Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by phkahler 1521 days ago
I think this misses the point of the essay completely. Hoping for life extension like that is simply a form of procrastination. What is it you hope to do better if only you could have more time? The hourglass has already been turn over, what are you going to do before the sand runs out? Go!
3 comments

In all your travels, have you ever seen a star go supernova? ...

I have. I saw a star explode and send out the building blocks of the Universe. Other stars, other planets and eventually other life. A supernova! Creation itself! I was there. I wanted to see it and be part of the moment. And you know how I perceived one of the most glorious events in the universe? With these ridiculous gelatinous orbs in my skull! With eyes designed to perceive only a tiny fraction of the EM spectrum. With ears designed only to hear vibrations in the air. ...

I don't want to be human! I want to see gamma rays! I want to hear X-rays! And I want to - I want to smell dark matter! Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can't even express these things properly because I have to - I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid limiting spoken language! But I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws! And feel the wind of a supernova flowing over me! I'm a machine! And I can know much more! I can experience so much more. But I'm trapped in this absurd body! And why? Because my five creators thought that God wanted it that way!”

There are many issues that can be solved with extra time. But should we all be living 200 or 300 years, society would probably be restructured in a way to squeeze that extra time out of you. Want financial stability and a good work/life balance? A house? Just grind for 200 years and you'll be set...
This is exactly the whole point - if you haven't "spent" your time wisely now how will doubling it help that?

It's basically this: https://9gag.com/gag/a815W1d and it's been noted time and time again ...

Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain

You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you

No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL3AgkwbYgo