The 500 year old question

mrk said:
500 years? Yes, if it means I get to see humankind become a near type-2 civilisation. We will have matured energy generation providing limitless energy and from that point onwards all manner of things in all areas of human life would be benefitted so I'd want to be able to see all of that compared to all the naff we have to deal with today.

You can actually sign up if you're rich enough to pretty much live 500years or more. Just freeze yourself for a 100 years at a time only being unfrozen to live for say 5-10 years to see progress, then back in the fridge you go. Cryogenics will be a major player in future long distance space travel too so it too will become a matured technology.
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Agreed on the tech/science developing forwards as a species...Would be fascinating.

Yes cryogenics could have it's place in our progression through time. I like the idea of using it to fast forwards. We might also be able to bend/manipulate space time moving forwards :)
 
In my own vision of the future I can see pockets of humans using cryogenics to basically outlive generations of everyone else purely to see the human race continue forwards. Whilst asleep those who remain take care of the planet and things, whilst AI handles everything else. AI will also be tasked with waking up the sleeping just like how SciFi movies show out in space. It's the current logical steps of where we are now anyway so aligns perfectly.

Plus, being frozen means your bank account never sees a penny spent, all whilst gaining passive interest. So you could end up being rather wealthy when unfrozen assuming currency still plays a role in society 500 years from now :p
 
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I think I'd rather be frozen and woken up in 500 years, could do with a nap! Dunno If the 59p in my bank will make me rich in 500 year's
 
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throwaway4372 said:
rather die than have all that attention tbh. need some way to fake death / get new ID
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A low budget film from book of a similar premise called The Man From Earth (2007) is interesting. The main character has been around for 10000 years to present day and can self-heal. He teaches history in universities and keeps moving/changing IDs every 10 years not to draw attention to the fact that he does not age. All filmed in one room with 5 other characters. Worth a watch.

Trailler. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Fjr658CQs&t=19s
 
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I'd do it - I used to think it would be interesting but I'm more and more convinced the only real fundamental changes/progress would be due to necessity if faced by an existential threat, etc. and over the next few 100 years progress will likely increasingly slow down. I don't really have a problem when it comes to attachments/relationships - though it is sad I'm already kind of resigned to the fact people aren't here forever and to make the most of while they are. Mentally I think I'm as adjusted to living 500+ years as anyone.
 
The temptation is to see the future and maintain good health into old age. Being in mid 30s, it would be nice to maintain health and not lose it. But do I need to work for 500 years if I didn't want to? 500 years without purpose is a long existence but slaving away and having to chase money is already tiresome. A similar question is the £m or restart life with all your knowledge you have now. I'd take the money and freedom from work, which I think provides the route to the answer. I'd need the freedom to pursue other interests (or rest) as per my needs at the time, if I don't have this, then I'm not interested.
 
Also, you could murder someone and laugh at all the "life should mean life" people when you got released after 50 years. And then go to their funerals and laugh some more.
 
I think the issue is how you'd keep up with changing culture and societal norms.

I graduated from university 4 years ago at the age of 37. The kids had some really wacky ideas about the world and were totally different from how my friends and I thought / behaved in our twenties.

Now magine being a peasant from 1524, thinking it's fine to burn women to death for witchcraft, illiterate and have never left your village, and then fast forward to 2024 where words are violence and it's perfectly okay to believe that you are a cat let alone deal with technological changes.

I don't think that a mind would be able to keep up with that amount of change and that you'd end up like Connor McCloud, rich but a loner, or the out of touch vampire from an interview with a vampire who is mentally trapped in a bygone age.
 
Luckystrike123 said:
I think the issue is how you'd keep up with changing culture and societal norms.
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My guess is if you're open minded and hold enough critical thinking you could adjust easy enough as the changes are slow. Most people couldn't adjust to the culture difference in developing nations when travelling, but if the differences are eased in, then it's doable. Or you're right and we'd just lose the plot. But it would be a ride.
 
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