This is a little thought experiment I like to revisit every once in a while to see how I've changed. I'm sure you've imagined it before. When you were young you must have imagined what it must be like to have decades under your belt.
If you've ever read sci-fi (Dune, anyone?), considered the possibility of anti-aging technology, or just like to imagine things, this idea is probably not new to you.
So assuming you had your current level of health or could return to your mid 20's, how long would be enough on this earth?
Many of my friends in Asia seem to think life is already too long. The people I've asked don't see much purpose in living all that long, and some even seem unafraid of the concept of death. Many even hope that after death is just an infinite black space.
My friends and family in the west seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum. People seem intent on extending their lives no matter what, even if it means being unhealthy and miserable. I find people, in general, are terrified of death, even many who say they are not.
Like many things, I find myself smack dab in the middle. If entropy occurs at the rate that it does for most people...I think the average life span is just enough. If I could have a healthy body though, I think I could go a few hundred years before I got bored.
Obviously it would depend on what was going on on earth, but assuming we aren't talking about war or total devestation, there is relative freedom of movement and ability to pursue things I'm interested in, I can imagine enjoying at least 250 years.
I would love to live multiple lives in one body, try out different lifestyles, surround myself with different kinds of people. I am not all that into travel because it feels like just a quick fix. I am more than happy to spend a good 3 months or 3 years somewhere to connect with the people and learn the lessons of the culture. I still need to live in different parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, South America.....it'd be cool to connect with native communities in Australia and North America too.
I'd learn to code, cause why not, got the time. I'd learn a bunch more languages, read a lot more than I do now, and spend more time talking to each person I met. I would want to explore all different forms of art. I make psychedelic folky stuff now, but I'd love to make electronic, hip hop or even classical at some point. I write stories, but I'd love to paint, or DJ or learn martial arts and yoga.
I'm not lazy, but I like to take my time with things. I think 250 years would be just right, at least right now...but I can imagine wanting to extend that.
Sure it would be sad to see people go, but everyone who I have a strong connection with remains in my heart at all times, and I do not feel that any separation is absolute. I can imagine some losses to be much bigger blows than others though and perhaps it would tire me out eventually.
At some point I'd want to be famous, I'd also like to be a hermit. I'd want to try and see how I could shape the world with so much time on my hands.
I try to think about this so that I can make sure I'm making the most of my time alive. Did I take it all in? Did I do everything I could have done? Do I feel satisfied with my choices every day?
The funny thing is, even though I feel like 250 years would be nice...I am not really all that terrified of death, not compared to most of the people I meet. I don't like pain and suffering, and I still feel I have so much I want to do, and so my self-preservation instinct is still intact, but it's not such an urgent thing. I used to be terrified of planes, but now every time I feel that fear rising up, I imagine the worst case scenario and it's kind of alright, I can say "Well, it was a good one, I guess I did my best! At least the best given all circumstances."
I wonder what everyone else has to say about this? I haven't really discussed this with anyone other than my partner for years now, so I'm curious. How long would you want to live if aging wasn't a thing anymore, assuming life on earth didn't look that bad?
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