Would you be able to enjoy immortality?

Discuss the February 2017 Book of the Month, The Diary of an Immortal by David J Castello.
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Would you be able to enjoy immortality?

Post by MarisaRose »

We always say that youth is wasted on the young because young people tend to act recklessly due to unrealistic feelings of invincibility. If you were immortal, do you think the fact that you have A LOT more living to do would cause you to be overly cautious in life because there would be a lot more life at stake? Would this hinder your ability to make a difference? Would you really enjoy your immortality?
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Post by Wasif Ahmed »

Well, for one thing I don't want to be immortal. If somehow I do become immortal, then I think that I will enjoy it initially. Knowing that one has all the time in the world and that one can do anything is definitely exciting. But overtime I will, just like any other immortal, get bored and wish that death takes me away.
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Post by Elaine5 »

No! I enjoy life but I don't have any trouble imagining a time when I will be just plain tired of it all. I do try to live life with no regrets and I think I will come to a point when I'm perfectly OK with leaving it all behind. Not there yet though!
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Post by gali »

If somehow I became immortal, I would be able to enjoy it as long as my family is at my side. I will live as I live now.
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Post by noorsawhney »

I don't believe I would be able to enjoy it; it wouldn't make much of a difference earlier on in life but later, I don't think I could stand everyone I loved dying while I just lived on. I feel like I'd do what many immortal people do in books - be alone and try not to make connections with many other people because I wouldn't be able to stand knowing that inevitably they would die as well.
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Post by Sarah_Khan »

If I ever became immortal then I think I would enjoy it a lot at first. I would do a bunch of scary things that I wouldn't have done before like sky diving. I also think it would change the way I view my family. Instead of worrying about my education and my career, I would spend more time with them and be more patient, because I know for a fact that I will outlive them and that I have the rest of my immortal life to think about myself.
But sooner rather than later, the joy of experiencing things for the first time would wear off and also it would really suck having to experience/enjoy things by yourself.
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Post by Julie Ditton »

I think that I would enjoy it immensely. As Sarah_Kahn just mentioned, I would be a bit more of a daredevil and I would be able to spend time on family while I can, knowing that there will be time for me later. I would later enjoy traveling and move to New York or London with a big theatre scene. For a while I could just excuse my appearance with plastic surgery. Although it would be a pain to be forever "mature", instead of forever young.
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Post by MarisaRose »

noorsawhney wrote:I don't believe I would be able to enjoy it; it wouldn't make much of a difference earlier on in life but later, I don't think I could stand everyone I loved dying while I just lived on. I feel like I'd do what many immortal people do in books - be alone and try not to make connections with many other people because I wouldn't be able to stand knowing that inevitably they would die as well.
I agree completely! I don't think I would ever be able to enjoy a connection with another human being knowing they would only be in my life for a very short period of time (relatively speaking). And I think at first, being alone may not be a bad thing, but overtime it would just be incredibly sad and difficult to want to do new things.
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Post by Wasif Ahmed »

Sarah_Khan wrote:If I ever became immortal then I think I would enjoy it a lot at first. I would do a bunch of scary things that I wouldn't have done before like sky diving. I also think it would change the way I view my family. Instead of worrying about my education and my career, I would spend more time with them and be more patient, because I know for a fact that I will outlive them and that I have the rest of my immortal life to think about myself.
But sooner rather than later, the joy of experiencing things for the first time would wear off and also it would really suck having to experience/enjoy things by yourself.
Yes. But an immortal can definitely find friends amongst mortals. So you wouldn't have to be alone.
When people say you've changed, it just means that you have stopped living your life, their way.
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Post by EmperorOfBooks »

I feel like, for the first couple hundred years, I would be fascinated with the advancement of human technology. But one things started going downhill, in this case meaning everything I cared about is gone, I'd start hating the fact that I was still alive when all I wanted to do was rest in peace once and for all.
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Post by Guppy »

Caution in interactions with others would be necessary as an immortal, since you would live to see the consequences stretched over infinite time scales. Still though most immortals in fiction are reckless at some point as they test their immortality.

Making a difference is a lot like finding a purpose, and I think that would be the key to enjoying immortality. That being said it is also an important part of enjoying normal life.
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Post by Natalie Charlene »

Choosing whether or not to be immortal has got my head spinning! I can't help but look at both sides of it. However, if I did choose it, or if it just happened to me, I would do my absolute best to enjoy it. I am hoping that I would be able to watch people grow. A lot of progress has already happened in my lifetime, and I would like to watch that trend grow.

The other side of me, though, realizes the extreme loss that I would have to go through watching all of my friends and family die. Those would be very difficult times. I think being immortal would be somewhat like regular life--sometimes you love it and sometimes you hate it.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

If I was immortal, I would try to enjoy life as much as I am doing now. I wouldn't be more reckless, but I would definitely want to make sure I travel the world and experience things that I have never experienced. This is, of course, if I can have my husband by my side the entire time. If not, then I have no interest in being immortal. I think I would get very lonely overtime.
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Post by TangledinText »

No, I want to live then let to peace, not have to keep reliving the same life over generations. You wouldn't appreciate people as much if you were never to lose them.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

I can't imagine watching the people I love die,,,,,, and then the next set dies, and so on. Nor can I imagine knowing the mistakes they are all making as well as the outcomes. I doubt I'd be fulfilled in that type of life.
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