Immortals, as in Poul Anderson's
The Boat Of A Million Years, might come to regard mortal lives as valueless and current events, however tumultuous, as insignificant. A century would pass for them the way a decade or even a single year does for us. Might we get some inkling of their perspective merely by living as long as we do? I remember adults seventy years ago, when I was five, taking their lives seriously then but how do I perceive them now? I do not want to regard them as valueless but I am also conscious of the facts that they are all dead and that the whole post-War world as they knew it was fleeting and is long gone. And someone will perceive us that way. I would if I were somehow able to extend my lifespan for long enough. Sf writers can show us how immortals, time travellers etc see things.
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Except the "immortals" of THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS, could not afford to be too blase about their peculiar condition. Not when some random accident, blunder, or act of violent could so easily be fatal to them!
Ad astra! Sean
Yes, 'immortality' does not mean 'immune from slipping in the shower and breaking your neck'. Or getting shot by a mugger.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Exactly what I had in mind. And that also applies to the "immortals" we see in WORLD WITHOUT STARS and FOR LOVE AND GLORY.
Ad astra! Sean
'immune from slipping in the shower and breaking your neck'
Not immune, but the body of a fairly fit 30 year old is both less clumsy and less easily damaged than the body of a typical 90 year old.
A body that doesn't age is less likely to die from such things in any given year, but eventually the 'immortal' will hit some deadly bad luck.
Kaor, Jim!
And that's exactly Stirling and I had in mind, some fatal accident or blunder would eventually kill such an "immortal."
Ad astra! Sean
Though that would have psychological consequences. Once past early childhood, everyone knows that death by old age is inevitable, even if you luck out on all the things that could kill you earlier. OTOH, if old age -weren't- inevitable, even if death by accident or violence would happen eventually, then the shape of the human mind would be different.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I am not sure I would entirely agree, even tho I think I understand your point. Assuming something like what we see in Anderson's FOR LOVE AND GLORY, where lifespans can be indefinitely prolonged for those who wanted it thru periodical age reversing treatments, people would still know death would inevitably come. The "shape" of the human mind might change, but perhaps not as much as you think it would.
Ad astra! Sean
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