From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sat Jun 02 2001 - 20:04:12 MDT
Lee Corbin wrote:
>
> Anne Marie Tobias wrote
>
> > I would certainly hope that if I lived a thousand years that I would
> > be vital, strive to grow, sharpen my wit, increase my grasp, expand
> > my understanding, and continue developing as a human being, if not
> > then I'm a waste of metabolism... a space heater without anybody
> > to keep warm.
>
> and Samantha agreed, saying
>
> >I agree with most of that except that I hope that long before a
> >thousand years I have developed into a lot more interesting
> >possibilities than those constrained by "human being". Being a
> >human being is a fine beginning but it is ruinous as a
> >destination or condition on never goes beyond.
>
> Both these goals are very laudable. But "waste of metabolism"?
> "ruinous as a condition"?
>
> Would either of you roll over and die if we found out
> for certain that life in this sector of the galaxy
> could not continue for more than an additional century?
> Of course not!
>
I am not sure what you are getting at at all. If I found this
out then I would spend every remaining moment seeking a way out
of this limit. What would you do differently?
> Please acknowledge that even under primitive technology
> lives of wonder and joy are possible now. (I sincerely
> hope that you both have great joy and wonder in your
> present lives.)
>
Yes. Does this deny there is also outrageous suffering and
limitation present in this level of life? No. Given time
enough I expect to transcend some of these limits.
> Where does this incredible intolerance for anything but
> the very best come from? It's a little pathological IMO.
> Consider the case of cryonicist Mike Perry, who has told
> me that were he to know for sure that he could only live
> for some trillions of years but that there would be no
> immortality, he would be overcome by despair.
>
This incredible intolerance? I think it comes mainly from
your own filtering of what I said frankly. Is this life as
it is good enough? The only reasonable answer in my opinion
is a resounding NO! Does that make me "incredibly intolerant"?
No. I think it is a little pathological to claim others are
pathological simply for pointing out that this level of living
is not a desirable long-term condition.
> Now that's over-reacting, but I think that you are too.
>
I think I didn't ask for your evaluation in such terms.
> I'm sure that you would agree that we cannot OVERSTATE
> how unbelievable exhilarating and wonderful life shall
> be later on---but that should NOT come at the cost
> of denigrating life now.
There is no need. Simply open your eyes to the negative as well
as the positive of it and acknowledge that it is not enough.
- samantha
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