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March 10, 2007
My Grandfather's Column
Who wants to be immortal?
Just recently some scientific opinion seems to have reached the conclusion that before very long it will be possible for death to be overcome and people will just go on living for an indefinite number of centuries - more or less for ever provided that they take care not to get killed. I can hardly imagine a worse scenario than this.
Many wise folk over the centuries have believed that the purpose of life was that we should prepare for our death. This has been a particularly strong strand in Christian teaching; and of course it is matched by the Buddhist belief in re-incarnation until such time as perfect enlightenment is achieved when the enlightened one ceases to be reborn and enters the state of nirvana.
We do have a difficulty as Christians because Jesus appears to have taught both that we must die and also that those who believe in him will never die. I think the answer is that the Gospels teach about two quite different kinds of life: first there is plain physical life as we all know it. Clearly this life ends with our death; and I hope it always will. As for the second kind of life there is a neat way of putting it which comes in the first Epistle of John in our New Testament: "We have passed from death to life because we love one another." Our modern Marriage Service says the same sort of thing. It begins with the wonderful statement: "God is love and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them."
Of course we still have to face the problem: what is meant by this word love? We've got used to using the same word for all sorts of different kinds of feeling and behaviour. This highest kind of love is the total desire to promote the happiness and wellbeing of those whom we love, which should mean every man, woman and child whom we meet. If I believe God is my Father it follows that I also believe that every member of the human race is my brother or sister and is to be loved as God loves us.
There is just one more point I need to make, which is the difference between immortal life and eternal life. The former is life that just goes on and on, the latter is not about length of days but about the quality of life; it is a life of love and for Christians it means sharing in the life of Jesus Christ. John records him as saying: "This is life eternal to know you, the only God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." What we celebrate at Easter is the triumph of eternal life over the life which ends with death.
Many of us just love to sing the Easter hymns which express the heart of what I'm trying to say with words such as these:
Jesus lives! our hearts know well
Naught from us his love shall sever;
Life nor death nor powers of hell
Tear us from his keeping ever.
Alleluia!
--Peter Graham.
Posted by LYT at March 10, 2007 5:42 PM [Message Board]
Comments
for those who don't believe in any form of religious next life - does this question feel different?
I wouldn't want immortality (even the limited sort that keeps vulnerability to murder/accidental death) for anyone, including myself - life would become pretty meaningless - do we stop having babies? - how do we spend our lives? - anyone seen AI? - that only touched on the horror of life not obeying the laws of birth/growth/entropy/death.
Posted by: offpat at March 11, 2007 7:26 AM
Death is my primary fear, and I'd very much like to not have to go through with it.
Given the circumstances, the next best thing seems to me to live as long as possible to the point where one is tired of life and finally embraces its end.
The thought of being an infinite soul that could ultimately learn everything there is to know on Earth, then go further out into the cosmos -- that's very appealing.
But then I don't have a wife or kids to feel tied to.
Posted by: LYT at March 11, 2007 5:27 PM
The thought of living indefinitely is very appealing to me as well. If I could choose it this second, I think I would.
Posted by: justin stone at March 12, 2007 1:07 PM