Of course we don’t think about death all the time, but in the end it is always inescapable for humans to die, right? Fact is that the average life expectancy is rising, since it is documented. The people get older and older and at the same time stay fitter and healthier. We keep making progress in science and medicine. There are more and more methods to heal diseases, and with that, we can even expand the human lifespan. This kind of progress for humanity appears to be fantastic at first glance, but consider what would happen if we continued to extend our lifespan. At some point, maybe even become immortal. What if we would live forever?
First off, I am going to have to tell you that this question is merely hypothetical. Our bodies are in fact mortal, and even advanced technology can’t change this. Some researchers say that the limit of the lifespan of our bodies is 125 years. Our cells get old, and mutations of the cell nucleus, cell loss, and the gathering of waste products in the cells are only some of the many reasons why our body stops functioning at some point.
But, if we set these points aside for a moment and consider the lives of immortal humans, we can see that some issues arise. Some are obvious, and others might be unexpected. It goes without saying that we would have a huge problem with overpopulation on Earth. There would be no possibility anymore to have children. If people only die from accidents and people would try to keep the population at a steady level, nobody would be allowed to have children. Except as a replacement for the people that died due to accidents or crimes.
This vision also contains a lot of potential social problems. The gift of immortality would probably only be available to the richer members of our society. At least in the beginning. For this reason, not even death would be fair without a connection to your social status. We can tell ourselves that in the end, everyone will die regardless, but this is no longer the case.
An immortality society, and thereby a society without procreation, would also not be good at all. Procreation is, just like death, a really important part of being human. It ensures progress. The society requires new ideas from younger generations. Furthermore, it is also important in physical aspects. With procreation, our body also reacts to changed living conditions. It may be happening very slowly so that nobody notices, but it is still there.
Also, immortality might seem exciting at first, but imagine actually living forever. Boredom could be a huge issue. There would be no hurry for anything, and nobody would have the urge to use the time available as efficiently as possible because there is literally all the time available.
But of course, we cannot forget about the positive impacts an immortal life would have for us humans.
Firstly, it would be possible for everyone to check off all the points on their bucket list, visit all the places they want to visit, and spend enough time with their loved ones.
Also, our lives now always end in the unknown. I have met so many people who fear death. Or who fear that they might lose their loved ones. This fear wouldn’t exist anymore. On the other hand, immortality is scary too, no question.
Moreover, outward suffering would end. People wouldn’t have to fight cancer and many other diseases anymore.
In the end, you will have to decide for yourself what you think about this whole topic. Now you have an overview of some of the consequences of an immortal life. However, sooner or later, our lives have to come to an end. So there is nothing to worry about, and you should definitely spend the time that you have with things you enjoy and cross off as many points as possible from your bucket list. Finally, life is a one-time experience, and that is what makes it beautiful.
Sources:
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/books/article/could-humans-live-forever (Stephanie Warren Drimmer, 13.12.2022)
https://www.watson.ch/wissen/forschung/821300154-werden-wir-unsterblich-wie-waere-das-ewige-leben-fuer-uns (Daniel Huber ,13.12.2022)
https://www.vice.com/en/article/qkvme3/is-immortality-good-or-bad (Vicki Turk and Brian Anderson ,13.12.2022)