Physical Immortality... on THIS Earth?

[Luxus]

So lets say you create the philosophers stone. You consume it and now your lifespan has massively extended to hundreds if not thousands of years...is that a wonderful thing or a nightmare? What if politically the world continues to "develop" down the road it is headed?

Would you end up cutting yourself off from the masses? Would you end up walking the Earth alone as a recluse hermit for a very very long time? Would you come to envy those who die?

When you think about it the life of such a person parallels the story of the vampire blessed in some eyes cursed in others!

Its funny I remember a TV program where they interviewed people who made it to over 100 years of age...all of them said it was too long and that they are eagerly looking forward to death

 

[Ghislain]

I am sure you would have a choice, there must be a plethora of ways you could peacefully end it all if that was your preference.
But having that choice, you would probably find an equal number of reasons not to do it

Mortality is not a problem for all animals on the planet, there are many that are immortal, but even they succumb to untimely ends
due to outside influences. The lobster gets eaten by us for instance. <- not the best example

Ghislain

 

[JDP]

So lets say you create the philosophers stone. You consume it and now your lifespan has massively extended to hundreds if not thousands of years...is that a wonderful thing or a nightmare? What if politically the world continues to "develop" down the road it is headed?

Would you end up cutting yourself off from the masses? Would you end up walking the Earth alone as a recluse hermit for a very very long time? Would you come to envy those who die?

When you think about it the life of such a person parallels the story of the vampire blessed in some eyes cursed in others!

Its funny I remember a TV program where they interviewed people who made it to over 100 years of age...all of them said it was too long and that they are eagerly looking forward to death

I don't buy that "I don't want to live forever, please someone shoot me!" thingy. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie (like Zardoz), which is fine and entertaining in fiction stories, but hardly reflects reality and how sane, logical & rational people really feel. Anyone who has lived that long and wants to die is most likely because their health is not very good, so to keep on living for much longer in such conditions would indeed become bothersome. But if you could live to be 100 or much beyond that and still retain great health and vigor, I don't think I would see anyone complaining about it! In fact, they would love to keep it going for as long as possible. Nobody in his right mind wants to take a gamble at dying. If there is such a thing as an "afterlife", then that's all fine and dandy, but what if there isn't? You want your brain, your memories, your consciousness, the very essence of who you are, to become nothing but food for the worms? Ghastly end, when you think about it. But we all "do it" because so far there has been no other choice. But cryonics might change that.

 

[Luxus]

Ageing Aubrey de Grey defines as the accumulation of error. This error manifests in two main ways:

1. The build-up of junk in the biological system which eventually results in error and a system component failing e.g. calcification or protein cross-linking.

2. The accumulation of DNA damage which results in defective cellular replication thus eventual malfunction.

Free radicals released by the mitochondria during energy conversion is a major cause of DNA damage.

We can deal with the cross-linking by taking L-Carnosine
We can deal with calcification by taking vitamin K
We can deal with inter mitochondrial free radicals by taking Q10 and N acetyl cysteine or if your more adventurous carbon 60 dissolved in olive oil.

Carbon 60 dissolved in olive oil has extended the lifespan of rats by 50% which of all the substances tested on rats thus far has had the greatest efficiency.

 

[Ghislain]

I agree with JDP here. I think this community is constructed of people of all different ages, is there anyone here
who, given the choice, would choose death over life?

If you have emotional or physical problems that you are having difficulties dealing with then you may see death as
a sort of escape, but I'm sure anyone of sound mind and body would not choose to die, irrespective of age.

For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed watching films, but I am always aware that the enjoyment is temporary
and in a short time, perhaps an hour and a half to two hours the film will be over. I see life pretty much the same, but
I'm still enjoying it while it lasts

On a slightly different note, communities used to look to their elders with respect, todays younger generation look at
their elders as possible dementia cases. I guess, if you were able to live longer, losing those close to you, you may have
a problem building social relationships, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it; give me the pill!!!

Ghislain

 

[Luxus]

On a slightly different note, communities used to look to their elders with respect, todays younger generation look at
their elders as possible dementia cases. I guess, if you were able to live longer, losing those close to you, you may have
a problem building social relationships, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it; give me the pill!!!

Ghislain

Another fun thing to think about is how would you avoid attention, do you not think your close family, friends and neighbours would get suspicious. How long would it be before you attract the attention of the media or government. How do you deal with going to the airport and having your passport checked and explaining that yes you really are 200 years old

How long before someone wants to kill you for your pill of immortality

 

[Ghislain]

There are two scenarios here Luxus. One is that only you have this pill, the other is that it is readily available to all.
I think your scenario fits with the former and in this case you would have a lot of problems, but along with that you
would have plenty of time to find solutions

Ghislain

 

[Andro]

We can deal with the cross-linking by taking L-Carnosine
We can deal with calcification by taking vitamin K
We can deal with inter mitochondrial free radicals by taking Q10 and N acetyl cysteine or if your more adventurous carbon 60 dissolved in olive oil.

Are you taking those, Luxus?

