First of all, I like how this is tagged with #hedonism.
Second, I have something to say about the idea that one’s life should be spent pleasing oneself instead of others. Fundamentally, we are all egoistic, motivated by self-interest, even when pleasing others. We commit altruistic acts for the sake of social acceptance, honour, or out of fear of shame and rejection. We please others to please ourselves. It’s almost impossible to waste our life pleasing others and not pleasing ourselves in this respect.
I disagree that young deaths are tragic for the youth in question - the greatest impact is on family and friends. I do not believe in an afterlife. Once you die, it’s impossible to feel regret when there is no longer any electrochemical activity in your neurones left to manifest itself into consciousness, let alone emotion or specifically, regret and remorse. When you have wasted your life, it’s not your tragedy, but the tragedy of those around you, those who have invested hopes and expectations in your survival.
Finally, I would never want to be eternally young. Without aging and death, life would arrive at a meaningless hiatus. Life would be like a car stuck in the roundabout, in motion and safe from whatever is further down the road, but not progressing anywhere, having no final destination. Most, if not all of us are fundamentally motivated by death. Without any imminent possibility of death, life would be meaningless. We would not need to pursue any goals for we have all the time in the world.
Assuming the eternally young do not age physically but are able to accumulate life experiences, their minds would continue to age indefinitely, having an infinite amount of time to fully grasp and get sick of the human condition, whilst their bodies remain young. Death is the only escape, and they can’t have it.
I don’t really do text posts because the typical response they elicit is tl;dnr, but this is something of a ‘special’ occasion. I use the term ‘special’ cautiously because the connotations often involve a joyous celebration of sorts. This isn’t so much.
I found out today a girl I knew passed…
