this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2024
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I'll start off with one, Being upset about a breakup that happened hundreds of years ago.

Edit 1:

  • Heath death of the universe, Death of the sun, etc, does not count. I feel like focusing on this is an overused point.

Edit 2:

  • Loneliness does not count. I feel like we all know immortality means you'll miss people and lose them.
(page 4) 50 comments
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

One of my books features an immortal protagonist and I've as such thought about this quite a bit. More than the answers already provided here, what I found interesting as a writer was the balance I needed to find between making an immortal detached from mortal values while still being engaging to mortal readers.

Said as a pithy question, if you can outlive everyone's decisions and mistakes, what would it take to make you do anything at all?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (3 children)

You know how the curse of pet ownership is that you will almost certainly outlive them?

That, but with everyone you love

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If other people are also immortal, the awkwardness of all of them eventually becoming your exes

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Being eaten by sea anemones, tuna, sharks, swordfish, sea turtles, penguins, and other jellyfish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_dohrnii#Predation

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

Basically all of the time you’re alive will be after the heat death of the universe, where you will be floating in space, with nothing to do, nothing to see, nothing to experience. Complete darkness, complete silence, in a complete vacuum, for eternity. Every other particle in the universe is forever out of your reach. You know that you will have nothing forever. You will never see, hear, or touch anything again, for all of time, which will never end. The trillions of years that preceded your float through the void fade into a distant memory as you outlive twice as much time, four times as much, a trillion-trillion times as much, and infinitely more.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

I wrote a story that features such an entity and what was interesting about it to me was how even the slightest glimmer of life beyond their void would lead to an all-consuming desire to experience "living" again.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

So just my normal day?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Not being able to kill yourself.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The amount of shitting and wiping I d imagine you’d have to do, hemorrhoids would likely be unbearable overtime

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Bidets and butt hoses.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 month ago (3 children)

That old person feeling of no longer being with "it", and what's "it" now being strange and scary probably compounds over the centuries.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

And this is why elder vampires are so vengeful.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

being alive

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Given a long enough time frame, the vast majority of an immortal life would be spent buried beneath something or floating in the void of space. Think about it, you outlast planets and stars. When those go dark, but you don't die...nothing to do but float in space.

You might counter that with, "well yeah, but eventually I'd find other sentient life forms and/or people again.” And sure, maybe, but that wouldn't last as long as you...and then you're just alone floating in space again, for the vast majority of your life. The only thing to look forward to, since you will outlast everything, is the end of time itself.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think there is a clear difference between being immortal and being indestructible. I would think if your planet breaks apart you'd probably die with it being crushed or whatever. Also always unclear if being immortal means you don't need to breathe air.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Think about it, you outlast planets and stars. When those go dark, but you don't die...nothing to do but float in space.

LOL, that's just the beginning -- only on the order of 10^12^ - 10^14^ years. After that, you're going to be waiting around for proton decay (10^36^ - 10^43^ years), all the way up to 10^10^120 years* for the final heat death of the universe.

(* Anybody know how to get Lemmy markdown to do nested superscripts?)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Read this on the largest number every used in a mathematical proof.

Then ask yourself, if you think you could handle this number in microseconds let alone an eternity

https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/11/1000000-grahams-number.html

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Getting imprisoned for thousands of years unable to get out.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

On a long enough timeframe, even the strongest-willed will want to die eventually

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Having to constantly find new hiding places for the blood chalice, and keeping up with all the latest scanning methods so you can develop countermeasures. Your secret is never truly safe.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I wonder if it might engender an advanced sort of solipsism and callousness towards other people. After thousands of years of the world coming and going around you while you remain, would you even recognize other people as real or meaningful?

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Knowing the answer to some of history's biggest mysteries, because you were there, but being unable to speak about them because, 1, that would expose you, 2, nobody would believe you either way because nobody expects you to be THAT old.

Also, it is already frustrating seeing kids being dismissive or denying events that you yourself have lived. Imagine being thousands of years old and seeing so much shit, but those events are rarely retold, forgotten, or straight up denied by conspiracies or future governments that won't admit their fault on it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

Knowing the answer to some of history's biggest mysteries, because you were there, but being unable to speak about them because, 1, that would expose you, 2, nobody would believe you either way because nobody expects you to be THAT old.

IDK, I feel like researching for supporting evidence of a theory you already know is correct would be much easier than researching to try to piece together a theory from no information. I think you could put the truth out there as credible and well-regarded theories, even if there are incorrect alternative theories that people also have to consider.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just depression in general. I don't want to live one lifetime, let alone never being able to die.

If you're immortal in a body that isn't broken then that might be a different story, but you'd still grow to love people only to have to lose them and go through that pain over and over.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Either humanity gradually grows to despise you for your ancient morals

or they don't ever meaningfully surpass where we're at today.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Based on your question, you might dig the book β€œBoat of a Million Years.” The author put quite a bit of thought into just that.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boat_of_a_Million_Years

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

As we get older, our perception of time speeds up. An immortal would easily lose track of time after just two human lifetimes, causing an immortal to suffer from dementia-like symptoms where they expect one date but find themselves habitually late. And since time doesn't mean the same thing as us to an immortal, they would eventually become disconnected from the world around them and be unable to reintegrate. They wouldn't be able to maintain friendships, relationships, mortgages, payments, etc. They would be surrounded by people but forever alone.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Man, you took it too real too quick

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Does yer dick still work when you’re like 150?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Yes, in the oncoming capitalist hellscape, even white dudes named Richard will need to work

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The eventual heat death of the universe would be painful

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

If you remember your parka

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