How long should we live?

[SpoiledPrincess]

How long would you choose to live?

Our body often packs up long before our mind is ready to give up the ghost, long before we've done everything we wanted to or had our fill of life. How long would you choose to live? Of course it's a given that your mind and body stay strong and healthy up until the last few years.

Personally I'd go for 200 years, I can imagine by that time I'd have had my fill of the less pleasant parts of life, done everything I wanted to do and be happy to go.

 

[Rugbypup]

That diffcult to answer, dosent matter how long u live, there will always be something you didnt get around to doing.

I recon long enough to see the worlds beauty but not so long that all there is left to see it is horror...

 

[pavement]

How long would you choose to live?

Our body often packs up long before our mind is ready to give up the ghost, long before we've done everything we wanted to or had our fill of life. How long would you choose to live? Of course it's a given that your mind and body stay strong and healthy up until the last few years.

Personally I'd go for 200 years, I can imagine by that time I'd have had my fill of the less pleasant parts of life, done everything I wanted to do and be happy to go.

Well maybe there are vast hoardes who yearn to die(maybe time for suicides to skyrocket) but as long as health remained at least reasonable & misery would not be the measure of the years I might go for
BTEOT

 

[HazelGod]

How long would you choose to live?

Forever.

That being said, I'd probably go the same route that vampires seem so fond of and hibernate for a while every few centuries.

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

I wonder why so many people find vampires scary when what they offer us is supposed to be something most of us want?

 

[Rugbypup]

A bit more run time against eternal damnation?

 

[Ethyl]

My first reaction is to agree with Hazelgod.

Pro: Imagining all the beauty that could be seen, created, and protected.
Con: Imagining all the damage we could do if we lived longer than 80+ years. Look at all the damage we do now in such a relatively short life span.

 

[Rugbypup]

I would prefer reincarnation with memory or better still regeneration.

Live for a 100 years or until you die and rengerate as someone new... time lord stylie...

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

But maybe if we lived longer we might accumulate more wisdom and not be so destructive?

 

[Rugbypup]

Maybe, if humanity could truely learn forgiveness.

Could you imagine the prisoners of the WW2 or the Jews of th Holocaust living for all time, never forgiving the attrosities of mankind?

Death isnt perhaps a bad thing in the sense that with it the past may be allowed to be just that, the past.

 

[dong20]

Until I became bored of living.

 

[JeepersJane]

Forever.

That being said, I'd probably go the same route that vampires seem so fond of and hibernate for a while every few centuries.

My first reaction is to agree with Hazelgod.

Pro: Imagining all the beauty that could be seen, created, and protected.
Con: Imagining all the damage we could do if we lived longer than 80+ years. Look at all the damage we do now in such a relatively short life span.

The damage is rather amazing, yes! This is an unfortunate realization but a sound response. I would only opt for the "forever" option if HazelGod get's the same deal. I cannot imagine life would be worth living without people around like him to make such a full and terminal duration tolerable! MercurialBiliss would be a grand candidate for eternity also, though I suspect her nearly ruthless conscience would eventually determine she opts out at some point. Boooo! :smile:

 

[Ethyl]

But maybe if we lived longer we might accumulate more wisdom and not be so destructive?

Possibly. But i've met people in their "golden years" who are adverse to change and they're the ones who worry me. You're never too old to change but you're more likely to stagnate as you grow older unless you're receptive to change. The world is constantly changing and if we don't learn to adapt as well as broaden our horizons, we're more likely to be destructive.

 

[Rugbypup]

I'd second that...

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

I can't imagine anything scarier than eternal life without an option to end it.

 

[JeepersJane]

I'd second that...

I third that.

 

[JeepersJane]

I can't imagine anything scarier than eternal life without an option to end it.

I second that... although... our lack of control over the inevitability of death is probably also what adds to making us so damn destructive. I'm not sure. It's a good existential question, maybe.

 

[Freddie53]

We are living longer and there are consequences to pay. We can't retire at 55 and then live to be 105 and live actively. Our economic system won't allow for that.

Human reproduction would have to be revamped. New children arriving every year and no old folks leaving the planet would be a disaster.

And while the good folks would gather more wisdom and be wonderful. The evil people would just get crankier and more asute as sowing discontent and misery.

One hundred twenty years though sounds reasonable. It is in keeping with the ratio of growing up and total life span humans have as opposed to the other mamamals. Humans spend a much bigger percentage of their life growing up than the other mammals.

 

[Ethyl]

I can't imagine anything scarier than eternal life without an option to end it.

Do you mean eternal life as in this life or an "afterlife"?

 

[JeepersJane]

...Humans spend a much bigger percentage of their life growing up than the other mammals.

More than ever before!