Forever and After
Hey, guys. So, how've you been?
So, I know I said I've update more often and everything, but I've just been buried with school work lately. There are all the finals, a bunch of homework, group projects... seriously, things have been kind of crazy lately. I just had a Science presentation today and now I have to start working on a Portuguese one for next week...
Well, anyway, vacation's just around the corner though, so I think I might be able to be around more. Let's cross our fingers...
So, um, I was standing here today trying to figure out what to talk about in my next post and I remembered an article I read a couple of months ago in a magazine called Super Interessante, and I realized I might have a thing or two to say about the subject.
Anyway, the article - which was written by Marcos Ricardo dos Santos, was about a jellyfish that can trick death.
According to the magazine, jellyfish only live about 6 months in general. But there is one kind of jellyfish, the Turritopsis dohrnii, which is able to trick death an possibly continue on living... forever.
See, it can't die of natural causes because this kind of jellyfish is able to get younger after reproduction, going back to its early days then grow old all over again. So, unless the Turritopsis dohrnii gets killed by a predator or dies in some weird under-water-jellyfish-related accident, it can actually get to change all we know about life and death and simply continue to live and reproduce till the end of times.
Some scientists say that by figuring out how the jellyfish do that, they might be able to create a cure for cancer based on that mechanism, which is, of course, great, awesome news.
But I was thinking to myself the day I first read that article the same thing I'm thinking now that I recall it...
Nobody knows how the Turritopsis dohrnii was able to come up with that mechanism in the first place. I mean, it's not like they've always been able to do this, so for now, I guess we can say that it sort of appeared from nowhere.
Everything's impossible until the day comes that it isn't anymore, because someone - or something - crossed that line and proved that that something that was believed not to be possible might actually be true.
So, for us, tricking death and living forever has always seemed impossible. It still sort of does. But just think with me: it was impossible for the jellyfish to live forever until they were finally able to do so.
So, what if, one of these days, apparently out of nowhere, one of us humans is able to do that too? What if people were able to live forever, just like the jellyfish I read about?
If having a mere kind of jellyfish being able to live forever changes a lot of things, can you imagine what having the human race as whole being immortal would to our society?
I understand that for some, life is short. Sorry, I take that back. For most of us, life is way too short. I mean, practically zero percent of the human population is able to do everything they've always wanted to do with the time they're granted on this Earth. No matter what you did with your life, there is a very big possibility that it still won't be enough and you'll wish you had more time to do all the things you wanted to and to be around the people you love.
In a way, being immortal would be beyond great. How great must it be, not having to worry about your grandparents dying out of old age or diseases such as cancer? Not ever having to go through the great pain that losing someone you're close to represents would seriously be like heaven.
You'd have all the time in the world to solve your problems and simply make things right.
But, at the same time, what about those whose life isn't really that nice to begin with? I mean, what about the poor woman who has absolutely no money and 4 kids to take care of, the one who lives among the criminals and lives a crappy life, the only thought that gets her through the day being that one day she'll finally be able to rest in peace?
I'm almost a hundred percent sure that being able to be around for as long as you want and not ever having to lose someone that is dear to you would be like heaven on Earth. But, at the same time, I'd like to know the real Heaven.
This world is great, but if there is one thing that is able to make me get through a hard day, a day so unfair in so many sick ways that I can't even explain, it's knowing that someday, justice will be made, maybe not here, not in this dimension or this spiritual plan, but another one. One I'd like to know.
Life on Earth is great, but I don't think that we're simply meant to only go through this. It is a personal belief of mine that there's something else out there waiting for me, and I wouldn't want to get stuck here and miss out on that something that, for all I know, could be a great - maybe even better- thing as well.
Being able to live forever really would change everything. I'm just not sure that it would be for the best, because there comes a point when you get tired and want something more, something that this place, this spiritual plan can't provide.
