Ultima Thule
The Conquest of Inner Space
[This was written by one of you as an application question. The question was:
The respondant had to take both sides and answer the question with as much clarity as possible in a limited space. Once you have read his/her arguments, respond in the Comments. Please respond ANONYMOUSLY and then use your chosen name. Don't just say you agree or disagree. Say why. Use examples of his/her text to support/disagree, and use other examples too. This is just to get us going and see how we do. Good luck!]
Ten Thousand Years
March 16, 2007
There is a custom in ancient China that when the imperial court convened the masses of the officials and servants would all bow down towards the emperor and greet him by wishing that he would live and reign for ten thousand years. Luckily for the everyday Chinese folks, most emperors rarely lived past 80, assuming they managed to survived through all of the court intrigues, assassination attempts, and civil wars.
What if humanity is bestowed with a life span of ten thousand years or more? What if human beings can slow down aging so that only those that wish to die will?
The search for immortality has been the favorite quest of kings and mystics throughout the ages. To be able to live longer is to be able to achieve more, to enjoy more, and to ultimately get more out of life. In many ways, living ten thousands years will allow humanity to be free of the shackle of time, to truly enjoy and live life at everyone's own pace without the ever-ticking biological clock looming overhead.
What if Michelangelo or Leonardo could live ten thousand years? One can only imagine what kind of artistic and scientific advancements would be achieved. What of Thomas Edison or Gandhi? The possibility and the potential are simply mind boggling.
To have ten thousand years to live is to have the luxury of following up on everything that interests us as individuals. It is like being able to live multiple life times so that people have the time to pursue multiple careers, have different relationships, to travel the world and to be able to truly live and learn from each other.
In an ironic sense, having extended life spans can, in theory, help people to distinguish between what is important and what is not. Because there is no rush to live and to get things done, people naturally don't have to put up with the kind of garbage that comes with a shot life span. What if there is no rush to climb the corporate ladder and not having to revolve one's life around work?
How will this impact human relationships?
Wouldn't all of this be a much better way to live and to advance humanity?
At this point the author is reminded of a second rate science fiction film from the 70's called Zardoz that starred Sean Connery. While much is left to be desired of the film itself, the main imagery the author recalled about the film are the immortal Eternals that lived inside the Vortices. As the audience, one has to wonder which is truly Hell, the subsistence savages living in mortality outside the vortices, or the Eternals inside, living in their meaningless cloistered society, doomed to eternal apathy and boredom?
And this brings some very disturbing question to this debate. While in theory an extended life span can let humanity realize so much more of its potential, one can effectively argue that this also greatly magnifies the darkness of humanity as well.
Can anyone conjure up a greater monstrosity than say having immortal tyrants with immortal reigns? What if Stalin and Hitler had lived ten thousand years? What if Nero had lived for so long that he actually brought the whole of Eurasia and Africa under his control? What if World Wars can last hundreds or even thousands of years? Can one even fathom the suffering and misery the populace would be subjected to?
Imagine all of the darkness that sprang from the hearts of humanity and amplified it by ten thousand years. Imagine being able to live so long that living loses its meaning and vitality. Think of the Untouchables living in India. It is horrific to have to live sixty or seventy years under brutal prejudice and violent oppression. What if that is stretched to ten thousand years? What if the downtrodden masses of this world have to endure their suffering and misery many folds over?
The sad truth is that if humanity has proved unable and unwilling to improve itself since the dawn of recorded history, what benefit can a greatly expanded life span bring?
Ironically, it is precisely the brevity and the flimsiness of human existence that brings meaning to life. It is through the struggle against fate, circumstances, and time that life can be savored and enjoyed.
Would anyone have remembered John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King if they had lived for so long that they are forgotten by history? It is precisely the brevity of their existence that inspires and uplifts. The truth is that immortality, with all of its advantages, can only be enjoyed when individuals can rise up against darkness that dwells in all and that societies can overcome all prejudices and ignorance.
In short, an extended life span or immortality can only be taken advantage of and put to good use by humanity when humanity ceases to be human. And until that occurs, a short human life span, in the end, is far more merciful and humane.
