Thanks for your thought provoking questions, wood. Much of the dilemma in what we experience in this life impinges on the knowledge of imminent death, at any point in time, by any means, our indeterminate demise. It would seem likely, to me, that knowledge of eternal life would enhance the experience and foster a different outlook on how to go about living it. At present we have at best a small window in which to grasp knowledge, acquire educational status, accumulate possessions, marry, procreate and wait out the end. I find these pressures to achieve very damaging to the psyche, therefore you are right in that we must psychologically transcend in order to maintain a purpose of living. Of course, to me, it seems that you are addressing this transcendence from the perspective of transitioning from this current temporary life experience to the eternal life experience, but imagine being born into eternal life, starting life with the knowledge of eternal living. In a smaller window of "this" life, one might look at a single day in which there is much to do before sunset. The frantic frenzy begins early morning but then.........a phone call cancels the scheduled activity, all frenetic tendencies cease, replaced with soothing calm........ahhhh, a deep breath, the senses become totally relaxed and the mind meanders in the knowledge that one can now do whatever one wants for that day. This small bit of "knowledge" changed the scope of living in that small window of one day. I think within eternal life much of the "what matters" in life, those pressures that hamper us, the seemingly petty nuisances that drive us, do not exist. We can sit out by the river for months without the timepiece dictating our enjoyment, without the alarm of lateness. We can ponder by the ocean for decades and then move on through the vastness of living space. I can only perceive eternal life as existing within a parallel universe away from the confines of earth where self predation seems the key to successful living, where value of life is a contrived system of gain that corrupts the soul and spirit, where preservation of self is the main instrument in the divisiveness of humanity. I think many an octogenarian sits gazing in retrospective examination of how much of life had been wasted, each time resolving to the common notion "if I could only live it all over again knowing what I know now". Surely if life were eternal one would be able to do exactly that. I screwed up my first 387 years, but I think I'll do better from here on out. lol Personally, if given the opportunity to live in a paradise, a euphoric utopia, I would want to live forever.
Immortality raises many questions and we obviously are attempting to address a few aspects of it's possibility. Does immortality rule out pain and suffering, disease and trauma, intrusion by aggressive immortals etc? Will there be enough resource to sustain immortal life? Is immortality spiritual, physical or both? On Mar 2, 7:17 pm, wood <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi thanks for the welcome and the reply. > I am not saying it wouldn’t be a great achievement. It would be a > major tipping point in human history. However, me personally, just > can’t phantom living forever. What is the longevity of that will to > exist? Can we consciously maintain a purpose of living? A human being > living forever has to psychologically transcend… Almost god like. > > On Mar 2, 12:21 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi wood...welcome. > > In fact, the very act of existing (being) has an innate will...an > > innate purpose (telos) built within it. > > Add to this the fact that many people have, do and will know that the > > eternal ‘now’ has, does and will always be…I see no great issue/ > > problem with the notion of immortality at all. > > > On Mar 2, 6:42 am, wood <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Hi all > > > Time has a way of revealing possibilities, it’s unfortunate the half- > > > life of individual being is too short to experience the full extend of > > > those possibilities, hence the desire for immortality. It may indeed > > > be possible in the distant future, but there’s so much of the human > > > physiology that remain an enigma to scientist. We are a stranger in > > > our own body. Let’s say Immortality is achieved; can we, > > > physiologically, and psychologically, be able to handle a life without > > > an end? There are many life on earth that just exist, without any > > > visible purpose—can we human being be able to just "exist"? How long > > > can you keep a will to live? I think to want to live forever, is to > > > fail to understand the grand design of life, and the flow of the > > > universe. Whether we truly understand the grand design of life is > > > another matter. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
