Among many varied collective fantasies, one which stands out the most is escaping death, continue living forever, be infinite. And while the possibilities of this have been shown to be inexistent, and that it would be something hard to explain technically, people keep imagining this, it continues to show in any expression of society’s dreams and desires. It is a common argument for a story, or the causing plot for many myths, like drinking from the Holy Grail, or the fountain of youth, or Highlander. There is a big fascination of man about dead, but even a bigger impact in the thought of escaping it.

There are many sayings in all sorts of formats that they all speak about how we will all end up dead, and this is the only official universal truth for all the human species: we all die, everything dies. It is a debatable reasoning, but the only thing in common with every person on Earth is that one day or another we will no longer be among the living. Another thing is that as we know, dead is a part of life’s cycle, there must be a closure for there to be a new beginning, it is basic understanding of cycles. So why would we want this immortality thing? Why would we want to lose the only thing that bounds us to humanity? Why disrupt the equilibrium?

I think some of the reason is really between those questions. Because when we always see the (very cliqued by now) villain who goes to great extents to become immortal, we can see traces of lack of humanity in them. It is more as if they want to renounce humanity and become something else, something that does not share a common future, and something that will not end up in the same place. That something is at the same time horrifying and brilliant, a being that escaped termination, that will forever be.

That is also most of the magic behind most magic creatures that live forever, an example: vampires. Beyond the blood-sucking and author-given-super-powers the vampire literature is so popular and mystic because of their immortality, and not just because they live for a long time and have stories to tell, but because of their detachment to the world, their lack of humanity that is made by the disconnection from the common goal, the universal finish line.

The sole concept of living forever, experiencing thousands of years more, rounding the Earth without fear, it all sounds very daring, unnatural, fantastic. But how much would life be worth then? Because if we cannot die, then there would be no reason to fear, to be safe, to care about anything. Our concept of life is defined to protect it and do anything possible so it is long enough to become happy at some point(, or at least that’s what we like to say). But what good is it if we don’t have to take care of it? Do we only concentrate on being happy? For how long? It sure should long for quite some time. Because with this reasoning we go back to vampires, who because of their immortality and need to kill to “survive” become monsters, dark creatures who live from getting life from others, feed their empty existences with the end of a life.

And sure, fear to dead is a great reason to consider, we do not know what is then. Some believe in heaven, some in reincarnation, others in many varied sorts of believes, but there is also the very disturbing, very empty option that there is simply no then. That you just cease to exist and that is it, no more of your person ever, of your essence, all left of you are memories, which you don’t even know to be accurate or good.

That indeed is a great fear any reasoning human has felt, or should felt. Because this same feeling is what makes us want to leave legacy, so transcend, to leave a mark in the world that we ever existed. Throughout history we can see a great number of people who have done extraordinary things to transcend, to be remembered. And I don’t really believe this people would be so remembered, or have done so great things if they hadn’t had an “ultimatum”, a dead line to do something of great magnificence that starts from your first breath until your last.

So, while the mere thought of being invulnerable creatures, beyond humanity, beyond any limit ever known, is very appealing and amusing, we should also consider the meaning of what immortality would mean. We would not only loose the connection with humanity in the we all die sense, but also in the actual living life sort of way. And what I really mean by this is that there is no real life without dead, and it is never a meaningful dead unless it is a meaningful life that has ended.

[while i don't condone the time traveling as well, and have my reasons to do it, I at least try to keep a "literaire" posting, I hope you remember what that is my dearest kite]
by I'm the penguin