Immortality or Mortality?

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  1. theseus profile image69
    theseusposted 14 years ago

    If you are to choose between immortality and mortality,what would you choose? Why?

    1. Insight1987 profile image60
      Insight1987posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It depends.

      Immortality will probably cause most weariness of living, esp. since people don't really have serious interests, hobbies, etc. Why extend a near-vegetative state forever? wink

      People, also, have specific ideas about the arts, politics, culture, religion, etc. Sometimes they change, but a certain point, growth ceases. Can you imagine if our politicians were immortal? There would be NO change over the next century, except minimal fluff.

      Same with artists. It's bad enough that 99% of published writing is garbage, but extend such to eternity, and there will never BE people w/ new experiences, new outlooks to improve any of this.

      If immortality were to work, there would have to be serious clauses/stipulations, and perhaps even genetic engineering, etc., to avoid many of these purely social problems.

    2. kess profile image59
      kessposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      why the option,  don't you realize with immortality you already have both.

      immortality can traverse death at any time of his choosing.

      unlike mortality who is granted a favor in and by their living.

    3. profile image0
      Twenty One Daysposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      no need to choose;
      choice is mortality.
      free will is immortality.

    4. goldenpath profile image67
      goldenpathposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      To me they are one the same.  Mortality leads to immortality.  It's all in how you define immortality - and mortality for that matter.

    5. Beelzedad profile image59
      Beelzedadposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Immortality. There just isn't enough time to see all the universe in one lifetime.  smile

    6. DoubleScorpion profile image77
      DoubleScorpionposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hmm..Lets see...I believe that the Spiritual part of me is Immortal...however...As I am really enjoying this physical mortal living...I would have to ask for an extended Physical Mortal life...The Spiritual Immortal life is always going to be there...I don't mind waiting a hundred physical years or so before I get to the Immortal life

      1. theseus profile image69
        theseusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        Thank you Double Scorpion for sharing your thoughts on the subject.

    7. Greenheart profile image59
      Greenheartposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think that both can be in evidence.
      That was the case with my spiritual teacher, Adi Da.
      And in fact it is our real condition.
      Our true nature, in this moment is immortal. And yet waht we define as 'i' certainly suffers and dies
      I wouldnt like to choose between one or another.
      I wonder what kind of position i would have to be in to have to make such a choice, besides of course you asking us.
      Thanks for the question!
      :-))

      1. theseus profile image69
        theseusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        Thank you Greenheart for dropping by and sharing your thoughts on the matter.

    8. pennyofheaven profile image82
      pennyofheavenposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I would say mortality is the choice immortality makes.

  2. melpor profile image92
    melporposted 14 years ago

    I would choose mortality. I  would not want to live forever. Life would get pretty boring after a while, even if you didn't age or get sick. You can only do but so much in a lifetime.

    1. Castlepaloma profile image74
      Castlepalomaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The only example we human have for immortality is the immortal jelly fish. This only creature on earth with the experience to show us the way to immorality and the bible greatly disrespect the jellyfish
      The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth. There may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).Turritopsi can regenerate its entire body over and over again, it is able to reverse its aging processes ...its 650 million years old

      If  I where ask the jelly fish are you content living immortally without a brain or backbone, the jelly fish would be able to answer me back. The only reason I would want to die is, if I had no brain.

      Unless there a genie appears like the bible that tell you, it can mysteries’, magically happen if you obey our rules, if not, there is always immortal hell.

      1. theseus profile image69
        theseusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        Castlepaloma,
        Thank you for the trivia..I honestly did not know that there is such a thing as an immortal jellyfish.

  3. profile image0
    Neville Walkposted 14 years ago

    I don't want to live forever.  However, I don't want to die either.  I'm not sure what alternative I could imagine though.  Not that there is a choice in reality.

  4. theseus profile image69
    theseusposted 14 years ago

    To all those who have already posted:Thank you..
    >Insight1987-your name suits you,you really have much insights on the matter.And pretty good ones, too. Thank you for posting.
    >Kess-Thank you for posting;
    >melpor-I totally agree with you,thank's for dropping by;
    >Twenty one days-I believe so, too;thank you
    >goldenpath-A nice perspective on the subject;
    >Beelzedad-If only we have a choice on the matter, it would be  such a treat,right?
    >Neville Walk-Yeah, we really don't have a choice. Just as good since I wouldn't want to have to deal with such a dilemma, right?
    >MY VIEW:"Don't be afraid to die,be afraid of living an unlived life".(From the movie Tuck Everlasting)

    To everyone..thank you.

