this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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What would you do to make your life better if you discovered you were immortal? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
36 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

There are some caveats though. You are immortal but what this actually means is that you are unable to do anything that would probabilistically lead to your death.

So, for example, if you were more probable to die getting into a car than walking, you would choose to walk. But only if choosing to walk was more probable than the probability of you surviving after getting into a car.

It's kind of confusing, but essentially You have no choice if something is about to kill you, but if you plan far enough ahead, the probability of you choosing to do or not to do something versus the probability of your survivability can potentially win out.

So given this version of immortality, what would you plan to do to benefit yourself in some way?

I've already thought about potentially hooking up some kind of lottery Number machine to a guillotine in order to win the lottery but it turns out that the probability of you not making this machine is more likely than making the machine and surviving so you just never end up making the machine.

In order to get an idea of where I'm coming from, here's a video that explains a bit aboabout quantum immortality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTZZUjnrbF8

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[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

Wouldn't you be least likely to die if you were, say, in a coma, under 24/7 medical surveillance in a hospital, or some other similar circumstance? Being out in public at all raises the probability of dying, so how would you ever go out? You wouldn't be able to use a knife, or even scissors. You'd never be able to interact with anyone online - there's a non-zero chance that someone takes such offense with what you say that they find where you live and come hunt you down, so it's safer - infinitesimally so, but safer - to just not go online at all.

What I'm getting at is, the scenario you've laid out with the bounds you've set just means you'd have the worst life imaginable. At least you'd be alive, though?

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I don't think people in comas have a good chance of survivability. There's all kinds of stuff that can kill you in a coma. Bed sores, pneumonia, infection, bleeding, so many things.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

Now we have drug-resistant candida to add to the list. Yay.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Well, you're right about some things. I do barely ever go outside. But as with the knives and other things, I think you have to take into account the probability of one not doing those things versus the probability of one dying from them.

The probability of me never using a knife is very unlikely. If it's more unlikely for me to never use a knife and thus not slice myself, then it is unlikely that I would use one. I'll use one.

I've tried slicing my neck. I just end up fainting.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I've tried slicing my neck. I just end up fainting.

What compelled you to try that? Please don't test your mortality.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I got tired of constantly gaslighting myself about the nature of reality and decided to call it's bluff. Its exhausting having the same thoughts over and over again and constantly questioning them.

It did bring me some solace, but also changed a lot of things. Knowing you're immortal makes your perspective on life change completely. I don't know how to explain it.

After that I began planning on the homeless thing mentioned above. I'm probably one on of the very few if only people to have ever gone from a 40$ hour job to actively planning to become homeless haha.

You don't understand tho, the thought of being homeless is so exhilarating, imagine being trapped your whole life and planning your escape. Thinking about it and planning for it has been some of the happiest moments in recent memory.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

There's a lot to unpack here.

Do you think you could promise me you won't try to test it again?

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Why would I need to... No I don't plan on trying again for that specific reason.. Sometimes when things are bad enough or I'm pissed enough I try but nothing ever ends up coming of it.

Death is a mistress I will never know. Suicide was so 5-10 years ago, eventually you just kind of move on from it.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

I'm sorry you've gone through that but glad to hear you're not planning on trying again.

How long have you been thinking about this situation? Have you already become homeless?

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You had me laughing pretty hard at the "worst life imaginable part." Sometimes it feels like that.

Although you got to remember that if one's life gets too bad, then they're more likely to be depressed and off themselves.

So they would get some semblance of enjoyability out of life.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago

They would try to kill themselves, but get paralysed so they can't.