I recently came across this story, which tells of Harvard scientists who have reversed the ageing process in mice. That is not what this post is about, but rather the inspiration for it. I encourage you to follow the link and read the story, however, because it is fascinating stuff, and the implication for humanity could be huge. One possible outcome from the experiments might be a treatment that could dramatically slow down (or even stop) the ageing process in humans.

The idea of that is what this post is about.

I have always been attracted to the idea of a longer, or even indefinite lifespan. I’m sure this has appealed to a lot of other people at some point or other, not because I have spoke to people who feel the same way, but because it is so vehemently discouraged in our culture. Religion obviously likes to remind us of our mortality and how we should not be striving for anything more, but the sentiment can be found in more recent works of fiction, like J.R.R Tolkiens Lord of the Rings series. The notion that one should not try to cheat death, and that seeking immortality is unhealthy, is a strong theme in the Harry Potter books.

The fact that our culture has spawned these stories that speak so darkly about our lifespan puts me in mind of a parent telling their child about the cruel world that they will have to live in, so they aren’t too disappointed when they grow up to find it full of cretins. Human-kind’s fear of death almost guarantees that we would seek to cheat it, but as it isn’t possible, stories are created that tell us cheating death is bad, and our collective conciousness accepts it in the way a smoker accepts that smoking is bad.

Personally, I have always believed it would be possible to cheat death by halting ageing, though I had no understanding of how it would be done or when it would happen, I did expect it would be long after I am gone. It just seemed reasonable that, with all the advances in medical technology, one day we would find a way to stop the ageing process. If scientists can not only slow the ageing process in mice, but also reverse it, it is now realistic to consider this a possibility in my lifetime.

So would you want that?

I have no doubt that, given the chance to take a one off, or regular treatment that would halt the ageing process, allowing me to live indefinitely (obviously assuming I don’t get into any serious accidents or anything) I would take it, and I this story got me wondering, why? Why am I so drawn to the idea of prolonged life?

Well, there is the obvious fear of death, there is the worry of unfinished business, though that probably falls into the fear thing, and there is my religious views. Or, more accurately, my lack of religious views. I am an atheist, and do not believe there is heavenly (or hellish) afterlife awaiting us when we finally croak. I won’t go into arguments about the existence of God (partly because the arguments for God’s existence are childish), as that’s not what this post is about.

The fact that I do not believe in an afterlife (or reincarnation), though it would be a nice comfort to have that kind of ignorance, means that the meaning of life is somewhat bleak. There is none. Or there is, but it is what we make of it. Some people dedicate their life to making money, some to helping the less fortunate, some to loving others. But we are here for a short time, and then we are gone, and the only evidence of our existence is the memory of others, which will gradually fade with every generation. Some people become famous (or infamous) and are remembered for longer but, ultimately, we are forgotten.

Even more bleak is the fact that the universe in which we live will likely, one way or another, end. And then nothing that any of us have done will matter a damn. So the longer I can be here, enjoying existence and living, the better, because when I am gone, I am really gone.

The prospect of a drug or treatment that could prolong human life raises all kinds of moral and ethical problems. We are over-populating our planet as it is, what would happen if we stopped dying as well? There would probably need to be some kind of procreation restriction on anyone undergoing the treatment. Likely, there would be some kind of “we should not play God” argument, but in matters of legal precedent I feel it would be unjust to take into account any argument based on belief. People are not (usually) convicted of murder because someone believes they did it, there needs to be evidence.

And now, I have to confess that it has been four or five days since I put the full stop to that last paragraph, and am only just coming back to this post now. If I’m honest, I’ve lost my train of thought. Like a rambling drunk, I started typing and the thoughts that were going through my mind and forgot my point before I reached it. So, I’m posting this as it is. It is probably in need of a little (read: lot) of editing, but but hopefully whatever sentiment I had intended to express is discernible.