Within the field of medicine, many have been working
tirelessly to extend our lives and improve our health. I discussed this in my post for I where I dealt with the concept of
immortality. When humans envision living
forever, they typically envision themselves living out that forever in a
youthful, healthy body. Perhaps why
there have been so many stories that focus on the mythical fountain of
youth. It sounds pretty enticing, at
least on the face of it. Take a drink of
this water, and you will stop aging.
Frozen in time in the physical sense, you get to live on in the world,
experiencing all it has to offer.
“Youth is wasted on the young.” –George Bernard Shaw
“In youth we learn; in age we understand.” –Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
These quotes make it easy to see one of the ways that
eternal youth appeals to us. We cherish
the wisdom that comes with age, but we lament the loss of the strength,
endurance, and beauty that goes hand-in-hand with youth. If we can gain eternal youth, we could have
wisdom along with the benefits of youth.
There are problems with eternal youth, though. When those around you age and die, it’s hard
to form lasting relationships with people, either because of jealousy on their
part, or fear of losing them on your own.
Your immortality sets you apart, leaving you separate from humanity. In the film The Man From Earth, a man in modern times reveals that he was born
as a caveman, and through some fluke of genetics, has been able to live for
more than 14,000 years. He stopped aging
in his mid-thirties, and while he has had injury and illness befall him, he has
always healed and continued on with his life.
Unfortunately, the fact that he no longer aged made him an object of
fear for many, who assumed it had to be due to some kind of evil
influence. He started moving from place
to place, staying for only about 10 years in each location before moving
on. In the film, he decides to tell his
colleagues the truth about himself, reactions range from fascination to outrage. Some parts of this film may be considered
controversial for some, and the fact that it is all dialogue mean that it isn’t
for everyone, but I thought it was an intriguing movie. If one of your friends revealed that they
were immortal, how would you react? Would
you doubt them, would you envy them, or would you want to try to understand?
However, what if all humans were suddenly blessed with
eternal youth? Birthrates would either
need to decline significantly, or we would need to expand and colonize other
worlds. Would humans lose an
appreciation for life, or would we embrace the benefits of a seemingly
limitless lifespan and explore all the universe has to offer?
