Welcome to Gaia! ::

There’s no time for us, there’s no place for us. What is this thing that builds our dreams… yet slips away from us? Who wants to live forever? Who wants to live forever?
There’s no chance for us, It’s all decided for us, this world has only one sweet moment set aside for us, Who wants to live forever? Who wants to live forever?……………………………........
Who dares to love forever?.…… When love must die!
Queen, Highlander
Sooner or later you will be torn from the one you love, what will you do then?

You'll cry, you'll morn you may become angry and in the darkness of the following day you may wonder why your still here but you'll go on, and each day will become easier. It is the way of things that each of us must pass away. As I grow older I have become more comfortable with that reality and when my time comes I think I will be able to face it calmly, I only fear for those I leave behind.

No one beats him at his game
For very long but just the same
Who cares, there's no place safe to hide
Nowhere to run--no time to cry
So celebrate while you still can
'Cause any second it may end.
And when it's all been said and done . . .
Better that you had some fun
Instead of hiding in a shell-Why make your life a living hell?
So have a toast, and down the cup
And drink to bones that turn to dust ('cause) . . .
No one, no one, no one, no one . . . . . .
No one lives forever!! (Hey!)

Wisdom is all aroound us, in the words of a poet, and in the words of a child. The seeing is all.

Ah, but it is also true that that which does not kill us makes us stronger, not diminishing but bolstering the whole.

I wrote a short story on this very topic, actually, some while ago. It was entitle "Cartaphilus is Dead."

Cartaphilus, was a man (either a Roman soldier or a Jewish passerby, depending on the legend) who supposedly taunted and mocked Christ on the way to his crucifixion. He was cursed by Jesus to wander the earth and never die until the second coming.

(For the record, I don't believe the legend has any basis in reality, because I have a hard time believing the Jesus of forgiveness and love would do something so bitchy, even on a really rough day. Still, it's a cool story, and it speaks to the fact that the agonies of human immortality have been wondered about for a long time.)

I would hate to be immortal--unless MAYBE I could also bestow that gift on my loved ones. And even then, the sheer exhaustion of day-to-day existence would really wear on me after a couple of centuries. After all, eternal life doesn't guarantee eternal wealth, eternal happiness, eternal beauty, or even eternal youth.

Still....how tempting it would be. Especially with eternal youth on your side!

It would be fascinating to see the tides of history flow and ebb, see how far the human race could advance or regress. Eternal life would enable one to learn almost anything and everything. I imagine picking a different field of study every decade or so--science, art, medicine, history, archaeology, anthropology, music, language, dance--and then starting over in the field once sufficient advancements are made that your knowledge is rendered obsolete. Imagine the history one could preserve, the knowledge that would otherwise be lost. An immortal could accomplish a lot of good in the world--or a lot of evil.

But the loneliness... I can barely fathom it. How much would it hurt to see loved ones, friends, teachers, pets, family...children, eve...grow old and die. Imagine how many funerals could one attend before one's mind broke down completely? How many times would you beg to die to any deity that would listen? I imagine it could only end in one of two things--madness or sociopathy.

Or, maybe, in time, you would come to accept it. Who knows?

If your loved ones could live alongside you....hmm. Perhaps then immortality would be bearable. That might be endurable. But what if they got tired of immortality and then came to resent YOU for the gift/curse? That would be even worse than hating yourself.

I may need to dig up and revise Cartaphilus is Dead. This question has given me a lot to think about.

Even without immortality if you live to any reasonable age you will watch family and friends die or leave. It is part of the human experience. So far at 47 I have watched grandparents, father and mother, aunts and uncles, cousins, my brother and wife die. I've lost track of more friends than I can easily count. I think it is worth giving some time and thought to how you will act and react when it happens to you. Some, like parents you expect to die first, others, like children should never die first. My wife and I both wanted to die first so we would not have to face the pain of separation. The she beat me to it. The pain doesn't go away but it does dull to a quiet ache.

eek I need to get around to making a subforum for sharing original writings. This was........words fail.