What if we lived forever?
Would anything get done?
It is human nature to procrastinate. I have been putting of writing something for my blog for three days. Even the most productive people put stuff off because they don’t want to deal with it. But imagine if you had an infinite number of tomorrows.
“Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow.” – Aaron Burr
Obviously we would do what we needed to, to survive. Get a job, hopefully a good one, buy groceries, and take care of our children. However, when it comes to getting a job, would the good job come quickly. Most of us would agree, meaningful employment comes from some sort of advance training. Whether that training is a technical school or college. Those of us who have sought out advance education know what a drag it can be. Therefore, as long as we are making a little ching, how long would we put off that education knowing there was always tomorrow? The parents’ basement could be a long…long…long term affair.
Here is a scary thought! How long would our primary education last?
How many world-changing events would not have happened? Isn’t the prospect of making a mark on this life what drives achievement? For those motivated by the hope of notoriety, isn’t the idea that their window is a small one, a motivator. But if we have forever to accomplish greatness, then we just might put it off until tomorrow.
“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” – Thomas Jefferson
Life’s biggest motivator is survival.
What if we take away that motivation? Immortality would not mean we were self-perpetuating, unbreakable creatures. We would still need to eat. Pain in itself would motivate us avoid physical harm, even if said harm may not be fatal. I don’t envision this immortality to be like a vampires, where the only thing that kills us it a stake through the heart. Life could still be fatal, we could starve, disease still killed, and getting your chest caved in by a steering column would mean a painful end. So there would be some motivation.
But aside from tragedy, or serious illness, survival is guaranteed.
Money is the other big motivator. I suppose it might actually be a sub category of survival. Societies as far back as we can determine used some sort of exchange to procure the things they could not produce for themselves. Therefore, it is safe to say farmers would still grow food, and bakers would still bake bread.
Imagine, the same job…forever!
It’s just the big and difficult things I see getting put off until tomorrow.
How long would a couple put off having children?
Would people be much more selective in finding a mate knowing they have forever?
Would we mate forever?
Guess the, “until death do us part” would have to go away.
Holding a grudge?
Wars?
If we are living forever, where would that put God?
I’ll have to think on this, but not until tomorrow.
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