 

[Luxus]

Are you taking those, Luxus?

I have taken all of those apart from the C60, but I have taken various types of herbs too.

 

[Awani]

Scene from Highlander

 

[Kiorionis]

I think you all should watch more criminal-mastermind shows

Money is a big influence on people. If you have the elixir of life, you’re also probably smart enough to have a stone which transmutes lead into gold. And I think it’s only a few thousand grand to buy a new life, complete with documentation. Those same people producing the documentation probably aren’t opposed to taking gold and silver as payment.

The hardest part of this strategy, I believe, is coming up with a new name haha.

 

[Luxus]

Awani, do you remember...

...what life was like before birth?

 

[Luxus]

I think you all should watch more criminal-mastermind shows

Money is a big influence on people. If you have the elixir of life, you’re also probably smart enough to have a stone which transmutes lead into gold. And I think it’s only a few thousand grand to buy a new life, complete with documentation. Those same people producing the documentation probably aren’t opposed to taking gold and silver as payment.

The hardest part of this strategy, I believe, is coming up with a new name haha.

True but the thing about crooks is that you can never trust a crook because by their very nature they are dishonest. How much would you trust walking into a airport with your fake passport haha

 

[Kiorionis]

That’s the thing though, you don’t buy a fake passport. You buy a real one

That’s what they do in the movies anyways

 

[Awani]

...what life was like before birth?

I have had visionary experience of my first life (not this one), but if you want empirical factual memories I cannot remember anything before the age of 5 years or so.

 

[Amon]

I can see why someone would consider it unbearable after a certain point. But i don't. I have a rather busy schedule planned out, given that i will succeed at making the elixir.

But as some before me already stated, the elixir doesn't make you immortal, it simply increases your longevity (or so it is said to, opinions are divided).

 

[JDP]

Ok so would you say all the successful alchemists before us are heartless bastards for not openly detailing the production of the elixir to the masses ?

Come to think of it how would one cope with burying everyone they have ever loved? Would you reach a point where you would never allow yourself to love anyone ever again?

Hmm, that is interesting, Vampires in the story's are sometimes said not to have a beating heart and to be incapable of love....ultimately then taking the elixir turns you into a vampire

No, there is a fundamental difference between the immortality of vampires and other kinds: vampires NEED to feed on the life of other people, they are parasites. That's the reason they are believed to be "cursed". It's not the immortality per se that makes them so. For example, no one saw the legendary Chinese "immortals" as "cursed". They did not feed on other people's lives to attain that status. The Chinese alchemists were obsessed with the subject of concocting an "elixir" that would allow them to become one of these "immortals", or at least come close to it by extending their lives as long as possible.

 

[JDP]

Another fun thing to think about is how would you avoid attention, do you not think your close family, friends and neighbours would get suspicious. How long would it be before you attract the attention of the media or government. How do you deal with going to the airport and having your passport checked and explaining that yes you really are 200 years old

How long before someone wants to kill you for your pill of immortality

Besides the already recommended Highlander film, also watch the second story of the horror anthology movie, From a Whisper to a Scream. Both movies show two interesting and distinct approaches at how to deal with the subject of immortality or unusual longevity that is not shared with the bulk of mankind:

1- Keep on faking your death and on getting new identities every so many decades as you deem cautious to do so before someone starts suspecting something (this is the "Highlander" approach)

2- Isolate yourself from the bulk of society and live on your own in a remote place, pretty much like a hermit, with as little contact as possible with those who do not know your secret (this is the "From a Whisper to a Scream" approach)

 

[elixirmixer]

Id probably run the number 1 senario for a while until id buried all my loved ones. Then i would live remotely, while visiting town every now and again to heal all the kids with cancer and disappear again without a trace or any goodbyes. Id go from town to town. You wouldnt want to get rushed by sick people by coming back to a town you performed miracles in. Remember Jesus and the diciples ditching the masses and going across the sea? Jesus had a plan too

 

[elixirmixer]

Unfortunatly, the Stone itself i believe has a 120 year limit. Full immortality requires unlocking shit at higher spiritual levels and opening the floodgates of vitality into the body. I dont think that the Stone; as powerful as it may-be; is going to get you laid by 17yr olds when your 569. Sorry.

 

[elixirmixer]

Plus; i dont think it makes you beautiful either so if your ugly then your still going to be ugly, stone or no stone lol

 

[elixirmixer]

It says in the book of mormon that Jesus made three of his original deciples immortal on THIS Earth. And also three of his 12 american deciples (we are talking pre-aztec here)

So according to scripture; there are at least 6 blokes walking around this earth in perfected bodies; able to hide their appearance, and show themselves to any worthy people whenever they wish "for the good of humanity".

 

[Luxus]

Plus; i dont think it makes you beautiful either so if your ugly then your still going to be ugly, stone or no stone lol

Just as well I'm a 6ft6 hansom devil then

 

[Kibric]

Just as well I'm a 6ft6 hansom devil then

You are a chiselled Greek god

 

[elixirmixer]

You are a chiselled Greek god

Thats what she said.