The perplexities of immortality

Ah there's so much to discuss on this subject. By immortality I don't mean not dying with age / other natural causes; I mean it in the most literal sense "to live forever, under any and all circumstances" a) Who should be made immortal? Should artificial selection be utilized to select ideal individuals for the future of humanity? Who gets to decide it? b) How do we continue to be immortal amidst a mortal universe? c) How do we deal with population and living space issues that arises from it? d) When in a person's life should this immortality take effect? Obviously, Im using assumptions or looking at this on a surface level here, hence there are bound to be errors; but these questions always made me wonder. I'd like your input on this.

You mean immortal like Rin in Mnemosyne and Jack Harkness in Doctor Who? I would prefer a custom body if there was a way to transmit my self/soul into it. I would prefer to be an immortal loli of about 12yrs old. You can't publicize such a technology if it came about, people would kill each other for it. You have to have the right kind of psychology and mindset/outlook to maintain your sanity and purpose over a long period of time. Only certain people would be suitable. Also a certain level of intellect, maturity and responsibility. Only those that are already immortal could really judge who might be suitable. Hopefully anyone who discovers a way to do this aren't evil. On a practical level you could have a court of immortal beings who decide to extend the invitation of immortality to a few specific individuals who demonstrate a superior level of intellect, morality and evolutionary ideas beyond convention. Say people like Leonardo Da Vinci and such.

I wouldn't mind, but who knows? My opinion might change in a few thousand years. There are so many things I would love to do and a regular lifetime is way too short. It would take me a long time to get bored if ever. I want to learn to play every instrument, speak and write every language, master every martial art, explore every part of the earth. When we develop interstellar travel there are a near infinite number of planets to explore. Plus it would be interesting to watch the course of human development over thousands of years if we don't kill ourselves with war and pollution. And that's just the human race. There may be untold number of other races in the universe and so much we could learn from them that a million years would only allow for learning the equivalent of a drop of water in the bucket of available knowledge.

@differentdrum: if you dislike being mortal AND do not wish to be immortal, what sustains you right now? Surely you have the power to end it right this minute if you wished. Or do you dislike it enough to the extent of enduring it for some obscure purpose; but not to the extent of actually walking away?

Ever wonder if we are actually immortal beings and human life is just a simulation we developed as a way of experiencing everything anew again? (Like the Matrix movies, we just don't realize we are in it until it ends.)

Yes Ive wondered about the possibility. Infact, I meant to start a topic to see the ideas from people about the possible state of our universe and existence. It would be interesting to know. The possibilities are endless as long as we dont find out the truth. Perhaps we are just plainly avatars in a computer program running in some confined space. Perhaps we are abstract ideas controlled by actual humans. For all we know, we could all be characters in an elaborate fantasy created by an exceptionally brilliant mind or a schizophrenic. We could all be comatose and in virtual worlds. Perhaps, in a more eccentric sense, we could even be the extraterrestrial beings we search for , we are just simulating the lives of a lower power for our entertainment while egotistically making ourselves superior and mysterious in the minds of the simulated human. Its infinite.

I don't want to be that boring party crasher guy. But realistically speaking, you'd probably go mad after living for more than 10 000 years. A simple human mind just can't take so much memories and experience gained after so much time. Just look at the people that managed to last beyond 100. They tend to forget stuff very quickly, sometimes have trouble remembering even the most memorable events in their lives, and get confused very easily. If you really want to live for so long, you'll most likely need something like the memory bowl thingy from Harry Potter that Dumbledore used, or at least write yourself a hardcore diary of sorts every day to leave a record of memories that you don't want to forget.

Oh no, you do make a valid point. However, I think its likely that enhancements to memory and aging would already be in place before immortality ensues. If we all got so easily fed up with the changes that we experience with every age for example, only very few people would remain alive. Regardless of all these limitations we have as of now, we still strive to go on living. We complain about all the things we dont have but there are those among us who work hard to give people a reason to stay and instil hope for a better tomorrow. Just because we are immortal doesnt mean everything reaches a plateau. There will almost always be something to do that keeps us engaged. But I suppose this is me taking on a more hopeful view for the days to come. I do think such a view could revolutionalize things like we have done all these years to sustain ourselves. Giving up may bring irreversible consequences and I doubt that may be beneficial to us as a species.