Would you live forever?

[Mytical]

I don't think I would either to be honest.

Now, assume that you could die but just didn't age. Would that make a difference? (Ie injury could still kill you, but you remain the same physical age and shape as say a 21 year old person).

[Gravekeeper]

I think I would prefer that we all maintain the mental and physical health of our mid twenties but still die on schedule in 80-100 years or so.

If we had immortality, we would literally need to be reset. Every lifetime or so you'd practically have to have your mind wiped so you could start afresh. Otherwise you'd eventually get miserable and crotchety ( or the opposite ). Your personality would change with each era.

Your brain automatically deletes memories that are bad or painful over time ( Unless they're too traumatic in which case they might stick with you for life ). Hence everyone has an idyllic view of "The Good Old Days" when they get older. While your personality traits become more ingrained the older you get. ( Hence some old people are just *miserable* while others are awesome ). You'd end up with an extreme personality that would change with each era based on how good or bad the last era was. While eventually forgetting everything you experienced in said era as your brain scrubs it to make room for new information and memories.

So you'd need a factory default reset every century or two in order to function as a well adjusted person. Otherwise one really good or bad era could totally shape or reshape your personality. You could end up the single most miserable, crotchety old bastard on Earth. Or the most ridiculously sweet old grandma.

[Kaylyn]

I guess I'm going to be in the minority and say I would, for as long as I could handle it. But only if I could choose my peaceful death when I inevitably got bored and tired of living. Or sick, if disease is still a thing and it's merely death from old age that is avoided. You did, after all, say infection and injury were still a possibility, so it makes sense serious diseases would as well.

I guess I'm the type that wants to squeeze as much as I can out of life. But when a serious illness comes along that I don't want to have to suffer through, and/or I am at a point where I feel I've gotten my money's worth out of life, I want the option to push a button and go to sleep and never wake up; no suffering and no pain, after I've said goodbye to those I need to.

[Gravekeeper]

Immortality would be interesting at first, but would start to suck pretty quick I would think. The march of technology would be cool, the downfall of the environment and the continuation of evolution as it left you behind not so much.

Evolution would be the kicker. The average species of mammal lasts about 1 million years before becoming a new specie(s) or going extinct. Humans have been around for about 200,000. There's still another 800,000 years worth of evolution for our particular model and you would be left behind. Slowly become more obsolete.

[Seshat]

With illness and injury: hell no.

Without: not forever, no. But an extended lifespan might be interesting.

[Mikkel]

To stop deteriorating, yes. I'd probably find a way out whenever life got too painful.
I would like to see a bit more than I will in my natural lifespan.

[redsox33413]

And, on a humorous note, if everyone lived forever, where would you park?

Pssh... We got Argabarga... We're good.

[dalesys]

Well... We can always die trying.

[telecom_goddess]

Interesting topic. And yes while we as a race may not want to admit it, we aren't going to last forever. Humans will eventually go away....having morphed into something else possible or just dying off completely, who knows. And the Earth is not going to be here forever anyway, so even if we did stick around we would have to find another home or two.

With that being said I don't want to live forever. I would like to see the future though, like in about 500 years. I would love to see what technology turns into. Personally I believe Star Trek predicted a lot of things in use now, and things that will be in happening in the future. So if I could be put in stasis for a while and wake up every couple hundred years or so that would be awesome I don't want to go too far though, like hundreds of thousands of years or anything.

[Gravekeeper]

The planet will be here for a loooooooooong time. It'll be here until the sun says otherwise.

[MoonCat]

You could end up the single most miserable, crotchety old bastard on Earth

That explains the old bat next door. Damn, you mean she's going to be around forever?? Oh hell no!

[Sakka]

Would I want to live forever? Probably not, at least, not without a way to end the immortality if too injured, sick, or the rest of the world has moved too far ahead in evolutionary terms.

However, if someone offered me the Tree of Life virus from Niven's known space series, I would accept in a heartbeat. Sure, the virus would cause significant physical changes, but the increases in intelligence and life span would make up for it, for me.

[BlaqueKatt]

I would love to see what technology turns into. Personally I believe Star Trek predicted a lot of things in use now, and things that will be in happening in the future.

Science fiction doesn't "predict" the future, it's written and inventors and scientists attempt to see if it's plausible.

[BroSCFischer]

I personally think that after about a hundred extra years you'd be pretty miserable, outliving your entire family, including children and grandchildren.

Just ask Walter Jameson.

SC

[Kittish]

However, if someone offered me the Tree of Life virus from Niven's known space series, I would accept in a heartbeat. Sure, the virus would cause significant physical changes, but the increases in intelligence and life span would make up for it, for me.

I dunno, the hardwired instinctive responses that go with tree of life would make me hesitate. But then, I don't have any kids, so unless I could find a way to adopt the entire species I'd kind of be in trouble. Also consider the havoc that would inevitably arise if you had more than one person who'd been given tree of life. They'd be at each other's throats in an effort to secure the best possible future for their own bloodline, and when pak go to war with each other, it tends to get a bit splashy.

Would I want to live forever? Probably not. But I'd take the immortality treatment, because I'm pretty sure I could find a way to enjoy having a few hundred extra years. And if things turned out to be entirely unfun, well, I can think of a few ways to end myself, immortality or no.