I was thinking about something today.
A while ago there was a guy on the news — an American, of course — who wants to live forever, and is not just sitting around hoping. He’s independently wealthy, of course, and seems to do nothing all day other than exercise and make/drink smoothies. (A life completely worth living for!) The ironic thing to me is that, besides his abs and biceps, he looks ten to twenty years older than he apparently is, even though (according to him) his left big toe and his right ear have all the scientific markers of being only eighteen or some such crap. (Those are not actually the parts of his body that are supposedly in their teens, but if I remembered the actual parts would you care?! Would it make a difference?)
I have to admit that when I was a kid and maybe up until I was in my early twenties I did have some weird fantasy about living until I am 100, and thinking how cool it would be to live forever. But then, you know, like you and most other people on this planet, I grew up.
And what of a life of doing nothing but exercising and drinking smoothies? Is that worth doing for all of eternity?! Are you ever allowed to risk anything? Can you drive fast, skydive, bungee jump, drink alcohol, eat a steak? Hmmm.
Hey, if buddy manages to live forever, good for him. Personally, I think if I knew him I’d probably be tempted to make sure he didn’t as I’m sure he’s an insufferable bore and, as the title says, a narcissist.
As for me, I now have zero interest in living forever. Perhaps one day we’ll crack some scientific code that realises the fountain of youth, but it’s not just your body (including your brain) that ages; everything around you ages: your relationships, your patience, your business (if you own or run one), society, etc.; and, in the case of the negatives, they accumulate: your failures, your enemies, etc. I’ve come to realise that some of those things don’t age or accumulate so well, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, and which might lead to your no longer being interested in the things you like (the first list) or the things you don’t like (the second list), which would likely lead to your no longer being interested in living if they’re not there any more (the things you like) or become overbearing (the things you don’t like). And let’s not forget that if you accumulate enough enemies, that might not end well for you! Food for thought.
So if buddy is still alive in a thousand years, will he be happy? I don’t remember whether or not he’s married, but what if his partner didn’t survive? Would he just move on? Would that just be his expectation, that he’d outlive his partners and get a new one every few decades? I suppose it would be. Not that everything is defined by marriage or having some lifelong partner, but it’s not unusual, and there are other things you might want to have for your whole life. I suppose at that point my mind explodes and I remember that I failed calculus in university! I suppose I just don’t have the imagination to live forever.
Then again, maybe only narcissists are vain enough to think that anyone cares about their ramblings on their blog! Ha ha.