Are We Ready to Live Forever?

The idea of being able to live forever has my mind spinning. Although the idea intrigues me, I’m not sure about the idea of implanting a human brain into a robotic body, ala Avatar. There are so many moral, human, societal and just plain planet-wide implications.

Here’s my take. What’s yours?

Sensational Super Humans

Hollywood has made fortunes on giving humans super  powers. From Avatar to  Neo, from Spiderman to Superman and even Johnny Neumonic with his supersized brain storage. We love the idea of being more than mere humans, beings that can live forever.

I watched Avatar the movie with eyes of wonder. I left the theater  with my sense heightened and absolutely wanting to live forever in the gorgeous avatar bodies on the planet Pandora. Why wouldn’t I? The entire production was supersized with sensory stimuli that left every human wanting more. The avatar bodies offer freedom from aches and pains, enormous strength and agility and the chance to move beyond human limitations and into a whole new physical experience.  Not to mention potential immortality with the aid of the Na’ vi and Eywa.

The concept of man meets machine has been around a long time. Scroll way  back in time to one of the first TV super humans – The Bionic Man. I was so enamored with Steve Austin. Then along came Jamie Summers and the Bionic Woman . My little girl self just yearned to be like her one day. Powerful, smart, beautiful and best of all – super human!

When Man  Meets Machine

We’ve all read about the offers to place a human brain and spirit into a robotic, avatar-like body. The implications go far beyond simply sustaining a human life.

Are we humans ready for superhuman selves and perhaps immortality?

First, my take:
Many of us talk about the modern day de-evolution of mankind. Greed is creating an ever growing chasm between the haves and the have nots. Corporations have been granted human rights. Meanwhile real humans work in subhuman conditions for these same corporations. The earth’s resources are depleted while humans look the other way.

We’re not exactly demonstrating the traits of an evolved civilization. I’m continuously reminded of ancient Rome….

Do We Deserve to Live Forever?

I am an absolute believer that humans are meant to innovate and evolve, to step up and up again into our best potential and ultimate performance. But is that what we’re really doing? My questions go far beyond many entrepreneur’s vision on immortality.

In the short term –

• As we modify the minds of critters, are we stepping beyond the natural order of things?
• Are we changing the fundamentals of life before we fully understand the foundations on life as we know it?
• As we modify the DNA of everything from goats and rats to our own bodies with GMOs, are we tinkering with the very definitions of life forms and our future?

In the longer term –

• Are we meant to live forever? Or are we opening the proverbial Pandora’s box (no pun intended) by  attempting to create immortality?
• Can our human minds  accurately process and manage all of the information and experiences gained from a more-than-human body and longer than human life?
• As we move to become more super human, will we lose the fundamentals of humanity itself? Fundamentals which we seem to be casting aside even now including  social responsibility, caring for the planet, caring for our families…

My questions go on and on.  I surely do not have the answers.

The Bottom Line

I’ve worked at the leading edge of technology advancements for most of my career. I love innovation and the ability to expand the powers of humanity by leveraging technology.

But I can’t help but wonder – is technology growing faster than our human capacity for understanding?

Are we risking the very humanity we seek to preserve?

I’ll continue to watch and wonder. What about you?

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net