Which is it better to be?

[Kodos]

This morning, an alien approached you and presented you with a choice.

1.) You can choose to be a physically fit, healthy, mentally competent 97-year-old person in the current day who has lived a full and rewarding (if not remarkable) life, but who is inevitably facing death sometime in the near future. He will in effect reboot your life to having started in 1915. Your life will have subsequently played out up until this present time, when you are 97. You have all of the memories, friends, and family associated with that life. It is all real, but in the past.

Or,

2.) You can be a 3-month-old baby today whose future is wide open, but who faces all of the uncertainty that life brings. Your future life might be long and fruitful, perhaps even remarkable, or it could be cut short, or marred by any number of problems. You might live for another 100 years.

Which option do you take? Do you lock in a long, fairly successful life that is almost over, or do you take your chances starting anew?

Edit: To clarify a bit, you actually lived the full life of the 97 year old, making your own decisions along the way, it's just that your consciousness is now in year 97 of that life.

[Danny]

Super easy choice

[panerd]

I chose #2. Who knows what will happen in the world now that the aliens have landed.

[Subby]

Hah. Poor reading comprehension on my part.

Please put me down for 3 month old baby.

[Kodos]

Apparently, I did a bad job of making this one a hard choice.

[DaddyTorgo]

Is it really that easy a choice? Aside from the Depression, which you presumably emerged from alright as a young man, the 20th century has been really good to America. Looks like you prolly got to kill some Nazis - experienced the rapid technological boom...I dunno. People are so afraid of dying *shrug*.

Who knows what the future holds. Peak-Oil, terrorists with nukes, hostile aliens.

I need to think about this.

[Fidatelo]

Definitely the baby. The point of life is not to remember stuff, it's to live.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Is it really that easy a choice?

It was to me.

[Danny]

The choice isn't between my current life and the baby, it's between some life I didn't actually live and a baby. Who cares if I have the memories of the life, it wasn't actually mine and I didn't actually live it. Not interested in a phony life.

[molson]

#1 doesn't sound too bad to me. If I remember everything as if I experienced it, and I'm proud of what I did, that's cool. Starting over as a baby again sounds exhausting. And what if I turn out to be a bath-salt-using face eater, or are a miserable asshole, or hurt lots of people? I think there's something to be said for locking in a good life with good contributions to society and other people, maybe even locking in a good "soul" instead of rolling the dice that you cause lots of harm. There's enough people in the world already, especially going forward starting now, the odds of contributing anything are pretty remote, it's a struggle not to just be a drain on the world.

I haven't voted though, I'm not sure, but I see that argument for that side.

[Danny]

Just to clarify, I understand you are saying the life actually happened, but as Fitadelo said, the point is to actually live it, not remember it.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Is it really that easy a choice? Aside from the Depression, which you presumably emerged from alright as a young man, the 20th century has been really good to America. Looks like you prolly got to kill some Nazis - experienced the rapid technological boom...I dunno. People are so afraid of dying *shrug*.

Who knows what the future holds. Peak-Oil, terrorists with nukes, hostile aliens.

I need to think about this.

Yeah, see that's what I was trying to get at. Do you take the guaranteed reasonably successful long life, or do you gamble and maybe die at age 24 in a freak bison attack? I was trying to get at do you value being alive later in time over a longer life at a time that is now done (to people in the current day)?

Maybe a better example would be something like this:

You are given a choice. You can start an entirely new life that will last 80 years in the 1900s (1917 to 1997), or you can continue your current life knowing that you will die at 50.

[Marc Vaughan]

The thing is if you pick the 'first' then you basically don't get to make any decisions about your life, thus you're an old git with few options for a short period ... admittedly a happy old git, but an old git all the same.

As such I'd pick the one which gives me some control and hope over my destiny.

Its for this reason I struggle with the concept of an all knowing God, I kinda like the idea I have a say in things and its not all pre-determined .... that however does somewhat clash with my knowledge of physics and science, which errr tell me everything is pre-determined

[molson]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

The thing is if you pick the 'first' then you basically don't get to make any decisions about your life, thus you're an old git with few options for a short period ... admittedly a happy old git, but an old git all the same.

As such I'd pick the one which gives me some control and hope over my destiny.

