Theme Question - Fountain of Youth
If you could drink from the Fountain of Youth, and become immortal, would you?
This theme question is surprisingly direct with very little to nit pick. My only questions concern the terms of drinking from the fountain of youth. The obvious result is immortality. My immediate response is that immortality (as implied in the question and ignoring my own religious beliefs) doesn't seem that bad. If such an elixir were to freeze me at age 27 in my physical condition (reasonably healthy with no medical complications), then I wouldn't have anything to complain about. If I were 81 with back pain, I'd undoubtedly dump the concoction down the toilet, or maybe on the side walk. I don't like the idea of immortal, invulnerable sewer crocodiles reaking havoc on humanity.
However, I notice the term used is not "Fountain of Immortality," but "Fountain of Youth." The implication being that my body would be in its prime. Being stuck at 27 is fine and all, but 17 has an appeal in that my testosterone hadn't started eating my hair. Not that the ability to enjoy immortality hinges on being able to adjust my hairstyle to the changing trends. Still, at 27 I'm in much better shape than at 17, and I don't have to contend with zits anymore. Would it possibly give me the best of both eras, the clear skin of my 20s and the full head of hair from my teens?
Obviously, being immortal means my body won't succumb to death and decay, but could I improve it? Maybe it comes off as idiotic to anticipate exercising after I attain immortality, but would I be able to continue improving my stamina and strength. Getting sand kicked in my face for the rest of human civilization, and possibly during the civilizations of our alien/robot overlords, would rot.
What about invulnerability? Not being able to die doesn't equate to not being able to be hurt. Will all injuries heal instantaneously? What if a limb were severed off my body? Would it regenerate? Could it even be cut off at all? What if I were stuck in some perpetually painful situation. I'd hate to find myself in a position where I'm stuck at the bottom of the ocean like Jack Sparrow's dad.
Perhaps even more compelling is the social/relational aspects of the question. Think of it like so. When you were three years old, one year seemed like an eternity. After all, it equalled a third of your life. At 30, one year is only 1/30th of your life. The older you become, the faster time goes. It's surreal to realize I've been out of college for three years come this December. With where I am now, it's actually scary. As fast as time is moving, it seems like I could wake up tomorrow at 60 years old, and my entire life has gone by without me doing anything. Although, achievements aren't the point. Being immortal, 100 years could pass, and I would still have the same amount of time to master the piano, back pack around Europe, and try the world's highest bungie jump. Once I've lived for a thousand years, would I even be able to make friends? People's lives would begin and end in the blink of an eye? By the time I had figured out how to cure cancer, life would be so brief that I wouldn't care. Never mind romantic relationships (I'm assuming I wouldn't be able to save any of the potion for a future spouse). Even if I were able to forge such a relationship with women, I've seen the agony that comes with losing a spouse. I wouldn't care for the chance to endure that over and over. Becoming desensitized to her(their?) death(s) is just as unsettling. If I were to come to a point where the death of a spouse didn't bother me, how could a genocidal slaughter of complete strangers bother me, especially after I had already seen useen innumerable strangers die over the eons. To take it one step further, if such a horror no longer bothers me, how far away would I be from committing such atrocities? It'd become like burning ants with a magnifying glass. Ironically, immortality may turn out to be living death. My body would function, but how my mind perceives the world could warp into a condition where I'm isolated from the rest of existence.
Let's just say that I were to come across a vial containing the last few drops of the Fountain of Youth. I have to drink it all for it to take effect. I can't drink half of it and save half for a future spouse. Drinking this potion will forever prevent my body from succumbing to death, decay, or disease. Any injury will instaneously heal itself. Every aspect of my body will be in prime working order. Oil glands won't get clogged (no zits) and dihydrotestosterone won't eat my hair (no male pattern baldness). However, I will be able to continuously improve my physical conditioning (strength, stamina, speed, flexibility). All the while, I can witness the rising and falling of great empires, enjoy the greatest achievements of mankind, and accumulate the knowledge of the ages until kingdom come.
I...wouldn't drink it. Yes, the proposition is very enticing. At the same time, the risks I mentioned are equally frightening. It could go either way. What seals the deal is my religious beliefs, my faith. To me, death is more than a natural part of life. It marks rest and respite from all the weariness of this world and an entrance into life as it was always intended. It contains all the good stuff I described in the fountain of youth with no potential for any of those horrors, perhaps most notable, loneliness. So there's my answer. No, I would not drink from the Fountain of Youth. Although, I may drink half the glass/vial/container/whatever for the chance at an extra life. Kind of like a video game. If nothing else, being able to scare the coroner just once would be a hoot.