  5. melpor profile image92
    melporposted 14 years ago

    Theseus,  a jellyfish and hydra are immortal. They can live for ever. If one cell survives that jellyfish or hydra is still alive. You can cut them  up into hundreds of pieces and each piece will become another whole jelly fish or hydra. The jellyfish and hydra are consisted of only reproductive cells. They do not have soma (body) cells like the higher animals in the animal kingdom.

    1. theseus profile image69
      theseusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you melpor. Maybe I was absent in my science class when the teacher discussed this..After all, next to mathematics, science boggles my mind and I'd rather attend English and arts class the whole day..haha

  6. Shadesbreath profile image75
    Shadesbreathposted 14 years ago

    Too bad the choice isn't "Immortality or Immorality." Things would get interesting if that was an actual choice with verifiable outcomes.

    1. theseus profile image69
      theseusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for the suggestion. Actually, the reason I posted this  was because for the nth time i watched the movie I posted above. And for the nth time I'm still curious as to what other people will choose if given the choice.

      1. Shadesbreath profile image75
        Shadesbreathposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        Alright, I'll play then.

        I think the problem lies in not knowing what the immmortality in question includes. I'm a science fiction fan, so I've read craptons of books that hit this issue, some with some pretty good philosophical underpinnings. Quality of life (and, frankly, afterlife too, which is a different but parallel conversation), matters when deciding whether or not immortality is preferable.

        Here's a standard sci-fi dilemma: Immortal creature outlives humanity and sits alone on the barren earth contemplating the eons of its loneliness forever. Story ends totally depressing and nightmarish.

        You can add a fun slant that takes the story all the way to the end of the sun, and then the immortal creature floats forever in space, and, because of whatever immortality magic animates and preserves it, it can't even be included into the reformation of a new solar system.

        You can add more fun to that fun, and say that that creature lives for the billions(probably trillions of years really) of years necessary to outlive several failed solar systems in that proximity of the universe until it finally ends up that he's back in a situation that makes for a solar system that develops life again. Plus, that life has to be capable of finding him floating out there (he could just be floating out there right now, somewhere by Saturn or Uranus and we'll never know), and then he can have a social life again until that world blows itself up or dies naturally, and then has to wait the trillions of years again. Etc.

        So, if we allow for that realistic version of immortalty, we have to know if we, as immortals, will go crazy in the trillions and trillions of years required to outlive the probably thousands of solar system births and deaths or if we can somehow survive as an individual that long on mental solitair or whatever--it is the preservation of our current individuality that drives the desire for immorality afterall. Just living isn't enough, we want to still be "us" the whole time.

        You have to admit that, in a life that becomes that long, the sweet treats of a few million years of life, even a billion or so years of social interaction, would start to be outweighed by the brutal prospect of trillions of years of loneliness again. Watching stars form and die would only be interesting for so long, especially without a telescope, and definitely not worth enduring if the "me" that I am now is not the "me" that is there after all that unfathomable waiting later on.

        So, unless I can get an immortality that includes a heavenly perfection with some Gods and unicorns and stuff, I suppose, much as I would like to go on forever, I have to say that in the big, big picture, it would mostly suck to be immortal. So, guess I vote for mortality. I'll just enjoy you people while you and I exist in our present manifestations and call it done when I croak. Plus, who knows, maybe that heaven thing or something like it is real. That would be cool. Hell would suck, though.

        (Imagine my scenario, except in burning Hell. Imagine the horrible mind that created such a scenario, and the even more horrendous deity that would impose such a penalty on a soul he created and then trapped in the reason of these ridiculous and miraculous meat-machines housing this thing we think of as "us" peeping out of our round, wet, fragile eyes.)

        1. theseus profile image69
          theseusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Wow...you did have something to say..COOL..thank you. i appreciate your thoughts,really.

  7. Hivesguy profile image55
    Hivesguyposted 14 years ago

    It depends. In this life, as it is, I would prefer to be mortal. Especially if everyone else is mortal.

    I had a rough childhood growing up. I also have had a lot of problems in my teens and 20's. I have an autoimmune hives condition, which makes me allergic to my own sweat. I am literally a prisoner in my own body.

    I certainly wouldn't want to live forever here like this. I am also saddened by the constant pain in this world. Rapes, murders, injustices, etc. This is not a fun place to live.

    However, in terms of being able to live in a "paradise/heaven" type place, then count me in! I am all for immortality in that situation.

    1. Castlepaloma profile image74
      Castlepalomaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I would rather believe a politician on earth than believe in a clergyman promise you will send eternity in heaven

      That’s not saying much, for both,

    2. theseus profile image69
      theseusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hivesguy,
      Thank you for sharing a part of your self to my post. I'm saddened that you have had to went through such anguish in your life, I could not even imagine how much but  I could only hope that this could somehow ease the pain " You don't become a better person because you're suffering. But you become a better person because you have experienced suffering."
      Keep the faith. God bless.

 
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