Fuck “purposes in life”. I wasn’t born with one, I never wanted one, and I would not describe myself as having one. I have never performed one single altruistic act because it was My Purpose; everything I’ve ever done for others, I did because I actually cared. And if my brain is programmed to become miserable when it runs out of reliant victims, which it doesn’t seem to be but this might be abnormal, then it is buggy and should be fixed.
I don’t see how one would realistically work out the answer to that in advance. Is there any particular reason you think it would be important to know ahead of time?
Well, personally, I have a mental list of careers I’d love to spend some of the “next lifetimes” on, but I am not at all sure that were I to live and stay young and healthy indefinitely, would not decide to just goof off for a millennium or two first, and eventually forget all about my original aspirations. This is presuming no singularity-type events, of course.
If you live as long as you want, what would you do to make sure to not run out of purposes in life?
Not die. Keep fit. Beyond that, I’d deal with the problem if it ever arose.
I’m not the same person I was even twenty years ago. What could I possibly plan against the day I’m a hundred years older, or a thousand, beyond surviving to be there?
You could always associate with causes/groups such that you knew that in your absence the cause would go on, and have a life dangerous enough (taking chances on interesting experiences, etc.) such that your half-life was short enough that this didn’t become a problem. Though that might not be ‘living as long as you want’ for some people.
I don’t know if this is a new problem. People lose their purposes in life all the time. They tend to find new ones, especially when groups of people are involved. These things are remarkably fluid, and do not necessarily correspond one to one with external physical reality.
If you live as long as you want, what would you do to make sure to not run out of purposes in life?
EDIT: restated to be more neutral, to reduce the chances of people presuming that I have a deathist agenda.
Fuck “purposes in life”. I wasn’t born with one, I never wanted one, and I would not describe myself as having one. I have never performed one single altruistic act because it was My Purpose; everything I’ve ever done for others, I did because I actually cared. And if my brain is programmed to become miserable when it runs out of reliant victims, which it doesn’t seem to be but this might be abnormal, then it is buggy and should be fixed.
I don’t see how one would realistically work out the answer to that in advance. Is there any particular reason you think it would be important to know ahead of time?
Well, personally, I have a mental list of careers I’d love to spend some of the “next lifetimes” on, but I am not at all sure that were I to live and stay young and healthy indefinitely, would not decide to just goof off for a millennium or two first, and eventually forget all about my original aspirations. This is presuming no singularity-type events, of course.
This is a legitimate question and I don’t see why its getting downvoted without response.
This just seems like one of those questions that it’s a waste of time submitting an answer to—I’m more curious about what shminux had in mind with it.
Edited the original to reduce this type of misunderstanding.
l’m willing to grapple with that for as many centuries as it takes.
I am naturally curious. I pretty sure I’m not going to run out of a universe to explore.
Not die. Keep fit. Beyond that, I’d deal with the problem if it ever arose.
I’m not the same person I was even twenty years ago. What could I possibly plan against the day I’m a hundred years older, or a thousand, beyond surviving to be there?
Also relevant.
You could always associate with causes/groups such that you knew that in your absence the cause would go on, and have a life dangerous enough (taking chances on interesting experiences, etc.) such that your half-life was short enough that this didn’t become a problem. Though that might not be ‘living as long as you want’ for some people.
I don’t know if this is a new problem. People lose their purposes in life all the time. They tend to find new ones, especially when groups of people are involved. These things are remarkably fluid, and do not necessarily correspond one to one with external physical reality.