For those who live a comfortable life as mortals, perhaps immortality really would be flawlessly great. But for those who have to struggle to get through their days, the opportunity to spend the rest of the eternity on this Earth might not come as such of a gift, because maybe you'd have more time to be around the good things in life, but you'd also have to deal with the bad ones for the rest of your existence - in other words, for the rest of the eternity, be that 100000 or 340000000 years - knowing that that is what your life would be like forever.
A resting place and the guarantee justice-being-made-in-the-end is simply not included in the package.
And, if you know that you're going to live forever, then what's the incentive? What's the incentive to get your life going and make things happen? What's the incentive to get up in the morning and fight? You know your life is granted, anyway.
There would be know "Live as if there were no tomorrow", because you'd know that there was no way your tomorrow was going to be taken away from you. So... why make the effort?
When things are hard, it'd good to think that things happen for a reason and that, in the end, it will all make sense to you and everything will turn out to be fine. But, if there was no ending, then the concept of destiny would have to change, as well. There would be no such thing as a happy ending, since there would be no ending at all.
So, what's the incentive to get you through the rough days?
The way I see it, life as an immortal might actually get to be quite, well, boring. And tiring. And stressful. And simply not worth it. Things are the way they are for a reason, and sometimes, it's just better not to change something that already works.
If people were given the choice of living or not living forever, then great. Those who wished to be around for as long as possible - though I guess the concepts of possible and impossible would be a whole lot different - would have their wish granted and those who just wanted a normal, mortal life, would get their wish as well.
But if immortality was something as certain as mortality is to us today, I seriously don't see it working. I don't see it changing things for better. Do you?
Well, for now I guess this isn't something I have to worry about. Actually, chances are, I'll never have to worry about this since, if this immortality thing really does happen for us, I'll probably be long dead by then - but hey, you never know.
Anyway, right now, all we can really hope for is that this jellyfish really does help us to end cancer.
As for us not dying... well, we'll see what happens. Nothing we can do but simply leave it up to fate.
Although, what kind of trick can fate intend to play on us with that one? Oh well. The universe is known for its ability to surprise us...
Can the jellyfish really change the world as we know it?
So, see you.
Love,
Bruna.
So, I know I said I've update more often and everything, but I've just been buried with school work lately. There are all the finals, a bunch of homework, group projects... seriously, things have been kind of crazy lately. I just had a Science presentation today and now I have to start working on a Portuguese one for next week...
Well, anyway, vacation's just around the corner though, so I think I might be able to be around more. Let's cross our fingers...
So, um, I was standing here today trying to figure out what to talk about in my next post and I remembered an article I read a couple of months ago in a magazine called Super Interessante, and I realized I might have a thing or two to say about the subject.
Anyway, the article - which was written by Marcos Ricardo dos Santos, was about a jellyfish that can trick death.
According to the magazine, jellyfish only live about 6 months in general. But there is one kind of jellyfish, the Turritopsis dohrnii, which is able to trick death an possibly continue on living... forever.
See, it can't die of natural causes because this kind of jellyfish is able to get younger after reproduction, going back to its early days then grow old all over again. So, unless the Turritopsis dohrnii gets killed by a predator or dies in some weird under-water-jellyfish-related accident, it can actually get to change all we know about life and death and simply continue to live and reproduce till the end of times.
Some scientists say that by figuring out how the jellyfish do that, they might be able to create a cure for cancer based on that mechanism, which is, of course, great, awesome news.
But I was thinking to myself the day I first read that article the same thing I'm thinking now that I recall it...
Nobody knows how the Turritopsis dohrnii was able to come up with that mechanism in the first place. I mean, it's not like they've always been able to do this, so for now, I guess we can say that it sort of appeared from nowhere.
Everything's impossible until the day comes that it isn't anymore, because someone - or something - crossed that line and proved that that something that was believed not to be possible might actually be true.
So, for us, tricking death and living forever has always seemed impossible. It still sort of does. But just think with me: it was impossible for the jellyfish to live forever until they were finally able to do so.
So, what if, one of these days, apparently out of nowhere, one of us humans is able to do that too? What if people were able to live forever, just like the jellyfish I read about?
