Is life short?

[Jotto999]

I suppose the question depends on our perspective. Many would say life is pretty long, existing for 75+ years is a big deal, a lot is going to happen in that time. In cosmic terms, we're little blips that flash in for a couple seconds and fade out, never to be seen again. Relative to other life forms, human life is pretty long. My pet rabbit will live maybe 7-9 years, whereas, in the assumption I live a healthy normal life and die of natural causes, I will be 70-80 before I go. But sea turtles can live 200+ years.

What do you think? Would you say life is short?

 

[Aught3]

Meh, compared to what?

The age of the Earth? Yep, our lives are just a blink, in fact, our whole species is the tip of the fingernail in terms of the arm of evolution.

Compared to how long humans used to live? We've at least tripled the average age that we now live to. Our lives are long when you consider what our ancestors faced. One day it may become normal to expect to live for hundreds of years, but for now lets make good use of the time we have got.

 

[luckyirish67]

It depends on your perspective. When I was a kid I thought an hour as long, life though is long for us (usually) but short in a cosmic level.

But hey life is the longest thing in our lifetime.

 

[ebbixx]

I suppose the question depends on our perspective. Many would say life is pretty long, existing for 75+ years is a big deal, a lot is going to happen in that time.

Having lived nearly two thirds of that span, I'm with those who say it's short. Plus, a lot of what has happened in those 50 years has been bad copies of things that have gone before, assuming history is not mere illusion.

 

[WolfAU]

Very subjective question.

If someone was to hand me a vial that if I drank it would make me never age (and thus never die from old age), I would do it, not because I particularly fear death, but because I feel that society is harmed by its short sightedness. If society was doing fine I would be happy to live a life of insignificance/happiness and dying of old age, but it isn't.

I guess what I'm saying is; 'If some of us lived longer, many aspects of society would benefit from it'.

Also many issues, to me I would rather live to 50 and still be physically youthful than 70 and have my body be in bad shape. Other issues like the relatively short breeding period for women.

Why do humans live the period we do? A mixture of our metabolic rate (faster rate = shorter life) and our bodies intentionally killing us off to make room for the next generation (ie if no one in humanity died of age, there would be 80+ billion people on earth).

Should humanity try to find 'eternal youth' (ie a gene treatment that makes us stay eternally in our 20's), sometimes I say yes, but the cost as a result I think we'd need to abandon traditional reproduction for something more Brave New World-esque, as if women could have children for 200 years of their life, we'd be overpopulated very quickly. The only other reason not to do this is the 'playing God' argument, which has no sway over me.

Also the issue is is that society has shaped our lives so that we dont really achieve much personally. The first 18 years are spent just preparing for the rest of your life, then maybe another 3 or 4 if you go on to university, then say 30 years of work, then retirement, we generally cannot save up money and travel or stop to do things that are just for our benefit.
... So, what would society make us do with those extra 200 years of life, just work for them?

 

[ImprobableJoe]

It depends... when you get to the end, if it was a good life it probably seems too short. If it was a crappy life, the end probably can't come soon enough!

 

[Weirdtopia]

A good life is a short one
A bad life is an endless one

 

[blinddesign]

i think this should be titled "is life TOO short?"

 

[JBeukema]

Everyone I know tells it has lasted them a lifetime

 

[MachineSp1rit]

i think this should be titled "is life TOO short?"

yeh. of course life is not as long as people wish it to be.

 

[King of NH]

When you're young, it is eternity before you'll be a tenn, a driver, a college student, or a legal drinker. When you're old, you have to remind yourself these things didn't happen last month. Life is very short when we remember the good days. So just make great plans for the future. If you're 80, buy tickets to Disney World for Summer 2011. It'll take soooooo loooonnnnnggggggg.

 

[Dacu]

(9:47:01 PM) Daniel: lifes longer than people think
(9:47:04 PM) Alex : haha i could say the same to you :L
(9:47:07 PM) Daniel: in hindsight its not
(9:47:12 PM) Alex : yeah but it goes really fast.
(9:47:17 PM) Daniel: it doesnt
(9:47:17 PM) Daniel: lol
(9:47:22 PM) Alex : it does. :L
(9:47:24 PM) Daniel: it goes equally fast to anything else
(9:47:25 PM) Daniel: lol
(9:47:42 PM) Daniel: memories screw us over
(9:47:46 PM) Daniel: thats what it is
(9:48:09 PM) Daniel: its like Oh SHIT i was 3 when that happened that doesnt seem long ago at all
(9:48:18 PM) Daniel: thats because you just remembered it like 2 seconds ago


That's my answer. A good little convo with a girl I know

 

[MillionSword]

Life is too long in my opinion. If it was the stoneage I may be dead in the next 5-10 years (I'm 20), but now I gotta wait til I'm at least 70. Unless I keep my diet up and die from a heart attack at the age of 40 lol.

