“It is death that gives urgency to life. It drives us to discovery, to cross oceans and reach into the emptiness of space” says the Herald Tribune columnist Rich Brooks (Thompson). The thought of being immortal is extremely alluring. To live in an ageless body, have all the time in the world to basically do whatever is something that every person has thought of. Immortality has always been a myth, but with technology continuing to advance everyday with alarming speed, it might soon be possible. Scientist Ray Kurzweil and many others have even predicted that this goal could be reach in the next twenty years. However, if sometime in the future scientists do discover a way to enable humans to live forever, behind all of the sugar coating, they will discover that immortality is actually a curse.
Since the beginning of time, people have searched for a way to prolong their lifespan or to regain their youths. In Greek mythology, Aurora, the goddess of the Dawn, married a mortal Tithonus (“Greece Greek”). She went to Zeus and begged him to grant him immortality. Zeus agreed but did not add eternal youth into the deal because he was jealous. Tithonus aged to the point where he could no long move, pleading to die. In despair, Aurora turned him into a grasshopper to free him. In the year 1513, it is said that the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon traveled to Florida in search of The Fountain of Youth (Stibich). The legend claimed that anyone who drank from this fountain would never grow old. He gave up though after years of searching. There is also the myth of the Holy Grail. According to the medieval legend, Jesus Christ drank from this cup at the Last Supper (Advameg). The grail is believed to have mystical powers for instance, bring eterna...
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1 Is there life after death? In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard “is drinking the elixir of life through her open window.” It is possible that this very elixir provides Mrs. Mallard with her freedom through eternal life. Through Chopin’s use of characterization, conflict, and symbols, the author reveals the theme that like Mrs. Mallard, some people can achieve freedom through eternal life. [Does "eternal life" here mean life after death, or, as in "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," life without death? The basic problem with this essay is that it overlooks the primary point of the story -- Louise glimpses freedom as a result of the death of her husband, and then loses that freedom with the realization that he is still alive. It is a story of "an hour" because Louise has only an hour of freedom. Although the writer of this essay makes a valiant attempt to support the thesis, there really is not enough religious (or moral) symbolism, etc. to support it.]
The search for the "fountain of youth" or the "elixir of life" is something that we have read about in many myths and fiction stories throughout the year. They are also things real life explorers looked for dating back centuries, the most famous of which is Ponce de Leon whose search of this elusive fountain took him to Florida in the late 1400 's and early 1500 's. However, He was not the first looking for this fountain that is said to give you the power of endless youth, the desire to stay young is a desire that may date back to the beginning of mankind itself. Although, as civilization has advanced through the centuries most people have given up on magical fountain and elixirs that extends your life while making you young again, and turned to
Hooyman, N., & Kiyak, H. A. (2011). Social gerontology: A multidisciplinary perspective (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (Original work published 2005)
There are a number of benefits to be found from thinking about ageing as a lifelong process and not just one that affects older people. This essay will define some of these benefits whilst backing up this reasoning with reference to the K118 material. It will then explain briefly which experiences I have had personally which have led me to responding to the question in this manner.
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Since the beginning of recorded history, everlasting life has been pursued by old and young, rich and poor. One need only look to the Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest story in the world, to discover where these roots lay. Gilgemesh, the mighty king and warrior, fearing his own demise, seeks out Utnapishtim, a mortal made immortal by the gods, in the hopes that he'll reveal the secret of eternal life. The immortal tells the king of a flower, which when eaten, bestows eternal life. Note that the answer is tangible and real, something that can be seen and held. Not immortality for the soul, but for the body. In the end Gilgamesh fails at his quest, but he is all the wiser for his journeys. The Greeks, too, sought immortality, but it tended to be of a spiritual nature only, because generally the gods were the only ones considered to be true immortals.
As American society has evolved in the past 100 years and technology has increased and improved, so has the life expectancy for individuals. Currently, females can expect to live for 81 years on average, while males can expect to live for 75 years, giving an average life expectancy of 78.3 years (Santrock, 2013, p.536). According to Santrock (2013), “since 1900, improvements in medicine, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle have increased our life expectancy an average of 30 additional years,” but another important factor is the decreasing infant mortality, allowing a larger population of people, including older adults (p.536). Making good choices in diet, regular exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, along with getting enough sleep and maintaining a low and healthy stress level can all increase life expectancy. Relationships, emotional well-being, and having purpose all also play an important role in determining how long an individual will live. As people are living longer, more ...
It is common knowledge that every living thing must die eventually; death is inevitable. Some people die earlier than others, while some live long, prosperous lives. Death, however, does not always refer to the physical body. Many notable authors examine the many different “deaths” that are possible. Death could be used to refer to the death of the soul as evil takes over, or the death of hope as one is unable to cope with a loss of child. George Orwell is one of these authors, as he demonstrates death in various ways. Death is a complex theme in Orwell’s novel, 1984, as it examines the atypical “deaths” that humans can experience. Orwell examines the death of social order when the Party takes over in a totalitarian manner. He examines the death of the family unit, the death of rebellion, the death of individuality, and the death of language. The most evident death, however, is the death of the mind. He demonstrates this sort of death through Winston’s complex character as he meets his eventual fate. Throughout his novel, Orwell foreshadows Winston’s eventual “death” through his word choice and tone, through Winston’s childhood memories, and through Winston’s surroundings.
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Would you want to live forever ? My position on this topic is equal upon