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mikeflex New user 81 Posts |
I think I would, although that could just be stupid youth talking!
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travisb Special user Vancouver, BC 548 Posts |
Yes, I'd like to live "forever," as long as I get to choose to die if something happens that would make living unbearable (heat death of the universe, for instance), or if I just get bored. I'd also want some checks in place so that I don't just off myself the first time I feel depressed.
I can't understand somebody who would turn down the opportunity if it ever came up. You've got nothing to lose by accepting immortality, as long as you retain the option to kill yourself at some point of your choosing. If immortality comes with the condition that you can NEVER die, no matter what, then that's a different story. I honestly don't know what I'd do if that situation came up, but it would take a LOT of thought. -Travis |
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Ollie1235 Special user England 533 Posts |
With the option to have an off switch then I would like to live for as long as I wanted, but like many others have said, if the rest of the earth died of. you would be left alone, which is why the off switch would have to be apart of the deal.
however imagine the fame you would get once the word gets out (which it would), would this be a good thing or a bad thing? ollie |
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hkwiles Special user Howard Wiles 797 Posts |
This implies you stop growing any older..which implies your kids don't grow any
older...you'd never see them grow up? Howard |
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Josh Riel Inner circle of hell 1995 Posts |
Quote:
On 2005-03-18 16:17, Josh Riel wrote: I personally have lived as long as I wish to. But for my children and my wife I continue. I would live for eternity for the chance of my wife and children to have the ultimate of their desires met. It is all selfishness, what I want is for my family to live, to make up for all the things I could not give. I don't really know what they would want. So it is with many, they give in the measure that they themselves think others would want, never really caring what they really need.
Magic is doing improbable things with odd items that, under normal circumstances, would be unnessecary and quite often undesirable.
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Rudolph McGuinness New user Isle of Man 23 Posts |
One word - 'yes'. Unless someone here of whatever faith can prove beyond doubt to me there is life after death. I'm not an atheist, but at the same time neither do I have the comfort of 100% belief.
Tell you something though, it would be tough watching your wife, children, grandchildren etc. etc. have to grow old and die before your very eyes. Which reminds me of that movie that Freddie Mercury and Queen did the music for. I would not want to have to engage in mortal sword combat with others like myself at regular periods of time either! Rudy. |
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RandyStewart Inner circle Texas (USA) 1989 Posts |
Do you know how many times I've heard your question?
And on and on and on and on........ |
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Samuel Catoe Inner circle South Carolina 1268 Posts |
As it stands right now, if I live to be an old man, I will bury my wife before I die as she is much older than I. Thoughts of life without her depress me enough as it is. The thought of living forever and watching the people I love die over and over does not appeal to me in the least. I for one choose to die. I do not know what lies in the next world or if there even is a next world, but I do know that I have no wish to remain in this one forever.
Author of Illusions of Influence, a treatise on Equivoque.
PM me for details and availability. |
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mikeflex New user 81 Posts |
There was an article in the Sunday paper today about this exact topic. They figured that by the year 2100, the average age could be 150. In 1900 it was about 47, today is about 73.
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irossall Special user Snohomish, Washington 529 Posts |
Quote:
On 2005-03-20 17:20, RandyStewart wrote: I have never been asked this question. I have asked this question to dozens of people and all but maybe one or two have answered No! Most everyone answers no even with any number of fail-safe qualifications in place. This is the first time I have asked Magician's and those most interested in Magic this question and also the first time I have gotten so many yes and maybe answers. The only thing I make of this is that it seems to me that the more curious the mind (those into Magic seem to have more curiosity than others) the more likely the answer would be yes or at least a strong maybe if the conditions are slightly adjusted. In the past when I asked this question I have always got a very quick and certain no, it did not matter how much the conditions may be altered the answer was still a very positive no. The only thing that would really trouble me would be watching my loved ones pass on while I keep on living, That as far as I can tell is the only thing that would prevent me from saying yes to this question. I really don't understand the boredom factor. If the world was never changing I suppose I could better understand boredom but the world is always changing with new inventions, music, art, movies etc... Boredom is not in my vocabulary. I have no fear of death. Death at the right time is a very good thing both for the dead and the living. But I do have a certain fear of dying because that can be a slow and painful experience for some as well as a painless experience for others and non of us know how ours will be (which is a good thing). I challenge everyone who has answered this post to go out and ask this question of your Friends and anyone else you choose and see if you get the same results that I have always got. Non-Magician's (No) Magician's (Yes or Maybe). Iven
Give the gift of Life, Be an Organ Donor.
