How would you feel about living for two hundred years, or more.

[Carl East]

I was reading a medical journal the other day, and the article that struck me the most, was all about holding back the ravages of aging. I couldn't help thinking how I'd like to remain the age I am now, at least in appearance. Would this appeal to you, or are you of the mind that the aging process shouldn't be interfered with.

I suppose it would all depend on wheather you are happy in this life, but for me it would be a fantastic gift.

Carl.

 

[Bobtoad777]

I could handle living two hundred years looking like what I look like but damn I sure wish they could halt the growth of facial hair is there anything to stop it or slow it doen, cause i sure hate shaving and look crappy in a multicolored beard that I have fro facial hair, some of it comes in red some come sin blond some comes in brown and patches are jet black its like patchwork beard

 

[forgetunome]

Maybe if I knew it would be 200 healthy years...

But, I think 70-90 is long enough on this ol' earth!

 

[Laurel]

I'd love to live one hundred or two hundred years, even longer. I want to live as long as possible. Life's just too precious and wonderful. Even if I'm confined to a wheelchair or rendered speechless - Stephen Hawking style - and my legs and arms were ripped from my body, I'd still want to live forever. As long as my mind still functions...that's the important thing.

 

[Jester]

I've always wanted to live longer than a "usual" allotment of time. There are so many things to do and see and think that you'd still never get everything that you wanted to done. Imagine the changes you could see, the things that you could learn.

I have talked with people who say that they wouldn't want to live for an extended period of time and I never completely understood why. I can understand outliving the people that you love. That would suck. If anything would keep me from extending my life like that it would be this. It would be a hard thing to deal with.

Besides which, we've already interfered with the aging process. The advances in diet and medicine have increased our lifespans well past that expected only 100 years ago, let alone 1000. And, it'll keep getting longer

 

[Never]

Two hundred?
That's not enough..

I want to live a couple of million years. I want to see the sun swallow the earth as it blooms into a red giant.

 

[Aranian]

The whole thing reminds me of a fantasy series I read where this Nevyn guy swears an oath not to rest until he's righted a wrong he's done. He ends up being unable to die until he's fixed the thing. So he's waiting hundreds of years for the reincarnation of his ex-betrothed so he can try to return her to her destined path. He watches over her as she grows up and fall in love with other men and crap, but every time he has a chance to fix things, something goes wrong and she dies or they're separated and he has to wait for her all over again. The poor guy isn't allowed to die until the last book in the series.

Anyways, that doesn't even address the question. I think that dramatically extended life would have a lot of obvious long-term social implications such as more widespread government population control efforts.

 

[Bobtoad777]

The whole thing reminds me of a fantasy series I read where this Nevyn guy swears an oath not to rest until he's righted a wrong he's done. He ends up being unable to die until he's fixed the thing. So he's waiting hundreds of years for the reincarnation of his ex-betrothed so he can try to return her to her destined path. He watches over her as she grows up and fall in love with other men and crap, but every time he has a chance to fix things, something goes wrong and she dies or they're separated and he has to wait for her all over again. The poor guy isn't allowed to die until the last book in the series.

Anyways, that doesn't even address the question. I think that dramatically extended life would have a lot of obvious long-term social implications such as more widespread government population control efforts.

Is the TV show Crow somewhat based on this series of boks, its sounds like it from what you describe

 

[Aranian]

Is the TV show Crow somewhat based on this series of boks, its sounds like it from what you describe

I'm referring to the Deverry series by Kathrine Kerr if you're interested.

 

[Bobtoad777]

I'll have to check out the library for it if it hasn't banned it up near here is the bible college i went to and man everyone seems affraid to have anything that is controversial in case the colleege comes after them. what ever happened to speration of church and province/state? I am Christian and make up my own mind dont nee the college to tell me what to look at read or listen to.

 

[Silverlily]

I have talked with people who say that they wouldn't want to live for an extended period of time and I never completely understood why.

Some of it depends on what you believe. I have always felt I was born with an "old soul" to put it in layman's terms. I'm only 31, but there is a part of me that is very world weary. I've been so many places, seen so many things, loved and lost so many people, sometimes I just get tired. The thought of going on another 170 years is scary to me.

I'm not saying I want my life to end, on the contrary, I like my life. But I'm not interested in anything more than the average 70 or so, even with good health. After that, I'd like to pass on and let my life force return to where ever it came from.

 

[CreamyLady]

As long as I had the three M's -- money, mobility and marbles -- and there was something new every day, I'd think it was great.

However, if I were very sick or in pain, and my days were of an increasing sameness -- nothing new -- and I were confined or constrained, I'd rather just shuffle off into the next life. Not hasten it, mind you, but not linger here either.

There is a certain grace in knowing just when to leave the party.

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

This thread brings to mind a quote from Ben Franklin which I'll paraphrase:

If you abstain from whisky, women, and song you'll live to be 100, but it'll feel like 200.

what's puzzling is this comes from a man who exemplified the puritan work-ethic and living a "clean life"... he lived to be almost 90.

I agree with Laurel in that as long as my mind is working and I'm able to think and perceive the world around me, I want to be here. I definitely don't want to end up a human vegetable on a ventilator like people I've seen in the ICU, though. Until medical science can extend our meaningful lives as well as simply keeping our hearts beating after our brains have died, I'll take my chances with heaven.

 

[Never]

what's puzzling is this comes from a man who exemplified the puritan work-ethic and living a "clean life"... he lived to be almost 90.

Yes, a true Father of our Country.
In fact, he fathered over 100 children supposedly, so much for being a puritan.

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

Hmmmm... that would explain the quote alright, huh, Never?

But maybe you learned something in history class I didn't. Here's something I just dug up on a biography site on ol' Ben...

Born on January 17, 1706
Born in Boston, the tenth son, and fifteenth child, of
Josiah Franklin
Married Deborah Read Rogers in 1730
Father of three children: William, Francis, and Sarah
Died on April 17, 1790

maybe they're just counting legitimate kids, though. If you're right, Ben would make Bill look like a saint.

 

[CreamyLady]

As I recall from history, Oliver, his marriage with Deborah Read was actually common law, and he did, indeed, enjoy feminine companionship elsewhere throughout his life.

It is entirely possible that the other 97 children were born on the wrong side of the blanket.