How Long Would You Choose to Live?

[PipeBox]

Here's a topic just for the fun of it!  How long would you choose live if you were otherwise immortal?  Not to sound biblical, but 800 years seems a good long time to get all the fun stuff in, see most everything.  I can't see keeping my sanity after many millennia, but I'm not about to set a bad precedent for this thread by saying, "Until I get tired of living, I guess."  So please try to give a concrete number, it's only hypothetical, after all.  I promise I won't hold you to it if we find the means for immortality.  

[Kyuuketsuki]

Well ... I'm currently working on a plan to live forever and so far it seems to be going fairly well ... guess I'll just have to keep you updated

Kyu

[quizlixx]

i would want to live for about 100,000 years. the reason why is because i would want to see what evolution does with that time and i would love to see some new religions being born and then dying out. and i want to see how the western civilization will fall and what new civilizationa would replace it. c'mon Greece 2  

[curiosityandthecat]

Depends.

Is this immunity from natural death with the option of ceasing life when I choose, or is this Claire on Heroes kind of immortality?  :| ) and would, I think, prefer to live for another four to five billion years or so. Whenever the sun decides to punk out and go red giant. Of course, by that time, I would be an evolutionary relic, a la David Lister.

*sing* Ganymede and Titan, yeah, you know, I've been around...

Too many pop culture references in such a short post?  

[PipeBox]

Generic immortality, Curio, where you're immune to disease but no severe injury.  There's always the chance you die violently sooner than you expect, but we don't plan on that happening as it is, so I'm not going to interrupt your ideal lifespan with jetcar wrecks or massive wars, or other small stuff like the decay of protons or the heat death of the universe.  

[Asmodean]

It's not about how long I would choose to live, but what would be in my life to make it worth living. When the things I consider nice to live for no longer outweigh the things I consider nice to die of, I want to stop existing. Be it 1 year or 10, I don't really care.

[curiosityandthecat]

Generic immortality, Curio, where you're immune to disease but no severe injury.  There's always the chance you die violently sooner than you expect, but we don't plan on that happening as it is, so I'm not going to interrupt your ideal lifespan with jetcar wrecks or massive wars, or other small stuff like the decay of protons or the heat death of the universe.  

And yeah, living for a long time appeals to me, but I think about it and I'm not sure things are going to change much, and irrespective of advances and entertainment, eventually, I think, you get tired of it all.

I think if history shows us anything, it's that change is the only inevitability we can count on. I doubt I'd get tired of it, only because I doubt I could ever learn everything about everything, which would be my goal.  

[rlrose328]

Well ... I'm currently working on a plan to live forever and so far it seems to be going fairly well ... guess I'll just have to keep you updated :banna:

Seriously though, I don't think I'd like to live forever.  I'm already reluctant to accept big changes in my life (reminding myself of my mother everyday!) and I think it would only get worse, no matter how much I try to think positively and have patience.

I think... maybe 100 years, 150 maybe.  That would be enough to see a new century, another generation if you chose to procreate later in life, like I did.  But I definitely want there to be an end.

[Kevin]

Hmm
I would rather be able to, sorry to say this, but be able to die when I feel like it :p

But if I had to pick a # of years, probably anywhere around 10-1000 years from when I would have normally died.
Me and my Mum are the same: Neither of us want to live forever. We would kill everyone if we did we would go so crazy.

[quizlixx]

i also think that living forever would take out a certain humanity in your life. not only because humans are supposed to have a finite life span but also because you would have to watch everyone you loved age and eventually die and i think that's a pain that most people couldn't handle experiencing once, much less the number of times it would happen during a billion years. The intellectual side of me would love to live forever, but the human side of me couldn't stand the pain of eternal lonliness.

[curiosityandthecat]

not only because humans are supposed to have a finite life span

Don't confuse what is with what ought to be.  

[Steve Reason]

Just long enough to see us colonize Mars, answer the big questions, cure most diseases, see us become a united planet under reason, and see us figure out deep space travel-- and see the Cubs win the World Series. So about a billion years I guess.  

But just me as a person...maybe about 500 - 1000 years or so. Just long enough to live several different lives in different countries and explore all the careers that I want to try. Archeologist, artist, evolutionary biologist, actor, chef, astronaut, athlete, porn star, etc.

[jcm]

until i no longer wanted to  

[curiosityandthecat]

Just long enough to live several different lives in different countries and explore all the careers that I want to try. Archeologist, artist, evolutionary biologist, actor, chef, astronaut, athlete, porn star, etc.

Not in that order, I hope.  

[Ninja Donkey]

In all honesty, I don't think any amount of time would be sufficient for all the stuff I would want to do. When you're immortal, you can take your time to do things right, rather than try to get it done before you die. I'm reminded of that short-lived cable show "New Amsterdam" (I think). I would eventually become jaded to all the death, a la Dr. Manhattan, minus the omniscience. Literally having all the time on the world at your disposal opens all the possibilities. YOU could cure illnesses. YOU could bring about world peace.
I think the most exciting thing would be watching the world. Observing changes in technology, medicine, social networking, and even evolution. To be able to remember how things once were, and watch in constant awe as new developments arise. All the while, being able to keep hard times in perspective, and providing insight for younger generations.
The only negative I can think of would be the eventual degradation of the human body. Goldie Hawn looked terrible at the end of "Death becomes Her" and there's no way I would want that. So, if the stipulation was a body invulnerable to aging (but able to be changed i.e. getting in better shape or gaining weight as I chose) then give me eternity. I think it would be a fun ride.

(My pop culture count is up to 3)