Oct 22 2012: Another thought following my last response is this. Is it possible you are asking the wrong questions for the wrong reason. Or at least based on your cultural conditioning? We live in a culture that dictates possessing more and more, will make us happy.
The fundamental question becomes, what do we lose when we die. Other than that moment and bits of protein in our brain stored as memory
“Were you to live three thousand years, or even thirty thousand, remember that the sole life which a man can lose is what he is living at the moment; and furthermore, that he can have no other life except the one he loses. When the longest- and the shortest-lived of us come to die, their loss is precisely equal. For the sole thing of which any man can be deprived is the present; since this all he owns, and nobody can lose what he is not his.” Marcus Aurelius
Oct 22 2012: My first response comes from the book; "The long drive home was filled with periods of free flowing dialogue punctuated with long spaces of silence. “In reality,” Richard stated, "For 99.9% of humanity's existence, people have lived to a ripe old age of 19. Life expectancy at the end of the last century was around 50 years. Now, it's closer to 80 years.” His wife responded quickly, “Yes, Richard, but that's the point. It took generations of time to adapt, and it wasn't something that was just suddenly thrust on humanity.”
Another point from the book is "What this means in essence is that you will have a whole generation that becomes lost.”
Hack took a breath “In this context lost, means young kids will be forced out of the workplace and unable to get into college. You will be extending life to an aging population that will clog the arteries of the economy and the higher education system. The interests of older adults will clash with the upcoming interests and needs of young people. This in turn will cause either rebellion or total apathy from our children.”
Oct 22 2012: That surprised me on many levels for my instinct tells me that most would desire to live longer. Greed appears to be a great motivator of humankind and at the end of the day greed is exactly what life-extension is all about. Perhaps the people you meet are smart enough and blessed enough to accept the finality of their lives. Or as Ralph waldo Emerson so aptly said "Its not the length of life, but the depth of life."
I like to believe, "Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself.” Antione de Saint-Exupery
Oct 21 2012: Very interesting to see this on Ted. I've been thinking about life extension on and off for years, wondering what it would mean for humanity. One day I sat down and started writing about it. The next thing I knew, I'd written a book about it. Within two decades life-extension will be a fact. The biology and science is there. Soon people will be able to live for 125 -160 years. This deserves discussion, and my book, Can You See the Music?, which has not been released yet is an attempt to start that conversation.
You or anyone interested are surely welcome to read my little story My email is Reagan.McGuire50@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Reagan! What a powerful story you have. A great read!!
“As long as I am alive, I will sample what I can of the fresh offerings provided in each moment.” Reagan McGuire, Can You See The Music?
What would you do if you were offered the chance to extend your life and not suffer the ravages of growing older? Would you use that gift for good or evil? Would you take life for granted or treasure every day, in every moment? Reagan McGuire has posed that question in his novel, ‘Can You See The Music?’ in an honest and powerful view of how humanity has much to learn about life and living.
Richard has developed a potion to extend the lifespan of the human race. He wants to use it for the good of humanity, and he sacrifices his friendships, family and lifestyle in order to do what he thinks is right. However, in the end he finds that he has sacrificed all for the wrong reasons. He also learns the hard lesson that, in all acts of creation the seeds of destruction are sewn.
This book was a philosophical read in which you really leave the story thinking about not just life but also humanity in general. Sociologically speaking, Richard was potentially changing the dynamic of society and playing God in a battle of survival of the fittest. Richards fixation with life has not allowed him to accept the reality, there is a beginning to everything.
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A comment on Conversation: Why do so few people want to live significantly longer and healthier than a so-called natural life span?
The fundamental question becomes, what do we lose when we die. Other than that moment and bits of protein in our brain stored as memory
“Were you to live three thousand years, or even thirty thousand, remember that the sole life which a man can lose is what he is living at the moment; and furthermore, that he can have no other life except the one he loses. When the longest- and the shortest-lived of us come to die, their loss is precisely equal. For the sole thing of which any man can be deprived is the present; since this all he owns, and nobody can lose what he is not his.” Marcus Aurelius
A comment on Conversation: Why do so few people want to live significantly longer and healthier than a so-called natural life span?
Another point from the book is "What this means in essence is that you will have a whole generation that becomes lost.”
Hack took a breath “In this context lost, means young kids will be forced out of the workplace and unable to get into college. You will be extending life to an aging population that will clog the arteries of the economy and the higher education system. The interests of older adults will clash with the upcoming interests and needs of young people. This in turn will cause either rebellion or total apathy from our children.”
A comment on Conversation: Why do so few people want to live significantly longer and healthier than a so-called natural life span?
I like to believe, "Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself.” Antione de Saint-Exupery
A comment on Conversation: Why do so few people want to live significantly longer and healthier than a so-called natural life span?
You or anyone interested are surely welcome to read my little story My email is Reagan.McGuire50@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Reagan! What a powerful story you have. A great read!!
“As long as I am alive, I will sample what I can of the fresh offerings provided in each moment.” Reagan McGuire, Can You See The Music?
What would you do if you were offered the chance to extend your life and not suffer the ravages of growing older? Would you use that gift for good or evil? Would you take life for granted or treasure every day, in every moment? Reagan McGuire has posed that question in his novel, ‘Can You See The Music?’ in an honest and powerful view of how humanity has much to learn about life and living.
Richard has developed a potion to extend the lifespan of the human race. He wants to use it for the good of humanity, and he sacrifices his friendships, family and lifestyle in order to do what he thinks is right. However, in the end he finds that he has sacrificed all for the wrong reasons. He also learns the hard lesson that, in all acts of creation the seeds of destruction are sewn.
This book was a philosophical read in which you really leave the story thinking about not just life but also humanity in general. Sociologically speaking, Richard was potentially changing the dynamic of society and playing God in a battle of survival of the fittest. Richards fixation with life has not allowed him to accept the reality, there is a beginning to everything.