Endless morality, years of beauty, no fear of the unknown; eternal life holds an attraction for everyone. Long ago Gilgamesh wandered the grasslands, today researchers explore sciences and philosophy, both searching
for the key to elude death.
The topic of aging sparked a thought last week when I read an article saying most women buy their first anti-aging product in their 20’s. I am 20. I asked myself, should I start now? I still consider myself a child some days and yet, I need to worry about my first wrinkle. Our culture is obsessed with turning back the clock and possibly, beating death.
But, why beat death? I believe the answer is simple, we fear death because it brings the unknown. In his quest for eternal life, Gilgamesh admitted that he was afraid to die. The death of his brother weighed heavy on Gilgamesh because one day, he would meet the same fate. He embarked on a long journey to find Utnapishtim and the secret to eternal life.
Today, lifetimes after Gilgamesh, we still embark on long journeys, hoping to find the modern Utnapishtim. Science continues to find more and more answers as technology advances. First the obsession with turning back the clock was enough to sustain the hunger. Botox, chemical peels, and face lifts helped to hide unwanted years. However, society has gone beyond turning back the clock by researching methods that would, in few words, bury the clock for good.
However, for those that hang the clock on the wall and acknowledge its passing time, death is inevitable. In an article authored by Kristen Philipkoski, Miss Alabama 1994 was asked what she would do if she could live forever. Her response, like many other people today, was that she would not want to live forever because if we (humans) could live forever then we would. It is statements such as Miss Alabama’s that shed light on the obvious link to religion. But as one critic said, exploring the eternal life is “more rational that depending on Jesus to provide everlasting life.”
Although I would never wish for eternal life as a mortal, I too wonder what I will meet when I die. I believe in heaven and the life everlasting but, what if I’m wrong? Will I float into the sky, spirit without a body or will I just fade into nothingness? The idea of one day being nothing; no body nor mind. This is what I believe to be at the root of many researcher projects-the fear of disappearing.
We have allowed our schedules to fill in every empty slot of our daily calendar that is life. We stress over family, school, children and work. We are never rested and have to plan vacations sometimes years in advance to force ourselves to enjoy this gift that is life. The idea of leaving the life that many people will spend 80 or more years to create is simply frightening. However, as new research in genetically engineered organisms have extended the lives of cells ten times longer, giving a new hope for eternal life.
This leads me to my final point. If such a method was possible that could prolong our lives by two or even five times longer, would we want it? I think our culture is obsessed with the image of youth, but the concept of eternal life could bring consequences. Like the vampires, we want to be young and beautiful forever but what are the risks? No one wants to live for 500 years as their body slowly dies and once familiar loved ones have passed.
Gilgamesh went in search for eternal life in fear of death. Today we still fear death but our culture is more obsessed with the appearance of youth, hoping that will keep death at a standstill. I believe one day we may find the key to eternal life but like death, we do not know what life everlasting as a mortal could mean.
HI Lexi, very thoughtful comments here. I think you hit the nail on the head when you made the statement that what drives our quest for eternal life is, "the fear of disappearing." This is what fuels religion and haunts so many of we humans. I think that it is sad that organized religion has used this fear to further its influence. Now not only are those that have been exposed to religion afraid of disappearing, but afraid of eternal punishment as well. We all as human beings must one day face the end of our lives. It is the unknown that we fear, no one has come back to tell us what is after. I think that we all should do what we can every day to make this moment count, to live, love, laugh, and to give of ourselves to those that we love, and to those that we don't even know. This, I believe, is what builds our "soul" and what lives on after we no longer inhabit this earth.
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