Some jellyfish seem to live forever; this is being used in research to extend people’s life spans. Some researchers predict that children of today can live up to 120 years old. I think that one day this means that some of us could live forever. If this became possible, what would this mean for us?

There are obviously some pros to being immortal. One good thing that I can think of is you wouldn’t die (obviously). This would mean that there’s no reason to be afraid of anything. Some of the most common fears are spiders, snakes, heights, flying, dogs, lightning, and thunder. If you couldn’t die there, would be no reason to be afraid of half of those because they wouldn’t hurt you badly. If you could live forever, you’d probably experience all of these things anyways and realize they aren’t that bad. Another pro to being immortal is that you could experience everything you want. Some things that are on people’s bucket lists are being on a parade float, attending the Olympics, skydiving, and riding a hot air balloon. If you could live forever you could do all of these things, and probably more than once. You probably wouldn’t be afraid to do anything either so it would just be fun. You’d have plenty of opportunities to do everything you’d ever want. Along with these opportunities, you’d have a lot of opportunities to try different foods, work a lot of different types of jobs, meet a bunch of different people, and visit places. You could meet an endless amount of people. You could work at every job you’d ever want to. You could try every type of food. You could visit anywhere in the world.  You could do every hobby you’d ever want to. You could try painting, dancing, writing, gardening, fishing, woodworking, hiking, and much more. You could master anything you want to, like chess or video games. You’d even be alive through all historical things, like people living on the moon or flying cars or the discovery of dinosaurs. You could stay up all night for however long you want to. You would have a lot of experience and knowledge, which is pretty cool. 

Along with all the pros, there are also a lot of cons. One con is that you’d live forever. You’d probably get lazy and unmotivated to do anything after a while. There would be no urgency if you lived forever because you’d have the time to do everything. You’d also probably get bored after a while because you’ve done everything already. You would probably forget things a lot too because your brain can’t handle all the memories of everything you’ve done. You’d get tired of working or being able to do whatever you want. Another con is that along with trying everything amazing, you’d be able to try things that are not as amazing. For example, you might get so bored that you try some pretty harsh drugs and make bad choices. If you commit a crime, you could get put in jail for the rest of your life and be REALLY bored. I think that in the worst-case scenario, you could turn into a serial killer, and never be stopped because you’re immortal. Another thing is that if you were the only immortal person, you’d watch everyone you care about die, with your favorite things no longer being popular enough to continue. I also think that if for some reason you got radiation in your system, you’d have to deal with the effects forever. One other thing I thought of is that you’d probably also be tested on a lot, you’d be a guinea pig for science. Some people might be jealous of you because you can live forever and they can’t. Some people would hate you. 

Now it’s time for my personal opinion… I think that living forever would be great for a little bit, but it wouldn’t be very good forever. In the beginning, you’d be able to do everything exciting, but you would’ve tried it all after a while. I think that we have enough time now that we can experience a lot of things. I think it’s good to be scared sometimes because that helps us be safer. It also causes things to be more fun, like skydiving, if you weren’t scared you wouldn’t get the adrenaline rush. I also think that I would be miserable if all my family died and I had to be alive all along. “It is the knowledge that I am going to die that creates the focus that I bring to being alive. The urgency of accomplishment. The need to express love — now, not later. If we live forever, why even get out of bed in the morning? Because we always have tomorrow. That’s not the type of life I want to lead.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson