Would you be willing to become extremely ugly physically if it meant you would live for 1,000 years at any physical age you chose?

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 24, 2000

Answers

Kritter, hell no!!!!

I'm only 38 now, and have 'seen' enough, I couldnt imagine 1,000.

BTW, does that mean I could be healthy? hmmm, wait, well, maybe.?

Nahhhh.

Indecisive today I guess. At work, will go have some coffee now. LOL.

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), May 24, 2000.

Kritter...

Hmm... the ugly factor can be taken care of by turning out the lights. What age? 7? I had a lot of energy at 7. But then I couldn't reach the gas pedal in the car. 20's? I dunno, the hormones seemed stronger then, and maybe turning the lights out wouldn't be enough. Now? No way. Too tired.

-- helen (prolly@work.now), May 24, 2000.

Immortality ain't for me. After so long, enough is enough for me. Besides I am ugly now.

-- Richard (Astral-Acres@webtv.net), May 24, 2000.

Immortality ain't for me. After so long, enough is enough for me. Besides I am ugly now.

-- Richard (Astral-Acres@webtv.net), May 24, 2000.

Good morning, Kritter. No, I do not think I would want to live that long. Besides, I am grateful for all the gists God gave me and would change nothing, nothing at all. It is my experience, and I have grown wise as a result.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 24, 2000.

Richard, are you saying you're doubly ugly? ;-) I can't believe it, prove it! Post your pic :-)

-- (y@x.x), May 24, 2000.

While the idea of living 1,000 years appeals to me (I'm easily fascinated by watching time go by), I would chose no. Why? I wouldn't want to be extremely ugly. There'd be no fun in that. I'd end up reclusive....hmm..but there's always the internet..hmm..

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 24, 2000.

how,s about RESURECTION.a new being,no more sin,sorrow,vanity. putting off,the old man--putting on the new. to be like him in glory. changed by JESUS. are we dying---to really live??? only our creator [jesus] can satisfy,all else get,s old-sooner or later.we can stuff ourselves with the junkfood,of this world,but sooner or later,we get sick.we need the ''bread of heaven=JESUS.

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), May 24, 2000.

I'd go for it in a minute. If for no other reason that I enjoy the study of history, and I'd really like to see how a lot of the current world crisises play out.

As an aside, al-d, are you sure that your description of "the bread of heaven=Jesus" is correct? After all, if they indeed recycled your favorite deity into a food product, wouldn't it more properly be called sausage?

-- E.H. Porter (Just Wondering@About.it), May 24, 2000.

kritter,

but there's always the internet..hmm..

LOL!!!

-- Peg (pegmcleod@mediaone.net), May 24, 2000.

kritter,

My what an interesting question.

I have thought about your question. Trying to formulate an answer to such a question is very difficult. The knowledge that could be gained for living 1000 years. Oh, and the changes to technology to be witnessed. There are many reasons to want to live for 1000 years.

But, would I want to live for 1000 years? It wouldn't matter whether I was physically ugly or beautiful, as my answer is no. My reasons are simple, yet very human. If the people that I love were not to be with me, then I would not want to live 1000 years. I would imagine that within that time, memories would fade. I don't want my memories to fade. I want to live a normal life with my normal family.

Some may say that if you picked the right age, you could always have more husbands or children. I don't want others, I only want the ones which I have. It would pain me deep to soul to live hundreds of years beyond those that mean so much to me.

Just my thoughts...

-- (Sheeple@Greener.Pastures), May 24, 2000.

Donna,

Good insight. What's the old expression?---something like "you don't want to be the last one to die".

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 24, 2000.

Lars,

Yes, something like that. I mean can you imagine making new friends and family to only have them die on you over and over and over again? That would be cruel, at least to me.

But you have to wonder what others would think of your constant "youthful" appearance as they grew old. Reminds me of The Portrait of Dorian Gray (or is it Grey)...

To me, beauty doesn't matter, as it is what is on the inside that matters most. Time takes care of beauty, even if it does take 1000 years. Beauty on the inside lasts an eternity.

-- (Sheeple@Greener.Pastures), May 24, 2000.

