Immortality, an ability to live forever, has been contemplated by philosophers since ancient times. There is hardly a person who would not have thought, at least once, how it would be – to live eternally. Physical and mental never-ending bodies would obtain the opportunities to explore each of the Earth’s parts, study every science existing, or enjoy life itself. One may suggest that immortality is a blessing, another one – a curse, and both will be right. However, the possibilities, coupled with the responsibility of eternal living, make this blessing a burden.
Immortality entails not only the possibility to enjoy and explore life for as much as possible but also the responsibility to take care of the planet that one lives on. At the moment, the world population stands at 7,8 billion people, each with their needs and dreams (Chamie). Due to the expansion of advanced medical facilities and services, life expectancy has grown significantly for the past 30 years, even without immortality. If each individual can from now on live eternally, one may clearly see that the population numbers will exponentially grow since the death rates are no longer valid.
Technology, science, and art may be the next victims of the newfound eternity. “Immortality implies a never-ending existence, regardless of whether or not the body dies,” the Andrade states (para. 1). Be it a technological advance, or a scientific discovery, or a literary work, all of them are inspired by human’s deepest desire – to transcend death. Technology is being developed to enhance the quality of life and prolong life expectancy, and scientific discovery is being made to explore the other planets and the possible forms of life. Books are being written to investigate the notions of life and death; to make a mark in history. Each of them is just another form of an inner wish to come closer to physical or incorporeal immortality. If the stimulus, the awareness of inevitable death, is not present, the individual is no longer needs to develop and explore technology, science, or art.
Still, the formula of eternal life may allow sufficient time to travel across the world. The Great Pyramid of Giza (Egypt), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greece), the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria (Egypt), and other beautiful places can be discovered (“Seven Wonders of the World”). With the amount of time available to each individual for earning money, planning, and thinking, everyone will be able to cross the planet twice, to say the least. The setting of a movie, the jungles from a book that was available solely in another person’s words, could then become a reality.
The eternal life, enabled by a specific formula, is an insidious gift. One will always long for life without the fear of death, but this wish might be expensive. The responsibility one should assume may be challenging for those who do not expect from immortality anything but a pleasure. Overpopulation may be one of the difficulties one may deal with during their eternity. To keep the thirst for life, in other words, to develop sciences, technology, and art are the other challenges. Still, immortality offers ample time to discover all the parts of the Earth that were not known to an individual. However, while the researchers are seeking the formula of eternal life, everyone is free to articulate their opinion on the issue.
Works Cited
Andrade, Gabriel. “Immortality.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.
Chamie, Joseph. “World Population: 2020 Overview.” YaleGlobal Online.
“Seven Wonders of the World.” New World Encyclopedia, 2019.