Mortality

[lenguy]

Mortality​

If there is one thing certain about this life, our life, my life and your life it is that we are born in this world and that one day we will leave this world. Time is not forever and neither are you. Its one of those haunting and profound things that we, as a species are consciously aware of. We know our time is limited on this planet and one day we will fade away leaving loved ones behind. This affects people upon different levels depending on age I think. We are young we are free and we have the whole world ahead of us. We are to busy with life to concern ourselves with the thoughts of death, let alone our own. The elderly probably view this a bit differently. When death becomes and ever approaching reality, how do you begin to view yourself and your life at this point? Did you do all that you wanted to to? Have you any regrets? Have you lived a long, happy, healthy and fulfilled life? How do you live with yourself knowing death is coming for you one day?

Its perplexing I find. I constantly ask myself what it means to die, too experience death. To know that one day I will be gone from this planet and will never return. Will I live on through memories? Will I forge a legacy that people will remember me for? Did my life ultimately have any real purpose? Or I'm I just another gear in a machine that will continue to run long after I'm gone. Is it just that? I'm I just expendible? I digress. Its a strange feeling to lose somebody you know, or anybody for that matter and just think about all the things they missed and will miss as time goes on. I often wonder, what will I miss? I highly doubt I will be around when Humans make first contact with an extraterrestrial alien species. I won't be around when Humans harvest a new world in some distant solar system. I won't be around to witness all the marvels the human race as yet to achive. I know I will miss much, but what will I miss? I want to be around to see these things and I want to know how Humankind progresses and I want to witness those history defining moments that will forever be etched in our history.

Spoiler

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Immortality.​

What would it be like to be immortal? Free from death and destruction. Is it even possible? Can people one day be so far advanced in our medical science and technology that we can out live our mortality and live for thousands maybe millions of years? Perhaps that's a bit of a stretch but essentially being immortal would mean that one could, in theory, potentially live forever.
What would that be like though? to live, maybe not forever but to just live one thousand years. What kind of impact would that have on you, spiritually? What would you do with yourself with all that time? Then after a millennium, what kind of person would you be? After all the time that has passed, how would all the things you've seen, done and experienced shape you after living that long. Its a curious notion I think.

We has a species have come a long way. We've advanced in our medical sciences to a degree that we are able to cure many diseases with improved medicines and treatments. Many people have embraced a green revolution when it comes to living a healthier life style which improves the bodies efficiency and overall performance. Technology also comes into play making our lives easier, more comforting, convenient and efficient and its becoming ever more integrated with our bodies. Better prosthetic for example are always changing and will continue to evolve.

I guess my point is that when you combine all those factors that help in prolonging human life, will there come a day where the tipping point between morality and immortality are forever altered? I find the idea fascinating. Is it possible to put off death indefinitely? What would an ageless, immortal human be like without the worry of death? Is it the type of life you would want? Or does death somehow adding meaning to our lives? I will end it with this quote.

"Take death for example. A great deal of our effort goes into avoiding it. We make extraordinary efforts to delay it and often consider its intrusion a tragic event. Yet we'd find it hard to live without it. Death gives meaning to our lives. It gives importance and value to time. Time would become meaningless if there were too much of it. If death were indefinitely put off, the human psyche would end up, well, like the gambler in the "Twilight Zone" episode." Ray Kurzwiel-futurist, inventor.

What do you make of mortality and more specifically, your mortality? Is Immortality possible? If you think so then share with us and explain to us what you would do if you were immortal. Keep the discussion flowing and sound off below!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, whether or not you have any particular religious beliefs, mortality is one of our truly defining aspects as a species. Like everything else on this planet, including animals & vegetation of all types, our physical bodies will simply stop working. While it's part of the natural process of existence, it's a part that we're especially affected by due to our sentience.

While, physically, we're animals every bit as much as anything living in the jungles & forests of the world, our intelligence causes mortality to affect us in ways different from other animals. That's not to say that animals losing a loved one don't grieve or don't feel the emotional loss that causes, but it's something that affects us to a far greater degree that's reflected in various art forms. After all, how many songs have been written, paintings painted or statues sculpted to tell a story about the loss of life?

The concept of our mortality in popular media, such as music, isn't really fashionable these days. In the here & now, whether it's Rock, R&B, Country, etc., a lot of the music that's played on the radio or shown in music videos is more about having a good time. A lot of the more popular tunes you'll hear all seem to have catchy hooks that involve chasing girls, raising hell, partying, living for the moment, etc. The artists themselves also seem to have a more uniform look in that many of them are highly attractive, youthful & vigorous in appearance. While there's nothing wrong with all of that in the grand scheme of things, it seems that much of the commercially centered music industry as a whole wants to project a certain image that's far removed from the much more somber topic of mortality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aF9AJm0RFc

That's a link to the music video for the song "Hurt" recorded by Johnny Cash that debuted back in early 2003. Cash had been battling a number of severe illnesses for years and his appearance suggested that he was someone that wasn't long for this world. His body was clearly frail and the powerful baritone that'd made him one of the most enduring recording artists of the 20th Century was greatly restricted by his physical weakness, which could be clearly heard. The lyrics of the song, which were written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and the video center very much around the concept of mortality, regret and consequences. The song coupled with Cash in the video struck me as a harsh reminder that death comes for everyone and it was a stark departure from what you'd see in the music videos of other artists. You might see Britney Spears gyrating like a stripper or Mariah Carey in a skimpy bikini or any number of male artists portraying some sort of macho image with half naked woman cavorting around on the screen, while "Hurt" was something of a cold hard reality check.

FAR, FAR smarter people that me have talked about mortality and what it ultimately means since time immemorial. None of those people have really come up with any definitive answer but, then again, that's part of the fascination. It's a mystery, the ultimate mystery, that can't be solved through scientific analysis or philosophical debate. To me, our mortality has come to remind me how overly arrogant I think the human race has become. We view ourselves as masters of the world and existence, due in large part to our technological advances but when it's all said & done, every single human being is as inconsequential as any other single living thing. Steve Jobs has been called the Thomas Edison of our age due to the technological innovations of Apple, Inc., Bill Gates has a net worth estimated at $60 billion, Donald Trump can lay down $300,000 for a luxury car as casually as I'd lay down $1.50 for an Egg McMuffin, but they'll all end up every bit as dead as I will. Old or young, weak or strong, rich or poor, human mortality is the ultimate fairness because it applies to everyone.