# What would you do if you were immortal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628 "2012-10-03T21:56:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/21 "2012-10-04T15:35:31Z")
Start collecting future antiques. ---
**Author:** ![Tad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/22 "2012-10-04T15:47:24Z")
I’d probably merge with the Cosmic AC. But speaking seriously, I’m not sure that I can answer the question because immortality always implies the infinite and I don’t think I have the capacity to consider that kind of thing. I suspect being an immortal being in the way you’re talking about implies that certain kinds of things that keep the body alive are needed–eating, breathable air, that kind of stuff? In that case, I suppose that with time science would likely progress to the point of space travel beyond the solar system or galaxy, so I would go places and see things in the universe. But all that kind of stuff is finite and spatial. I don’t know what a thing that doesn’t go “anywhere” in time does assuming the resources to keep a steady supply of air. Eventually everything finite dies or passes on. The infinite is a thing enclosing the finite in its own kind of way, somewhere beyond and merged into the concepts of it. Roads of it lead far, far into the spatio-temporal distance but never get there. An immortal thing, I guess, is something like that. S/he doesn’t go with time or place necessarily. There are “things” I could do but everything I do or think or quantify or recognize now is always in some way married to the finite. I don’t even know how I would think or recognize or “be” as thing that isn’t married to it anymore. I’d love to know, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/23 "2012-10-04T15:54:05Z")
Neither Tolkien or Highlander immortals regrow limbs if lost. Morgoth was injured in the foot by Fingolfin, and was “halt” thereafter when walking. I have no idea what I would do if it happened. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/24 "2012-10-04T16:01:34Z")
After all my family died, I would travel. Travel to everyplace I could think of and live there until I felt like a native even if it takes years, then move again, repeat. After tiring of that in a few hundred (thousand?) years. Probably just take over the world for awhile through politics and world experience. After a few hundred years of that, we should be ready for me to go to other planets some how, after all I could make the trip that would kill generations. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/25 "2012-10-04T16:02:08Z")
End it - I get bored too quickly. I’m just spending time waiting for death - no way I’m waiting forever. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/26 "2012-10-04T16:06:57Z")
> [@2gigch1](#): > > Travel and experience everything. > > Leave every place I go better than when I found it. This. And probably become a superhero at some point. And go to Mars. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/27 "2012-10-04T16:10:53Z")
Question for the OP: Will my ability to remember increase as time goes by? It does no good to learn skill after skill if eventually I forget how to apply them ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/28 "2012-10-04T16:12:27Z")
Much the same I do now, because, you know, it’s not like the life I lead is based on my mortality. Probably take better care of my teeth. Enjoy being young looking until I run out of brain cells in a century or so and off myself when I’m too much of a drooling mess. The end. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/29 "2012-10-04T16:29:24Z")
I’d become an expert at everything that interests me. I’d become a doctor, lawyer, astronaut and anything else I wanted. I’d do things like eat at every restaurant on earth, go to every museum on earth, live a lifetime in every country with a job and family. But the absolute best thing would be that I would live to see just how far humanity progresses, socially and technically. I bet I’d get to see cloned dinosaurs! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/30 "2012-10-04T21:17:51Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Bury myself in the desert until the human race evolves to become fit for polite society. I’ve seen the scenario where you stay the same and the human race keeps evolving. Eventually they treat you like a moron and then a pet ape. Enjoy your superiority while you can, because you lose ground over the millenniums. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/31 "2012-10-04T21:42:54Z")
My immortality is similar to, but distinct from, the kind described by the OP. Boredom has yet to become an issue; you’d be surprised how much time you can devote to enjoying art, learning, helping people, and seeing the world. Travel in particular is a never-ending source of enjoyment; by the time you’ve seen everything, the first stuff you saw has been replaced by something new. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/32 "2012-10-04T21:43:54Z")
A lot of people are responding with things to the effect of “having lots of fun” Two questions 1. What’s stopping your non-immortal self from doing those things? 2. How are you going to pay for it all? I mean, if you’re already wealthy enough that you no longer have to work, then nothing should be stopping you from having as much fun as you want, immortality be damned. But if you have to work…well, enjoy your job forever! Because I guarantee you’ll end up outlasting whatever “retirement” savings you acrue. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/33 "2012-10-04T21:47:30Z")
Cut off Yeticus Rex’s head and claim _The Prize_. Oh and buy a church, holy ground bitches! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/34 "2012-10-04T22:44:40Z")
Invest in an Annuity. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/35 "2012-10-04T23:20:02Z")
I would acquire all the money and knowledge necessary to build a spaceship that can travel to the moon. Then I would go there, don my space suit, and build a small wooden house. I would fill it with IKEA furniture and a small Buddhist shrine. Then I’d go home and wait for it to be discovered, whereupon I’d laugh my ass off when everyone expressed absolute bafflement. Then I’d do the same thing on mars, only with a different religion. Then I’d figure out other ways to mess with people’s heads. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/36 "2012-10-04T23:53:07Z")
I suspect I’d end up being a prisoner in a medical lab for a longtime. Would my vasectomy heal itself? I hope not, 'cause I want to have lots of sex and no children. Oh, and I never have to wear a condom again because I wouldn’t catch any STDs. Early on – FUCK healthy eating! I would eat everything I I like, as much as I like, as often as I like. I’ve live for a few months on ice cream, the french fries, then deep fried ice cream, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/37 "2012-10-04T23:56:56Z")
Nice, **Reg** …but make the house out of cheese! Muwahahaha… ok…maybe the cheese wouldn’t hold up well, but staple Kraft Singles on all the wooden walls and use them for shingles…heh…shingle singles…heheh. Szlater…you better bring your A game, buddy. \ ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/38 "2012-10-05T00:15:39Z")
Blow and hookers. Oh, you mean immortal, with a “t” and not immoral. Immortal. Immortal. Immortal. Um, blow and hookers? I’d have to figure out what to do for the first 60 years, and then I could start to make enough money from the infomercial that I could afford blow and hookers. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/39 "2012-10-05T00:22:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Question for the OP: Will my ability to remember increase as time goes by? It does no good to learn skill after skill if eventually I forget how to apply them Memory retention will be normal (I’d settle for just that right now). And yes, you still need to eat and stuff. You just don’t get sick and you heal really fast. ---
**Author:** ![TnTangent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@TnTangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TnTangent)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628/40 "2012-10-05T01:01:23Z")
I would put high priority, in the first few years after attaining this form of immortality, on figuring out how to conceal it - I suppose I’d have to pretend to be a new person every few decades. It seems that the rest of humanity would be extremely interested in the curious case of the man who wouldn’t age, with that scrutiny only heightened by each passing year and by each terrible injury survived. Without presuming that a government willing to sacrifice the one for the many would incarcerate me for study, I would still expect endless inquiries - from medical researchers seeking to replicate the effect, from scientists simply wishing to explain it, from religious groups trying to fit the undying man into their understanding…to say it sounds like a hassle would be an understatement! Also, even picturing a perfect world where such an immortal isn’t locked for study, I’d remain a completely law-abiding citizen (well, at least regarding the big crimes!). A life sentence sounds a bit onerous if it won’t ever end… Otherwise, I’d watch what I eat, exercise, and just do whatever pleases in the meantime! It’s hard to imagine not becoming bored with any particular endeavor eventually, but I imagine the world and human civilization offer enough fascinations to cycle through! First goal - learn every language I can in travelling the globe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-immortal/636628.md?page=3)