cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/questions/p/1386281/why-do-people-want-to-live-long-beyond-50-years-old
It does not make sense to me why people would want to live beyond 50 years old, especially since health problems start becoming more frequent around that age.
Which makes me ask: Why do people wish to live long beyond the age of 50?
What do you think happens when you die?
Nothing?
Consciousness get voided, anything happening in real life doesn’t matter to the person who is no longer living.
Alright, that doesn’t scare the absolute fuck out of you more than anything else in the world? Complete loss of control, thought and being in general. That’s existential horror and the only way to avoid (temporarily) it is getting older. Sure it might be less good the older you get. But it’s still a life and conscience.
It has already happened to you in the period before you were born. It is the same experience.
Exactly
I don’t wanna die, and I wanna grow old, but not because I am scared of death. I mean why would I be scared? As long as I am, death is not, and if death is, then I am not.
Nothing to worry about
I hear ya
What are you trying to suggest happens? Is this intended to be some kind of ‘gotcha’ question?
I’m trying to understand OP lol my own beliefs don’t matter at all. If OP believes in a pleasant afterlife/reincarnation its not a completely crazy initial question. If OP believes its black void eternity I’m way more confused/concerned. OP has stated nothing happens, in that case, wouldn’t you want to live as long as possible? Regardless of the associated suffering you endure with aging, isn’t life still better than the empty dark void?
To rephrase a thought that @echo@lemmy.world said in their reply:
Do you remember what it was like before you were born? Chances are no (if you do, please speak with a scientist to study this phenomenon). Thats exactly what death is like. Whether I live 10, 20, 30, or 100 years longer than 40, to me it makes no difference - I wont be aware of those years if Im dead. Sure, for some those 40-50 years they live may be amazing even, but after youre dead its neither good nor bad - it just isnt. So for me personally (always speaking about my own personal beliefs, and never trying to claim that others should also wish to only live until 40/50) Id prefer to die at 40ish. I don’t want children (because i dont like them, dont want the responsibility, and my moral code), I refuse to ever get married, so all my life is is a trip that I try to make as comfortable and enjoyable as possible until it stops being so.
Does that mean I will take matters into my own hands and suicide, either by assisted or other methods? No. But in the hypothetical scenario where one could choose when they die in advance, Id personally choose 40 if asked right now.
And to insert a witty quote, “Death is a lot like stupidity. Its only painful for others”. I unfortunately don’t rememember who said it.
Yeah, that’s a way to think about it. I’m not the person who invented the idea of existential dread. It’s not something I can so easily just be okay with. I’m 32, doing mostly everything I can to enjoy the world as long as I can. Especially considering the view you have about the before/after, wouldn’t the during be the biggest and most important part? I just don’t understand the nonchalant attitude towards death. The reason you’d choose 40 is because that’s when the physical decline really starts?
Thats exactly my point about the ‘during’. Ultimately the only reason it has any meaning is because as animals for a large part of our evolutionary history if it didnt, we’d go insane and probably wouldnt reach this point where we can type messages to each other over the internet. For all of time before humanity, and for all of time after we are all gone (let alone any single individual), the blip of our existence ultimately doesnt have meaning except for the short blips themselves.
And yes, 40s is partly because thats when the living itself starts to become uncomfortable and/or downright painful, but mainly its just an arbitrary age.
Edit: you said you try to enjoy life as long as possible. Im the same, just sans the “as long as possible” part ;) Its not like I dont like fun or dont have things that bring me enjoyment
Because we are just a small part of something big we don’t matter at all? I understand your point but I completely disagree with it. “Meaning” is an arbitrary and completely nebulous concept. To your point there is one incredibly small chunk of time we as organisms have to experience the universe. Why shouldn’t we try to enhance, enjoy, participate, improve for others and feel as much as possible? What does “meaning” have to do with it at all?
Its not that we dont matter at all per se. Its a bit hard to put it into words what Im trying to say. Ill flip the question onto you: because we matter, regardless of how little or much, would you be willing to live for 500 years? What about 1000? Its kind of like were bartering over the number of years its acceptable (usually socially, because as you can see from this thread as soon as someone sais “actually i dont want a long life”, others tend to not be able to comprehend why that would be) to want to live. My point is that mattering doesnt matter to me. We think we matter, but most people dont really. Most people dont even know or remember their great grandparents names. Thats just 2 generations removed, and unless they achieved something remotely special, they no longer exist.
Part of it of course is because of our deeply buried subconscious need to live, or rather avoid death, because ultimately we are animals and most of what we do just boils down to that. Thats the reason food tastes good - because if it didnt release happy chemicals in your brain, you would be less motivated to seek it out, and the species would not survive (same reason sex feels good btw, same reason most things feel good or bad). Once we evolved a modicum of intelligence beyond other creatures, this paralysing terror of the unknown of death spawned religion, early on as proto-religions and in more modern times as the religions we are familiar with today, but the long and short of it is that humans are hardwired to be terrified of death (at least their own) and attempt to prolong their life as much as possible - whether in this life or with some concept of an afterlife. Its the same reason without really understanding the mechanics behind your decision, you feel like you want to live longer, and the same reason I havent yet done a long jump with a short sudden stop. Its very difficult to reason yourself past your animalistic evolutionary instincts that have kept you and literally every single direct ancestor of yours alive, unless you have some kind of illness (of which I believe people who commit suicide suffer - its not really a choice made with a healthy mind, and we should be treating it more like an illness IMO so that we can help these people)
If I bring any of my core beliefs into this discussion I’ll be dismissed, so I won’t. I’m operating in this discussion as though your premise is the sole correct one. That being the case 1000 years? Way too short I’d love to live infinitely. I’d want to feel things and participate in society as long as possible. “Mattering” to a small degree does carry some weight in my life. Its why I do the positive things I do and why I work the career I do. I recognize on a cosmic scale I don’t matter, but why is that of any consequence at all. The individual experience you can have when you don’t matter is all that really counts. So cutting it short/not wanting to extend it makes even less sense. I’m not trying to change your mind obviously and I’m enjoying the discussion.
For many - no, absolutely not. For the billions of years that I didn’t exist it didn’t bother me in the slightest. Likewise, it shall not bother me when I no longer exist.
This fetish that one should wish to live in misery just to be alive makes absolutely no sense.
We are just never gonna find common ground on this one bud.
Fortunately, there is no requirement that we find common ground. Whatever happens, happens.
I’ve shared what I think happens and why it doesn’t matter. What do you think happens and why does it matter?
Sounds like an intended “gotcha question”. No thank you.
Not at all… just encouraging you to fully participate and share your thoughts. Otherwise, it just comes across as if you’re trolling. Is that what you want?
I’ve shared enough of how I feel about the concept of aging and death. If my comments in this thread look like trolling, I’d advise you to get glasses.