"If people lived 10,000 years, they would grow closer together."
"If people lived 10,000 years, they would grow more divergent."
The respondant had to take both sides and answer the question with as much clarity as possible in a limited space. Once you have read his/her arguments, respond in the Comments. Please respond ANONYMOUSLY and then use your chosen name. Don't just say you agree or disagree. Say why. Use examples of his/her text to support/disagree, and use other examples too. This is just to get us going and see how we do. Good luck!]
Ten Thousand Years
March 16, 2007
There is a custom in ancient China that when the imperial court convened the masses of the officials and servants would all bow down towards the emperor and greet him by wishing that he would live and reign for ten thousand years. Luckily for the everyday Chinese folks, most emperors rarely lived past 80, assuming they managed to survived through all of the court intrigues, assassination attempts, and civil wars.
What if humanity is bestowed with a life span of ten thousand years or more? What if human beings can slow down aging so that only those that wish to die will?
The search for immortality has been the favorite quest of kings and mystics throughout the ages. To be able to live longer is to be able to achieve more, to enjoy more, and to ultimately get more out of life. In many ways, living ten thousands years will allow humanity to be free of the shackle of time, to truly enjoy and live life at everyone's own pace without the ever-ticking biological clock looming overhead.
What if Michelangelo or Leonardo could live ten thousand years? One can only imagine what kind of artistic and scientific advancements would be achieved. What of Thomas Edison or Gandhi? The possibility and the potential are simply mind boggling.
To have ten thousand years to live is to have the luxury of following up on everything that interests us as individuals. It is like being able to live multiple life times so that people have the time to pursue multiple careers, have different relationships, to travel the world and to be able to truly live and learn from each other.
In an ironic sense, having extended life spans can, in theory, help people to distinguish between what is important and what is not. Because there is no rush to live and to get things done, people naturally don't have to put up with the kind of garbage that comes with a shot life span. What if there is no rush to climb the corporate ladder and not having to revolve one's life around work?
How will this impact human relationships?
Wouldn't all of this be a much better way to live and to advance humanity?
At this point the author is reminded of a second rate science fiction film from the 70's called Zardoz that starred Sean Connery. While much is left to be desired of the film itself, the main imagery the author recalled about the film are the immortal Eternals that lived inside the Vortices. As the audience, one has to wonder which is truly Hell, the subsistence savages living in mortality outside the vortices, or the Eternals inside, living in their meaningless cloistered society, doomed to eternal apathy and boredom?
And this brings some very disturbing question to this debate. While in theory an extended life span can let humanity realize so much more of its potential, one can effectively argue that this also greatly magnifies the darkness of humanity as well.
Can anyone conjure up a greater monstrosity than say having immortal tyrants with immortal reigns? What if Stalin and Hitler had lived ten thousand years? What if Nero had lived for so long that he actually brought the whole of Eurasia and Africa under his control? What if World Wars can last hundreds or even thousands of years? Can one even fathom the suffering and misery the populace would be subjected to?
Imagine all of the darkness that sprang from the hearts of humanity and amplified it by ten thousand years. Imagine being able to live so long that living loses its meaning and vitality. Think of the Untouchables living in India. It is horrific to have to live sixty or seventy years under brutal prejudice and violent oppression. What if that is stretched to ten thousand years? What if the downtrodden masses of this world have to endure their suffering and misery many folds over?
The sad truth is that if humanity has proved unable and unwilling to improve itself since the dawn of recorded history, what benefit can a greatly expanded life span bring?
Ironically, it is precisely the brevity and the flimsiness of human existence that brings meaning to life. It is through the struggle against fate, circumstances, and time that life can be savored and enjoyed.
Would anyone have remembered John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King if they had lived for so long that they are forgotten by history? It is precisely the brevity of their existence that inspires and uplifts. The truth is that immortality, with all of its advantages, can only be enjoyed when individuals can rise up against darkness that dwells in all and that societies can overcome all prejudices and ignorance.
In short, an extended life span or immortality can only be taken advantage of and put to good use by humanity when humanity ceases to be human. And until that occurs, a short human life span, in the end, is far more merciful and humane.