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Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
Hi,
Great question and causes one to ponder. Originally when I saw this post my immediate reaction was to say Yes! After pondering it for a few days I did a reversal and thought definately NO. Here's my reasoning. While it would certainly would be tempting and the downside like some mentioned seeing your children and grandchildren pass would be difficult, there's other factors too. The joy of doing things and realizing perhaps you may never get the chance to experience that particular event again. You then make the most of it. There's a book called, "The Boy Who Felt No Pain", that I read many years ago which made me think of your post. The doctor who was the author, said many when they hear of this condition immediately say .."I would love to have that affliction." I believe it hits one in a couple billion, 7 have been diagnosed since this condition was first realized. How wonderful it would be to not feel the pain of a toothache, or flu, stomache ache..ect, most people think at first. Yet, every single person that's had this condition suffers enormously from it and most are disabled before they hit the age of 12. Pain as much as we dislike it is our bodies warning system. Touching a burning stove, walking on glass, even a toothache ...all those pains prevent us from more serious harm resulting from infection. What if we knew we were going to live forever...would our bodies then heal or be disabled from our total lack of disregard to possible dangers? We'd certainly all become thrill seekers..because after all...we know we were immortal. The world has many incredible things to do and with each decade there's more and the average person will not get the chance to do it all. Still, there is fun in trying, which increases the sheer thrill of participating. If you were going to live forever would you then run out of things to do which would give you the same joy? I suspect that most wouldn't find the motivation or joy to just do things as after all they would have all the time in the world to do it. Would that take away from the experience? I suspect it would. Anne Rice in her Vampire novels touches apon immortality and refers to those that are a mere hundred of years old to those thousands of years. While tempting to live a few hundred years you would never be able to develope relationships with anyone longterm, because you would experience their passing. Would that then cause to one steer away and miss the ulimate experience of human contact but only on superficial terms? Would you experience lonliness or find solace with others that are also living thousands of years? Living that long would certainly make us good at a particular thing. Would one get the same satisfaction if someone that wasn't living forever was able to accomplish it in a matter of years compared to us? Probably not. Nope for me, as tempting as it would be, I just want to make the most of what I have right now. Chrystal |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
No.
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Bobby Forbes Inner circle virginia beach, VA. 1569 Posts |
Absolutely NOT. I couldn't watch all of the people I love die.
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Payne Inner circle Seattle 4571 Posts |
Without death life would have no meaning.
Heck with death life has little meaning as it is. As it is we each live forever anyway. We just continually exist in the time that we lived in.
"America's Foremost Satirical Magician" -- Jeff McBride.
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Grimm Regular user 134 Posts |
I definitely wouldn't. Life is made more precious by the fact that it is fleeting. We are pressed to value what we have because it won't last. Death is as essential to life as birth.
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Josh Riel Inner circle of hell 1995 Posts |
You may very well live to see everyone you love die anyway.
As far as the meaning of life, well that has been debated for as long as people have had the notion of death. life and death I am certain neither is nessecary, in my opinion of "need". Death is essential in life, in that in order for my life to continue, I must take other life, in whatever form (I like steak). I am not certain that for me to die is essential for anything, anymore than my being born was essential for anything. Personally I see no "real" value in anything.
Magic is doing improbable things with odd items that, under normal circumstances, would be unnessecary and quite often undesirable.
