6 ms·

I want at least a few extra decades to learn more deeply the subjects I’m interested in and to undertake more projects, technical and artistic. I think it is p

I want at least a few extra decades to learn more deeply the subjects I’m interested in and to undertake more projects, technical and artistic. I think it is pure speculation to say that we would become apathetic in as little as a few centuries, which to our current lifespan seems an unfathomable amount of time, but in the grand scheme of things is still exceedingly short. We might continue to develop further beautiful and fulfilling depth that is unreachable given the measly few decades of youthful energy we have today. I spend a lot of my effort learning about and exercising my health. I’m wagering a bit of my energy now on catching the wave of advancing health and longevity research later. Some day I believe it will likely be possible for a person to ride this wave through extra healthy decades, catching scientific advances just in time to rewind their ticking clock by a few years, a few times or even indefinitely. It might be a pipe dream, but I think it’s worth a shot. If this doesn’t come true for me, I will at least likely have a longer than average healthspan. I admit that perhaps the human brain and psyche have not evolved for happiness and fulfillment beyond our disappointingly short deadline. Still, I have to wonder whether the psychological disengagement and decay that we observe in many of our elderly would be different given prolonged health of body and brain.

paulcole 4y ago
> I think it is pure speculation that we would become apathetic in as little as a few centuries Most people alive today need some kind of structure. Just look at the boomers who “retire” and then get antsy super fast. I took a handful of years off in my late 20s to do nothing and when I tell people about it, they’re like “Didn’t you get bored?”
- andai 4y ago
  Could you elaborate on the "nothing" part? Yesterday I tried a meditation in which one learns to truly do nothing, but it's more likely you meant something like pursuing hobbies.
  - paulcole 4y ago
    I watched a lot of TV, went to the movies, read books, and exercised.
  - vorpalhex 4y ago
    Bias warning here - I am pretty pro-meditation. I do think meditating and becoming comfortable with "nothing" is important to enjoying activities. If you can enjoy not just eg hiking but also the car ride to the hiking and packing your bag, then hiking as a whole has become enjoyable.
    - andai 4y ago
      Agreed! In my experience the increased enjoyment comes both from being present and noticing things you wouldn't if you were lost in thought (eg. birdsong, butterflies), as well as learning to catch yourself yourself going through unnecessary/unpleasant thinking, and learning to just let that go and rest in the field of direct sensory experience.
enchiridion 4y ago
There’s a quote I heard somewhere to this effect. I’m probably messing it up. “The trick isn’t to live forever, it’s to live long enough to live forever “
- toma_caliente 4y ago
  You're gonna have to explain this to me because I don't get this quote.
  - yurishimo 4y ago
    If you live long enough, you may eventually live past the point where science makes it possible to live forever. For most of us, this is impossible because we lost the birth date lottery.
  - _0ffh 4y ago
    You just have to live long enough for some new technology to appear to give you the extra years you need to wait for the next new technology. Even if at no point actual immortality is developed, you can go like this forever, finite life extension by finite life extension.
  - bentona 4y ago
    We don't currently have the means to live forever, but if you manage to live long enough, you might survive until we do.
  - andai 4y ago
    If technological progress continues exponentially (including increases in human or machine intelligence to make them possible) then our understanding of biology and life-extension will continue to increase, and many such life prolonging-treatments will be made available to the public. If one life extension makes you live 5 years longer, and during that time an new one comes out that lengthens your life by a few more years, you can see how one might keep "catching" these just in time and thus gradually transition from mortal to immortal.
jotm 4y ago
I already can't wait to die, and I've got plenty of time ahead. I mean, yeah, if you fit in/like the current systems, you might think living forever is cool. But what would you think during the next world war, for example? Or if there's some massive climate refugee crisis (more akin to a war, actually), are you on the side getting shot, doing the shooting, welcoming strangers (and being ostracized by "your own"), hating newcomers or ignoring everything? What do you think about yourself then? Death ain't all bad in dire circumstances.
- throwaway95828 4y ago
  Perhaps with more wisdom we might be able to solve our problems more effectively. Perhaps with more to lose (more years of life ahead), people would prioritize the future more.
rowanG077 4y ago
This. I always find it extremely arrogant of all those people claiming to know what would happen if we had larger lifespans or infinite youths. It's find if you are a fiction author and want to create a cool world/story. But please don't conflate that with reality.
- imtringued 4y ago
  Thanks to rent seeking any improvement in lifespan will be captured by land owners and monopolists.
  - rowanG077 4y ago
    Why? History tells us this isn't the case. Why do you say this would be different now?
Senpitio 4y ago
I hope Im allowed to die when im 70 or above. If you life to long I think you will loose yourself in just living in your routine. And I myself would not mind dying even younger than 70 much younger. I have the feeling that the big surprises in my lifetime are done. When I look at older people around me, non of them experience something I haven't yet and their day to day life's are boring I will be boring.
- throwaway95828 4y ago
  I think this is a choice. Many people make safe choices that lead to a boring life. If we knew our youth (or at least middle age) could be extended, we might be more daring, knowing that we can try again if we fail.
- sterlind 4y ago
  wow, I feel the opposite. 2008-2016 was peak boring for me, then everything got exciting and terrifying - Trump, covid, war, rapid progress in AI, reusable rockets. you can live a boring life but you don't have to. break the cycle!
  - Senpitio 4y ago
    I'm still very curious, that's not the issue. Jes Webb for example. But political drama like trump is not entertainment. New advances in science are always great but it stopped impacting my life. Would I like a robot who is doing everything for me? Yes sure, will that actually change anything nor me? Not really. I can already hire someone or go outside or use convince food. I don't envy people who can travel 365 days a year in the nicest hotels and location in the world (don't get me wrong I would love to do that for a few years) but not forever. And especially not in the constrains of our society.

