# Eternal life: Gift or Curse?



## atlashunter (Jul 29, 2017)

Setting aside the religious claims about how to beat death and have an eternal life is that something we should desire? To live for infinity? I'm inclined to think that is a gift I would turn down. I think those who say they want to live forever haven't really given much thought to how long that is. I would like to live longer than a normal human lifespan if I could do it in good health. How much longer I can't say. But I think eventually I would have enough and be ready for it to end.


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## SemperFiDawg (Jul 29, 2017)

I love watching sunrises and sunsets every single day.  They are never the same and always beautiful.  I can never tire of them.  Unending wonder and awe.  I'm in with that.


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## JimD (Jul 29, 2017)

It's funny you mention that, because as a child I often wondered what the heck I would do forever! It kinda scared me in a way. I also agree with what was said in the post above.


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## atlashunter (Jul 29, 2017)

SemperFiDawg said:


> I love watching sunrises and sunsets every single day.  They are never the same and always beautiful.  I can never tire of them.  Unending wonder and awe.  I'm in with that.



There are many pleasures I enjoy in life. I don't believe there is a single one I wouldn't tire of on a long enough time line.


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## ambush80 (Jul 29, 2017)

I wouldn't mind it as long as I had other people (intelligent creatures) around.  If we learned to travel the entire Universe it might be OK to watch planets be born and die, watch organisms evolve into sentient intelligent creatures and even watch the universe collapse on itself and maybe be reborn in infinite permutations.

It's hard to imagine infinity, especially starting from NOW.


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## SemperFiDawg (Jul 29, 2017)

I remember an old Sat. Nt live skit where a class action law suit had been brought against Satan.  He would give people their wish but then turn the gift into a curse.  He gave one plaintiff eternal life then had him sentenced to life in prison.  Still funny every time i think about it.  Wonder if it's on Youtube.  Hmmmm.


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## SemperFiDawg (Jul 29, 2017)

Found it.  Is even funnier than I remembered.  My memory sure was off though.


http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/the-peoples-court/n9487?snl=1


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## atlashunter (Jul 29, 2017)

ambush80 said:


> I wouldn't mind it as long as I had other people (intelligent creatures) around.  If we learned to travel the entire Universe it might be OK to watch planets be born and die, watch organisms evolve into sentient intelligent creatures and even watch the universe collapse on itself and maybe be reborn in infinite permutations.
> 
> It's hard to imagine infinity, especially starting from NOW.



How many times of doing that would it take before you had seen enough? If the stars outnumber the grains of sand on all the beaches of the earth would you really want to visit each one and all of their planets. It might get a bit repetitive after the first few billion. But let's say you did just that. How many more times do you think you might like to repeat the exercise? 

One thing that got me thinking about this was reading suicide letters. It was interesting because people don't always commit suicide out of negative emotions. Some people just reach the point where they are content with the life they have lived, there is nothing else they want to do, and they are ready to exit the stage. On a longer time span more people would reach that point. On a long enough time span I suspect most if not everyone would.


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## swampstalker24 (Jul 29, 2017)

JimD said:


> It's funny you mention that, because as a child I often wondered what the heck I would do forever! It kinda scared me in a way. I also agree with what was said in the post above.



Same here...  the thought of "eternity" kept me up many a nights as a kid.  Such a foreign concept when you really think about it.

In my studies on mediation, ancient beliefs, and altered states of consciousness I have come to the conclusion that a conscious existence outside the confines of time may be possible, however.

More specifically, in studies conducted on the affects of DMT, aka the spirit molecule, participants reported going to a place where time did not exist.  A feeling of forever that happens in the blink of an eye.  Many participants told the researcher they felt like they were under the effects of the drug for what seemed like 10,000 years, yet only a few minutes had actually passed.

In this sense, maybe eternity is not at all what we think. Maybe eternity is simply a state of timelessness.


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## SemperFiDawg (Jul 29, 2017)

atlashunter said:


> There are many pleasures I enjoy in life. I don't believe there is a single one I wouldn't tire of on a long enough time line.



Not me.  I can never tire of some things.  My families love and affection, new anything be it understanding, relationships, scenery.  I think that maybe the worst thing about life is when these things either don't exist or one becomes too old and feeble to experience them.


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## lagrangedave (Jul 29, 2017)

What is DMT?


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## atlashunter (Jul 29, 2017)

swampstalker24 said:


> Same here...  the thought of "eternity" kept me up many a nights as a kid.  Such a foreign concept when you really think about it.
> 
> In my studies on mediation, ancient beliefs, and altered states of consciousness I have come to the conclusion that a conscious existence outside the confines of time may be possible, however.
> 
> ...



Difference between altered perception of time and timelessness.


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## atlashunter (Jul 29, 2017)

lagrangedave said:


> What is DMT?



Good stuff from the sound of it.


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## 1gr8bldr (Jul 29, 2017)

If we go with the biblical narrative.... ageing did not exist because time, the curse, did not exist, We assume Adam would have stayed that age as in the garden. I would want to live forever. I change hobbies about every decade. Soooooo, I would have plenty of time to exhaust all there is to do. This assumes, and maybe that should be questioned, good health. However, the bible gives indication that I would not be married to my wife. That's upsetting to me. Another discussion, another time


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## WaltL1 (Jul 29, 2017)

Living for infinity sounds great but I'm not so sure.
Watching everyone you love die time after time after time etc.
Would I/we still enjoy things in the same way? Watching a sunset is so enjoyable in part because we know we only have so many.
When the earth burns out, blows up, is destroyed etc. where would I end up? Would I be the only one left?
By that time would we have colonized other planets? Maybe one without sunsets, fishing, pizza etc. etc?
Does being able to live for infinity mean I cant even "check out" if I wanted to?
Something that sounds so great like living for infinity might actually end up being a horrifying curse.


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## WaltL1 (Jul 29, 2017)

lagrangedave said:


> What is DMT?





> Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a naturally occurring psychedelic drug of the tryptamine family. DMT is found in many plants along with the human body. DMT is created in the body during normal metabolism by the enzyme tryptamine-N-methyltransferase and the neurotransmitter serotonin. DMT can be ingested, injected, and inhaled. Doctor Richard Strassman was among the first psychologists to study the effects of DMT and other psychedelic chemicals. Dr. Strassman discovered that DMT is released by the pineal gland while a person is approaching death. Thus explaining the imagery reported by survivors of near death experiences (NDE phenomenon). DMT is also released during the 49th day of fetus development.


Apparently we've all done it.


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