My grandmother taught me an important lesson about life. She was born in 1890 and died in 1985 at 95 years old. She was always in good health and was still living on her own.

I asked her how she felt about being 95 at her birthday party, which just two weeks before her death. She said "I hate it! My friends are all gone, my husband's dead, some of my children have already died, and I don't understand anything that's going on in the world anymore."

Two weeks later, she had a heart attack and died in her sleep.

I never really thought about the concept of the "right" time to die before that but I do now, quite often. I can see a time where dying won't be a bad thing at all.

So, no, I'd rather not live 1000 years.

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), May 24, 2000.

Jim:

Your experience with your grandmother reminds me of the [very] old movie Harold and Maude. In this movie [in the event you haven't seen it], Maude is an old woman, still vibrant, who meets Harold [a young man who's never quite found his place in life] at a graveyard. They were both fascinated by death. Much like your grandmother, Maude has already decided on the age at which she'll die, based on the losses she's already experienced. Harold just "doesn't get it."

Regarding the comments by those who can't conceive of living beyond the lifespan of loved ones, or maintaining the same physical presence for up to 1000 years, this didn't seem to bother the Highlander, nor did it seem to bother the characters within the books of Anne Rice. Of course the lifestyle necessary to maintain the continuous life of those characters in the books of Anne Rice was oftentimes felt to be less than desirable, which seems to be the point Kritter is addressing.

I'm seeing two separate questions addressed here. One is whether one would desire to live 1,000 years, and some seem to feel that this is not desirable whether in the shell of a peacock or the shell of a hedgehog. The next is whether one would substitute longevity for physical beauty. If one has already decided that the 1,000 year timeframe is unacceptable, the second question has no influence. Personally, my choice would be to hope that the next shell is more attractive than the first.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), May 24, 2000.

IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO-Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Mathus'lah lived nine hundred years

Mathus'lah lived nine hundred years

But who calls dat livin'

When no gal will give in

To no man what's nine hundred years?

-- (nemesis@awol.com), May 24, 2000.

Nemises: LOL!!!

But Abraham didnt have a problem gettin any, If you read scripture, they were quite ACTIVE at their ripe ol age...LOL

BTW, what man wouldnt wanna live that long and have a concubine? (eg)

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), May 24, 2000.

Sumer,

Would you be attracted to a 900 year old man or would he have to find a 900 year old babe? The mind boggles.

-- (nemesis@awol.com), May 24, 2000.

Unequivocally yes. Ugly is transient, dependent on the focus of society at the time. Anyone remember the Twilight Zone episode along the same lines? What is considered "ugly" today could be beauty in 500 years or 5. While initially relationships are based on people's perception of you, your physicallity is only a percentage of that perception. Even if it is ugly today, people of integrity get past their discomfort with your perceived "physical imperfection" and move on to the interpersonal relationship. Leaving loved ones behind as time moves on is a part of life. The love you feel in your heart remains with you, whether they are here or not. Can anyone imagine the body of knowledge and experience one would gain over the space of 1000 years? How could anyone refuse such an opportunity?

-- Aunt Bee (SheriffAndy@Mayberry.com), May 24, 2000.

Nem:

Let me think on this one and I'll get back to ya...lol. It DEPENDS? :-)

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), May 25, 2000.

Do I get to draw Social Security once I hit 65? And never have to work again? Can I use handicapped parking?

Is plastic surgury allowed? I suppose a veil would be okay?

Imagine the senior citizen discounts! And I would get a card from the president each year for my birthday! LOL

Hey! Wait a minute! I still get to drive, right?!

-- what was the question? (i@forgot.the.question), May 25, 2000.

I would. And for the reasons Aunt Bee gives.

The amount of things you could learn would be incredable. Hopefully we would have learned to travel the universe during that amount of time.

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), May 25, 2000.

are we talking earth years

-- 1000 (Buttfaceugly@bfu.com), May 26, 2000.

If everyone lived 1000 years, even in good health, social dynamics would slow down dramatically. Leadership would change very slowly. Status quo and old ideas would rule.

The good aspect of such a situation is that war might finally disappear. Maybe.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 26, 2000.

Hopefully, we would learn to do away with age discrimination in hiring practices, too. LOL

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), May 26, 2000.