paulcole 4y ago

> I think it is pure speculation that we would become apathetic in as little as a few centuries Most people alive today need some kind of structure. Just look at the boomers who “retire” and then get antsy super fast. I took a handful of years off in my late 20s to do nothing and when I tell people about it, they’re like “Didn’t you get bored?”

andai 4y ago
Could you elaborate on the "nothing" part? Yesterday I tried a meditation in which one learns to truly do nothing, but it's more likely you meant something like pursuing hobbies.
- paulcole 4y ago
  I watched a lot of TV, went to the movies, read books, and exercised.
- vorpalhex 4y ago
  Bias warning here - I am pretty pro-meditation. I do think meditating and becoming comfortable with "nothing" is important to enjoying activities. If you can enjoy not just eg hiking but also the car ride to the hiking and packing your bag, then hiking as a whole has become enjoyable.
  - andai 4y ago
    Agreed! In my experience the increased enjoyment comes both from being present and noticing things you wouldn't if you were lost in thought (eg. birdsong, butterflies), as well as learning to catch yourself yourself going through unnecessary/unpleasant thinking, and learning to just let that go and rest in the field of direct sensory experience.

enchiridion 4y ago

There’s a quote I heard somewhere to this effect. I’m probably messing it up. “The trick isn’t to live forever, it’s to live long enough to live forever “

toma_caliente 4y ago
You're gonna have to explain this to me because I don't get this quote.
- yurishimo 4y ago
  If you live long enough, you may eventually live past the point where science makes it possible to live forever. For most of us, this is impossible because we lost the birth date lottery.
- _0ffh 4y ago
  You just have to live long enough for some new technology to appear to give you the extra years you need to wait for the next new technology. Even if at no point actual immortality is developed, you can go like this forever, finite life extension by finite life extension.
- bentona 4y ago
  We don't currently have the means to live forever, but if you manage to live long enough, you might survive until we do.
- andai 4y ago
  If technological progress continues exponentially (including increases in human or machine intelligence to make them possible) then our understanding of biology and life-extension will continue to increase, and many such life prolonging-treatments will be made available to the public. If one life extension makes you live 5 years longer, and during that time an new one comes out that lengthens your life by a few more years, you can see how one might keep "catching" these just in time and thus gradually transition from mortal to immortal.

jotm 4y ago

I already can't wait to die, and I've got plenty of time ahead. I mean, yeah, if you fit in/like the current systems, you might think living forever is cool. But what would you think during the next world war, for example? Or if there's some massive climate refugee crisis (more akin to a war, actually), are you on the side getting shot, doing the shooting, welcoming strangers (and being ostracized by "your own"), hating newcomers or ignoring everything? What do you think about yourself then? Death ain't all bad in dire circumstances.

throwaway95828 4y ago
Perhaps with more wisdom we might be able to solve our problems more effectively. Perhaps with more to lose (more years of life ahead), people would prioritize the future more.

rowanG077 4y ago

This. I always find it extremely arrogant of all those people claiming to know what would happen if we had larger lifespans or infinite youths. It's find if you are a fiction author and want to create a cool world/story. But please don't conflate that with reality.

imtringued 4y ago
Thanks to rent seeking any improvement in lifespan will be captured by land owners and monopolists.
- rowanG077 4y ago
  Why? History tells us this isn't the case. Why do you say this would be different now?

Senpitio 4y ago

I hope Im allowed to die when im 70 or above. If you life to long I think you will loose yourself in just living in your routine. And I myself would not mind dying even younger than 70 much younger. I have the feeling that the big surprises in my lifetime are done. When I look at older people around me, non of them experience something I haven't yet and their day to day life's are boring I will be boring.

throwaway95828 4y ago
I think this is a choice. Many people make safe choices that lead to a boring life. If we knew our youth (or at least middle age) could be extended, we might be more daring, knowing that we can try again if we fail.
sterlind 4y ago
wow, I feel the opposite. 2008-2016 was peak boring for me, then everything got exciting and terrifying - Trump, covid, war, rapid progress in AI, reusable rockets. you can live a boring life but you don't have to. break the cycle!
- Senpitio 4y ago
  I'm still very curious, that's not the issue. Jes Webb for example. But political drama like trump is not entertainment. New advances in science are always great but it stopped impacting my life. Would I like a robot who is doing everything for me? Yes sure, will that actually change anything nor me? Not really. I can already hire someone or go outside or use convince food. I don't envy people who can travel 365 days a year in the nicest hotels and location in the world (don't get me wrong I would love to do that for a few years) but not forever. And especially not in the constrains of our society.