whole issue. The promising technologies that might bring extreme life extension even in our life time, are just a trigger, but they might initiate a cultural and psychological chain reaction the like of which we haven't experienced as yet.
Al:
I share with you some very similar reflections. Sometimes ago, it occurred to me that my whole concept of death and dying, the very emotional relations I have with it, are entirely a product of cultural and probably genetic conditioning, rather than being a product of an independent reflective process.
In fact what made me so interested in the prospect of extreme life extension in the first place was not so much the prospect of years to be gained, but rather the intellectual and emotional challenge in sorting out this profound issue.
I find the every relation to mortality quite strange. Generally, our acceptance of the so called 'fact' of mortality is in inverse proportion to how far we believe we are from the moment of our own death. Besides that, vast intellectual resources were invested through the history of civilization to devise elaborate ways by which we can both deny (as in life after death) and explain (as in death is part of life) mortality. For me, as of today, all these is replaced by a big question mark. I am ready to contemplate a profound metaphysical paradigm shift regarding the whole issue. The promising technologies that might bring extreme life extension even in our life time, are just a trigger, but they might initiate a cultural and psychological chain reaction the like of which we haven't experienced as yet.