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irossall Special user Snohomish, Washington 529 Posts |
Many of you have made mention of life and death having meaning and/or value I contend that it is the individual that places meaning and value to anything and everything. I don't think that everything must have meaning or value.
To me life and death is a mystery that I will never be able to solve, at least not in my lifetime. I try to find logic in the things that I don't understand but I cannot find logic in living and dying. What I mean to say is, the only thing that makes sense to me is the existence of nothing, an eternal void, to me that makes a lot of sense but the fact that there is something (life, death, thought, planets etc...) that means to me that there must be a reason for all of this but as an agnostic I have as much trouble believing in a deity as I do in believing that all of the universe and everything in it is here only by chance. Boy! Am I confused . I think the answer lies in the concept of eternity. I think eternity is a ring and our concieness is just a point on that ring. What makes me think this way is to consider the eternal past. If the past goes for all eternity then how can the future go on into all eternity. I think the concept of a ring answers this question quite nicely. No beggining and no end, just a point of reference which is our thoughts and lives. As we die we are born again, maybe here maybe somewhere else but we never lose ourselves. Life/Death opposite sides of the same coin? I gotta go take my medication now
Give the gift of Life, Be an Organ Donor.
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jonesc2ii Loyal user Oxford, England 235 Posts |
Yes, I want to live forever. For a while.
The film 'Interview with the Vampire', (which I am now going to watch this evening, thanks for the reminder!) deals with exactly this topic. Advantages: Learn to play the piano, perform magic etc., first hand knowledge of history, the ability to indulge in ultimate decadent behaviour... Disadvantages: First hand knowledge of history, boredom (even by ultimate decadent behaviour)... Obviously both lists could go on and on but ultimately the point is that everything that we think of as interesting and exciting would ultimately become tiresome. Imagine sky-diving, bungee jumping, rally driving, whitewater rafting without fear. Imagine how you would change if death had no meaning. Not only your own death but how you would consider the death of other people. At some point, I believe, you would need new experiences. What kind of excitement would you feel playing poker with mobsters? How long before you start treating other people with such contempt that you see no reason to not kill them? As for magic, imagine if you started this 'immortal life project' a hundred years ago. Would you consider the miracles we perform today to be any more spectacular than the miracles we performed a hundred years ago? Surely the audience reaction is what matters. Are we so much more advanced today? A hundred years ago an audience could be convinced that they had witnessed a miracle. Today the best we can hope for is that an audience might be convinced that they have seen something that they can't explain. How long before we need to perform miracles to convince an audience that they have seen something slighly interesting?
www.ixyl.co.uk/forums - for when you fancy a debate or a quiet chat.
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travisb Special user Vancouver, BC 548 Posts |
To me, the idea that someone wouldn't take the opportunity is bizarre. I just don't understand it. If you have the option to die--or to "turn on" your aging process again, if you'd rather not know the specific time of your death--why on earth wouldn't you at least try it to see if you like it?
If you lived in a time where you were not likely to live past forty, and someone asked you if you'd like to live to eighty, you'd turn them down? And due to some unfathomable concern about those extra years ruining the ones you have now? As for dead family, how many people here haven't already had a family member or a friend die on them? What I'm mostly wondering is, why do some people assume that living for a really long time would destroy their enjoyment of life? How do you know it wouldn't enrich it? It's never been done. We don't know what it's like. Why on earth would anybody deny themselves the chance to find out? -Travis |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Note the conditions: no aging, no physical or mental changes, no illness - by reasonable extension, no permanent injury.
One of the thrills of my life is horseback riding, an intrinsically dangerous sport; reasonable people could argue that it is precisely that danger that makes the sport worthwhile. Under the conditions given, the joy of horseback riding will be denied me. (Recall Captain Kirk on horseback in Star Trek: Generations.) Why deny oneself the chance to find out? Because one can imagine the possibilities and they are unappealing. |
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