Wise people say “make the most of the time you have been given. Life is precious. It will all end one day and it will be over before you know it.” But what if that wasn’t true. What if there was no end? What if your time on this earth was essentially limitless.
Prominent futurist Ray Kurzweil and the president of the Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation, Aubrey de Grey both believe longevity technology as soon as 2030 may provide the means for us to reach “longevity escape velocity” and extend our health and lifespans indefinitely.
There are countless moments throughout life where I have asked myself “What am I here to do?” What is my purpose? Despite this reflection, there is a share pathway for all of us, taking a journey from youth to adolescence, maturity and ultimately decline. During this time, we gain a sense of self, survival skills, role, become a parent then mentor. Each journey is a unique personal experience that is experienced by us alone. As human lifespan is exponentially extended, these milestones extend out over time or disappear altogether.
We have all been taught to look for patterns, to think bigger, to find some grander meaning for all the small moments we experience day to day. Yet I cant help be left with the feeling that there is no value in this pursuit. Like an episode of “Lost,” each moment “almost fits” into a story that we can finally understand, yet doesn’t ever seem to make sense. We crave an absolute and objective answer to the meaning behind our life stories and why they exist in this universe. We are left to find meaning within the boundaries created by our subjective reality. I have always been curious. I cant help myself when I have tried to find patterns and to stitch meaning together into some coherent narrative that make sense. The problem is it doesn’t seem to make sense. There is no one story that fits or describes this unique human experience.
Human connection and relationships, make life feel rich and rewarding. We feel purpose when working together with other humans to achieve a common goal. To whom or what am I connected?Achieving our goals and receiving recognition, as we pursue learning and self improvement. We need the health, freedom and curiosity to discover new experiences and adventures. Our happiness is linked to our “ability to make choices” and “take action“ to create outcomes consistent with our values. How should I live over hundreds of years? Do we have the discipline to develop grand goals and moonshots that become legacy or will our infinite lifetimes lead to a loss of novelty and ultimately boredom?
We are thinking and feeling creatures. We live, breathe and create stories to explain the meaning behind our experiences. We create and discard some stories, while others become repeating patterns that we imprint upon the world as repeating actions and emotions. Our mindset, appreciation and ability to live in the moment is key to living well. These unique values and repeating stories, define our sense of self. Our sense of meaning from any situation is a subjective question “what does it mean to me, uniquely?” What are we saying to ourselves has a profound effect on our sense of self and wellness.
Death provides an end point to the endless accumulation of experiences and memories. It wipes the slate clean and creates space for regeneration, iteration and something new. Death makes it possible for new people to bring different ideas and for society to evolve over generations. In this way it provides a final escape from a tyrant and also the loss of great genius.
Death could provide an important role in society. Our human bodies could be a temporary host for our conscious intelligence. We may yet respawn again in a new biological form upon our death. What could seem like cheating biological death, may in fact backfire and imprison our soul in a limited biological or digital form forever.
While the promise of eternal life might seem like the ultimate gift, it makes me ponder if the true value of human experience lies not in endless accumulation but in the finite, in the preciousness of the moments we have, in the stories we create, and in the legacy we leave behind. The journey through life with its known end might be what gives each step its depth, urgency, and value.
