Let’s Talk about the Future
Darcy Carroll | Account Manager at Ward Technology Talent | Twitter | LinkedIn
I’m guessing that when you read the title, you were thinking I was going to talk about something cool, like the Hyperloop, or space travel. Nope, today I’m going to talk about the most inevitable feature of the future, death.
But maybe I’m wrong.
Maybe, technology will one day allow us to eliminate what has plagued humanity since the beginning. Maybe, someday, we won’t have to say goodbye. Maybe, just maybe, this notion that your loved ones are in a ‘better place’ will simply mean that they jumped on a Hyperloop to a different planet.
I’m not the only one who believes that this can happen. I highly recommend looking into the work of the brilliant Ray Kurzweil. For those still paranoid that clicking on a link will put a virus on your computer, Ray is predicting that by 2045, human technology will be so advanced that immortality will be possible. Fully recommend reading his work, because I am really oversimplifying it by saying 2045 is the drop dead date for immortality. And for those that think this man is crazy, check out his previous predictions. This man knows what he is talking about.
So let’s just assume that by 2045, we will have the ability to live forever. I will be 54. Sorry Dad, but god damn is that old! I have no idea where I’ll be but all I can hope for is that I’m married to a person that is better than me and that the Leafs are still waiting for their first Stanley Cup since ‘67. I don’t know which one is more likely.
The most interesting part of this discussion, and the reason I chose this topic in the first place, is the ramifications of immortality for our generation. Think about it, if we are the first generation to become immortal, we will be the most powerful generation for the rest of time! We will be the oldest and wisest. We will all be modern-day Yoda’s! And for any finance folks reading this, capital accumulates pretty quickly when you are looking at a horizon of hundreds if not thousands of years.
Our generation will be able to shape everything. We will be the ones to travel to far-away galaxies, create things that our brains cannot even comprehend, and solve the biggest problems. That, to me, is exciting! Which is why, if given the option, I would choose immortality in a heartbeat. But I have brought up this debate with people before, and many say they would not want to be immortal.
“You are supposed to die”
“I just want to live a normal life”
“Death is natural”
“I want to go to heaven”
“Shut up and pass the salt”
These are some of the responses I have gotten. But I want to know, what is your opinion? It’s a fascinating debate and I recommend sharing your thoughts with me. We will one day need to have this debate so why not just start it now?
Thanks for reading!
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