The day I die = the day I win.

 

[Jotto999]

Life is too long in my opinion. If it was the stoneage I may be dead in the next 5-10 years (I'm 20), but now I gotta wait til I'm at least 70. Unless I keep my diet up and die from a heart attack at the age of 40 lol.

The day I die = the day I win.

Well, there are guns, very tall buildings, toxic chemicals conveniently packaged into small containers...In fact, I know of many ways that you can win, many of them involve no pain or discomfort at all, and guaranteed to bring you right to the finish line.

But you don't really want to "win", do you?

Anyways, why do you think life is too long?

 

[MillionSword]

Life is too long in my opinion. If it was the stoneage I may be dead in the next 5-10 years (I'm 20), but now I gotta wait til I'm at least 70. Unless I keep my diet up and die from a heart attack at the age of 40 lol.

The day I die = the day I win.

Well, there are guns, very tall buildings, toxic chemicals conveniently packaged into small containers...In fact, I know of many ways that you can win, many of them involve no pain or discomfort at all, and guaranteed to bring you right to the finish line.

But you don't really want to "win", do you?

Anyways, why do you think life is too long?

Naw I don't "win" if I take my own life lol. Why do I think it's too long? 'Cause it's a load of shit really. When you're alive you wonder about stuff like how you're gonna live your life to the fullest and everyone has worries, yes? Well, when you're dead, you won't. That's my reasoning. Simple as that. :geek:

 

[Homunclus]

If you compare how long you live with how long you want to live...I would say life is quite short

 

[Light]

If you compare how long you live with how long you want to live...I would say life is quite short

Or compared with how long you are not alive...

 

[Jotto999]

Naw I don't "win" if I take my own life lol. Why do I think it's too long? 'Cause it's a load of shit really. When you're alive you wonder about stuff like how you're gonna live your life to the fullest and everyone has worries, yes? Well, when you're dead, you won't. That's my reasoning. Simple as that. :geek:

Your reasoning is entirely based on whether or not there are worries?

Anyways, seeings as you have regular computer/internet access, I assume you live in a first world setting. Which means that your life, relative to that of many other unfortunate people, is very comfortable, easy, and just packed with opportunity to be enjoyed. So many people would love to have the setting you grew up in, don't you think it's a bit wasteful and unapreciative to throw that kind of opportunity away?

And I am not talking in a materialistic sense.

 

[MillionSword]

Naw I don't "win" if I take my own life lol. Why do I think it's too long? 'Cause it's a load of shit really. When you're alive you wonder about stuff like how you're gonna live your life to the fullest and everyone has worries, yes? Well, when you're dead, you won't. That's my reasoning. Simple as that. :geek:

Your reasoning is entirely based on whether or not there are worries?

Anyways, seeings as you have regular computer/internet access, I assume you live in a first world setting. Which means that your life, relative to that of many other unfortunate people, is very comfortable, easy, and just packed with opportunity to be enjoyed. So many people would love to have the setting you grew up in, don't you think it's a bit wasteful and unapreciative to throw that kind of opportunity away?

And I am not talking in a materialistic sense.

My point is that while life sure has its adventages and disadvantages, if you didn't exist then you wouldn't even have to bother about thinking anything. It would just be eternal rest. If an analogy is easier to follow, it's like when you're in bed trying to go to sleep; that's when bad/embarrassing memories tend to revisit you right? But it is also a good position to have a nice comfortable wank. Either way you just want to hurry up and get to sleep, because it is then that you will be in a completely peaceful state where NO thinking is involved. My point is mostly based on how you perceive things. If you think the good things in life are worth the bad stuff then fair enough, but personally I'd prefer to not exist, because it'd just be far easier :mrgreen: .

As for being wasteful and unapreciative, I still like to make the most of what I have while I AM alive. And others wishing they were in my position, like people in 3rd world countries and such is a non issue for me. I'll be blunt and say it's because I don't know what it's like to have such an uncomfortable life.

I don't want to sound morbid or anything, but the way I see it, death is the most certain method of solving a problem available. If you think that that causes friends/relatives pain, yes that's true, but the person's own problems are left behind. If that method of thinking doesn't sit well with you then what if the whole world blew up? Who would be hurt then? No one. :!: I'm just telling it like it is. :?

Keeping on topic though, if I were to take the issue from the position of what hopes we have for the future of technological development and space travel etc. life is WAY too short. Although, maybe I should wait and see how things are in 50 years before I decide whether I want to see more. After all, technology has been developing extremely fast in recent years.