Welcome to Bloganuary. It’s this thing that WordPress is doing to encourage bloggers to post something every day by providing a regular prompt. I think that “Bloguary” would not only sound better but makes more sense. Maybe they’re saving that for next month. But if they go with Blogebruary I’m dropping out. Anyway, today’s prompt asks the question: What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
Hey folks! It’s me, your favorite amateur philosopher back again with some musings on the potential pros and cons of extreme longevity. What if science advanced to the point where we could all expect to live for 200 years or more? How would that change society and the human experience?
On the one hand, I can see some clear benefits. Just imagine how much more we could learn and create if we had centuries to devote to education, innovation, and mastery of skills and disciplines. We’d also get to spend a lot more time with our loved ones across multiple generations.
But there are also some potential downsides. Would extreme longevity lead to overpopulation and resource scarcity? How would it affect social dynamics like marriage and family structures? And on a personal level, watching generations come and go could lead to a profound sense of loneliness and isolation.
Ultimately, radical life extension seems likely to lead to radical societal changes, many of which we probably can’t foresee. My guess is it would be a mixed bag – we’d gain some wonderful new opportunities for fulfillment and wisdom, but also face unanticipated challenges.
What do you think? Would you want to live for 200+ years? How do you imagine extreme longevity shaping the human future? Share your thoughts in the comments! I’m curious to hear different perspectives on this mind-bending possibility.
Feature Photo by Pixabay
The Confusing Middle 
I’d only want to live that long if I could afford it and if I was still relatively healthy, otherwise I don’t see the point. For now, I’d rather just live 80+ years 🙂
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It depends on the individual’s mental and physical health. As you’ve recognized without the community support there will be massive unhealth, loneliness, etc. But what about how much this society needs wisdom. If health could be achieved, maybe wisdom would follow! Recently I covered the blue zones (areas where the oldest people on the planet live) and also who is the most flexible people on earth (hint hint). Health is important as it comes to aging well.
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