Life Expectancy: 1000 years?
This topic is a little off-track from my usual technology-related rants. But this article intrigued me so much I couldn't help myself.
Original Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4003063.stm
The Kilroy Summary: We have the technology to begin repairing the gradual degradation that our bodies undergo throughout our life. With the ability to repair our bodies, the only thing that will kill us is through Darwin Awards. In other words, if you are stupid enough to get yourself killed, it's your own fault.
My Thoughts: Good... and bad. For one thing, you can't really stop working, because no one's retirement plan is going to cover them for 950 years if they only worked 50. Let's look at the average lifespan, and how we spend our time:
0-20 years : Maturing and educating ourselves
20-25 years: Higher education
25-55 years: Working toward retirement
55-90 years: Retirement
Now let's translate that into a 1000 year lifespan:
0-20 years : Maturing and educating ourselves
20-250 years : Higher education
250-550 years : Working toward retirement
550-1000 years : Retirement
Let's be honest with ourselves. No one can stand 230 years in college. No one can stand working in the same job for 300 years. And no one can stand sitting around waiting to die for 400+ years. So how would our lifestyle change? Here's what I expect:
0-20 years : Maturing and educating ourselves
I expect that the early years will be the same for pretty much everyone. No matter what your lifespan is, you will still grow up at the same rate. I do expect that parents, because they have so much time on their hands, will probably play a much more active role in a child's early years. Social development is important, so home-schooling will probably not become predominant, but parents will not be working 40+ hours a week.
20-40 years : Further education, although focused to the individual's interests
The current higher education model is extremely flawed. The goal for students is to learn the information so that they can get a good job. No one learning for that purpose is going to be able to spend 20 years educating themselves. On the other hand, no one will have the money to purchase 20 years of education without having some kind of income. Ideally, education would take place in an open-source (meaning free) format. The next article I am going to write will talk about my ideas for how Google is setting themselves up to be the start of an Open-Source Educational Facility.
40-65 years : The first job
The primary goal of an individual's first job is to discover their interests and, essentially, soul-search. They have their whole lives ahead of them (65 years in a lifespan of 1000 is equivalent to less than 6 years in a lifespan of 90).
65-400 years : Jobs mixed with Education
At this point in life, the individual has a pretty good idea of what makes them happy and what they enjoy spending their time doing. They will start a family, and will probably see several generations grow up during this time. They will try different jobs, educating themselves as necessary. Individuals who live to 400 years will be extremely well-rounded with lots of experience and knowledge.
400-1000 years : Investment, Retirement and Exploration
With a family, a solid investment capital, and half their life still in front of them, individuals will choose different paths. Some, feeling they have accomplished all they need to, will choose to end their lives. Governments, burdened with explosive size of their populations, will have reluctantly legalized suicide. Others will feel the desire to explore. The solar system will be no barrier, and colonization of Mars and other planets and moons will be highly desired. Perhaps space travel will be a possibility, and individuals will begin exploring the reaches of space. Others will choose a life of luxury and relaxation, spending the money they have earned to purchase land (which will become more and more expensive on Earth) and surround themselves with riches.
I can think of both an exciting idea and a depressing idea about this future. The exciting thought is that space will no longer be such a large boundary. Even if it takes years to travel to the other planets in our solar system, we will be able to! The depressing thought, however, is that laziness will undoubtably flourish. With ten or twenty times the lifespan they had before, people will not feel urgency to make their mark on the world.
It is both exciting and disturbing that society could change so much so soon.
Original Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4003063.stm
The Kilroy Summary: We have the technology to begin repairing the gradual degradation that our bodies undergo throughout our life. With the ability to repair our bodies, the only thing that will kill us is through Darwin Awards. In other words, if you are stupid enough to get yourself killed, it's your own fault.
My Thoughts: Good... and bad. For one thing, you can't really stop working, because no one's retirement plan is going to cover them for 950 years if they only worked 50. Let's look at the average lifespan, and how we spend our time:
0-20 years : Maturing and educating ourselves
20-25 years: Higher education
25-55 years: Working toward retirement
55-90 years: Retirement
Now let's translate that into a 1000 year lifespan:
0-20 years : Maturing and educating ourselves
20-250 years : Higher education
250-550 years : Working toward retirement
550-1000 years : Retirement
Let's be honest with ourselves. No one can stand 230 years in college. No one can stand working in the same job for 300 years. And no one can stand sitting around waiting to die for 400+ years. So how would our lifestyle change? Here's what I expect:
0-20 years : Maturing and educating ourselves
I expect that the early years will be the same for pretty much everyone. No matter what your lifespan is, you will still grow up at the same rate. I do expect that parents, because they have so much time on their hands, will probably play a much more active role in a child's early years. Social development is important, so home-schooling will probably not become predominant, but parents will not be working 40+ hours a week.
20-40 years : Further education, although focused to the individual's interests
The current higher education model is extremely flawed. The goal for students is to learn the information so that they can get a good job. No one learning for that purpose is going to be able to spend 20 years educating themselves. On the other hand, no one will have the money to purchase 20 years of education without having some kind of income. Ideally, education would take place in an open-source (meaning free) format. The next article I am going to write will talk about my ideas for how Google is setting themselves up to be the start of an Open-Source Educational Facility.
40-65 years : The first job
The primary goal of an individual's first job is to discover their interests and, essentially, soul-search. They have their whole lives ahead of them (65 years in a lifespan of 1000 is equivalent to less than 6 years in a lifespan of 90).
65-400 years : Jobs mixed with Education
At this point in life, the individual has a pretty good idea of what makes them happy and what they enjoy spending their time doing. They will start a family, and will probably see several generations grow up during this time. They will try different jobs, educating themselves as necessary. Individuals who live to 400 years will be extremely well-rounded with lots of experience and knowledge.
400-1000 years : Investment, Retirement and Exploration
With a family, a solid investment capital, and half their life still in front of them, individuals will choose different paths. Some, feeling they have accomplished all they need to, will choose to end their lives. Governments, burdened with explosive size of their populations, will have reluctantly legalized suicide. Others will feel the desire to explore. The solar system will be no barrier, and colonization of Mars and other planets and moons will be highly desired. Perhaps space travel will be a possibility, and individuals will begin exploring the reaches of space. Others will choose a life of luxury and relaxation, spending the money they have earned to purchase land (which will become more and more expensive on Earth) and surround themselves with riches.
I can think of both an exciting idea and a depressing idea about this future. The exciting thought is that space will no longer be such a large boundary. Even if it takes years to travel to the other planets in our solar system, we will be able to! The depressing thought, however, is that laziness will undoubtably flourish. With ten or twenty times the lifespan they had before, people will not feel urgency to make their mark on the world.
It is both exciting and disturbing that society could change so much so soon.
posted by Alias:Kilroy at 1:34 PM
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