If having a mere kind of jellyfish being able to live forever changes a lot of things, can you imagine what having the human race as whole being immortal would to our society?
I understand that for some, life is short. Sorry, I take that back. For most of us, life is way too short. I mean, practically zero percent of the human population is able to do everything they've always wanted to do with the time they're granted on this Earth. No matter what you did with your life, there is a very big possibility that it still won't be enough and you'll wish you had more time to do all the things you wanted to and to be around the people you love.
In a way, being immortal would be beyond great. How great must it be, not having to worry about your grandparents dying out of old age or diseases such as cancer? Not ever having to go through the great pain that losing someone you're close to represents would seriously be like heaven.
You'd have all the time in the world to solve your problems and simply make things right.
But, at the same time, what about those whose life isn't really that nice to begin with? I mean, what about the poor woman who has absolutely no money and 4 kids to take care of, the one who lives among the criminals and lives a crappy life, the only thought that gets her through the day being that one day she'll finally be able to rest in peace?
I'm almost a hundred percent sure that being able to be around for as long as you want and not ever having to lose someone that is dear to you would be like heaven on Earth. But, at the same time, I'd like to know the real Heaven.
This world is great, but if there is one thing that is able to make me get through a hard day, a day so unfair in so many sick ways that I can't even explain, it's knowing that someday, justice will be made, maybe not here, not in this dimension or this spiritual plan, but another one. One I'd like to know.
Life on Earth is great, but I don't think that we're simply meant to only go through this. It is a personal belief of mine that there's something else out there waiting for me, and I wouldn't want to get stuck here and miss out on that something that, for all I know, could be a great - maybe even better- thing as well.
Being able to live forever really would change everything. I'm just not sure that it would be for the best, because there comes a point when you get tired and want something more, something that this place, this spiritual plan can't provide.
For those who live a comfortable life as mortals, perhaps immortality really would be flawlessly great. But for those who have to struggle to get through their days, the opportunity to spend the rest of the eternity on this Earth might not come as such of a gift, because maybe you'd have more time to be around the good things in life, but you'd also have to deal with the bad ones for the rest of your existence - in other words, for the rest of the eternity, be that 100000 or 340000000 years - knowing that that is what your life would be like forever.
A resting place and the guarantee justice-being-made-in-the-end is simply not included in the package.
And, if you know that you're going to live forever, then what's the incentive? What's the incentive to get your life going and make things happen? What's the incentive to get up in the morning and fight? You know your life is granted, anyway.
There would be know "Live as if there were no tomorrow", because you'd know that there was no way your tomorrow was going to be taken away from you. So... why make the effort?
When things are hard, it'd good to think that things happen for a reason and that, in the end, it will all make sense to you and everything will turn out to be fine. But, if there was no ending, then the concept of destiny would have to change, as well. There would be no such thing as a happy ending, since there would be no ending at all.
So, what's the incentive to get you through the rough days?
The way I see it, life as an immortal might actually get to be quite, well, boring. And tiring. And stressful. And simply not worth it. Things are the way they are for a reason, and sometimes, it's just better not to change something that already works.
If people were given the choice of living or not living forever, then great. Those who wished to be around for as long as possible - though I guess the concepts of possible and impossible would be a whole lot different - would have their wish granted and those who just wanted a normal, mortal life, would get their wish as well.
But if immortality was something as certain as mortality is to us today, I seriously don't see it working. I don't see it changing things for better. Do you?
Well, for now I guess this isn't something I have to worry about. Actually, chances are, I'll never have to worry about this since, if this immortality thing really does happen for us, I'll probably be long dead by then - but hey, you never know.
Anyway, right now, all we can really hope for is that this jellyfish really does help us to end cancer.
As for us not dying... well, we'll see what happens. Nothing we can do but simply leave it up to fate.
Although, what kind of trick can fate intend to play on us with that one? Oh well. The universe is known for its ability to surprise us...
Can the jellyfish really change the world as we know it?
So, see you.
Love,
Bruna.