This theme question is surprisingly direct with very little to nit pick. My only questions concern the terms of drinking from the fountain of youth. The obvious result is immortality. My immediate response is that immortality (as implied in the question and ignoring my own religious beliefs) doesn't seem that bad. If such an elixir were to freeze me at age 27 in my physical condition (reasonably healthy with no medical complications), then I wouldn't have anything to complain about. If I were 81 with back pain, I'd undoubtedly dump the concoction down the toilet, or maybe on the side walk. I don't like the idea of immortal, invulnerable sewer crocodiles reaking havoc on humanity.
However, I notice the term used is not "Fountain of Immortality," but "Fountain of Youth." The implication being that my body would be in its prime. Being stuck at 27 is fine and all, but 17 has an appeal in that my testosterone hadn't started eating my hair. Not that the ability to enjoy immortality hinges on being able to adjust my hairstyle to the changing trends. Still, at 27 I'm in much better shape than at 17, and I don't have to contend with zits anymore. Would it possibly give me the best of both eras, the clear skin of my 20s and the full head of hair from my teens?
Obviously, being immortal means my body won't succumb to death and decay, but could I improve it? Maybe it comes off as idiotic to anticipate exercising after I attain immortality, but would I be able to continue improving my stamina and strength. Getting sand kicked in my face for the rest of human civilization, and possibly during the civilizations of our alien/robot overlords, would rot.
What about invulnerability? Not being able to die doesn't equate to not being able to be hurt. Will all injuries heal instantaneously? What if a limb were severed off my body? Would it regenerate? Could it even be cut off at all? What if I were stuck in some perpetually painful situation. I'd hate to find myself in a position where I'm stuck at the bottom of the ocean like Jack Sparrow's dad.
Perhaps even more compelling is the social/relational aspects of the question. Think of it like so. When you were three years old, one year seemed like an eternity. After all, it equalled a third of your life. At 30, one year is only 1/30th of your life. The older you become, the faster time goes. It's surreal to realize I've been out of college for three years come this December. With where I am now, it's actually scary. As fast as time is moving, it seems like I could wake up tomorrow at 60 years old, and my entire life has gone by without me doing anything. Although, achievements aren't the point. Being immortal, 100 years could pass, and I would still have the same amount of time to master the piano, back pack around Europe, and try the world's highest bungie jump. Once I've lived for a thousand years, would I even be able to make friends? People's lives would begin and end in the blink of an eye? By the time I had figured out how to cure cancer, life would be so brief that I wouldn't care. Never mind romantic relationships (I'm assuming I wouldn't be able to save any of the potion for a future spouse). Even if I were able to forge such a relationship with women, I've seen the agony that comes with losing a spouse. I wouldn't care for the chance to endure that over and over. Becoming desensitized to her(their?) death(s) is just as unsettling. If I were to come to a point where the death of a spouse didn't bother me, how could a genocidal slaughter of complete strangers bother me, especially after I had already seen useen innumerable strangers die over the eons. To take it one step further, if such a horror no longer bothers me, how far away would I be from committing such atrocities? It'd become like burning ants with a magnifying glass. Ironically, immortality may turn out to be living death. My body would function, but how my mind perceives the world could warp into a condition where I'm isolated from the rest of existence.
Let's just say that I were to come across a vial containing the last few drops of the Fountain of Youth. I have to drink it all for it to take effect. I can't drink half of it and save half for a future spouse. Drinking this potion will forever prevent my body from succumbing to death, decay, or disease. Any injury will instaneously heal itself. Every aspect of my body will be in prime working order. Oil glands won't get clogged (no zits) and dihydrotestosterone won't eat my hair (no male pattern baldness). However, I will be able to continuously improve my physical conditioning (strength, stamina, speed, flexibility). All the while, I can witness the rising and falling of great empires, enjoy the greatest achievements of mankind, and accumulate the knowledge of the ages until kingdom come.
I...wouldn't drink it. Yes, the proposition is very enticing. At the same time, the risks I mentioned are equally frightening. It could go either way. What seals the deal is my religious beliefs, my faith. To me, death is more than a natural part of life. It marks rest and respite from all the weariness of this world and an entrance into life as it was always intended. It contains all the good stuff I described in the fountain of youth with no potential for any of those horrors, perhaps most notable, loneliness. So there's my answer. No, I would not drink from the Fountain of Youth. Although, I may drink half the glass/vial/container/whatever for the chance at an extra life. Kind of like a video game. If nothing else, being able to scare the coroner just once would be a hoot.