Its for this reason I struggle with the concept of an all knowing God, I kinda like the idea I have a say in things and its not all pre-determined .... that however does somewhat clash with my knowledge of physics and science, which errr tell me everything is pre-determined

I guess that's the tricky part, who knows what control you'll have over your life starting out as a baby. I guess we're assuming you'd be North American so you'd have decent odds, but there's all kinds of scenarios where you'd be utterly dependent on others.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Definitely the baby. The point of life is not to remember stuff, it's to live.

Originally Posted by Danny

The choice isn't between my current life and the baby, it's between some life I didn't actually live and a baby. Who cares if I have the memories of the life, it wasn't actually mine and I didn't actually live it. Not interested in a phony life.

Made me think of this . . .

[Scoobz0202]

I sort of fear death. I'll take the uncertainty of the future versus the reality of knowing death is sooner rather than later.

[albionmoonlight]

And it gets to some pretty deep questions about the relationship between memory and reality.

What do I have of the life that I have lived other than memories?

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I sort of fear death. I'll take the uncertainty of the future versus the reality of knowing death is sooner rather than later.

This is entirely what it came down to for me, complete no brainer.

[Kodos]

To clarify a bit, you actually lived the full life of the 97 year old, making your own decisions along the way, it's just that your consciousness is now in year 97 of that life.

[BrianD]

I'd give serious thought to #1. Leaving this world having lived a good life and having made a positive impact on the people around you is a pretty good goal. I'm not sure how many people really get a chance to experience this.

[JediKooter]

I'd have to choose 3 months. I've seen how all the chicks coo and awww and you don't even have to buy them dinner and drink for them to do that.

[tarcone]

Can I have my experiences of life memories transfered into the 3 month old? That way I dont make the stupid mistakes I made the 1st time around. Im squarely in the 3 month old camp if thats the case.

[molson]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Can I have my experiences of life memories transfered into the 3 month old? That way I dont make the stupid mistakes I made the 1st time around. Im squarely in the 3 month old camp if thats the case.

That'd be weird. If the world found out you were a baby with the knowledge and memories of an old man I bet they'd kidnap you and do experiments on you in some secret facility.

[albionmoonlight]

Fuck going through middle school again.

I'm picking old man.

[JediKooter]

Anal probes.

[Autumn]

Originally Posted by molson

That'd be weird. If the world found out you were a baby with the knowledge and memories of an old man I bet they'd kidnap you and do experiments on you in some secret facility.

Don't worry, 3 month olds can't talk. His secret is safe.

[Autumn]

If the choice is between being guaranteed a long life or the possibility of anything, I guess I would choose the long life. But that's not really a choice. "Would you rather know you will live 97 years or not know when you'll die."

[JonInMiddleGA]

Truly astonishing results.

Ya'll some Pollyanna muthas up in here.

[LloydLungs]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Fuck going through middle school again.

I'm picking old man.

Exactly.

If I could start at 18 then I'd take my chances.

[EagleFan]

Thinking of everything that you would have gone through as a 97 year old makes it very tempting.

Depression, WW2, Korea, Kennedy, etc... All the major ups and downs of the 20th century. You would have lived through some of the best times this country has seen.

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Thinking of everything that you would have gone through as a 97 year old makes it very tempting.

Depression, WW2, Korea, Kennedy, etc... All the major ups and downs of the 20th century. You would have lived through some of the best times this country has seen.

And as you pointed out, some of the worst (Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy, Vietnam, Iran Hostages, Gas Lines, Challenger and Columbia, The Macarena , 9/11)

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Thinking of everything that you would have gone through as a 97 year old makes it very tempting.

Depression, WW2, Korea, Kennedy, etc... All the major ups and downs of the 20th century. You would have lived through some of the best times this country has seen.

I expect any similar duration of time has some amazing ups and downs - heck during my small tenure on the planet I've seen Black Tuesday, The Falklands War, The fall of the berlin wall etc.

[JediKooter]

I think there's some members on this board who have seen the Great Fire of 1666, the black death and the invention of celestial navigation on the high seas.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

And as you pointed out, some of the worst (Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy, Vietnam, Iran Hostages, Gas Lines, Challenger and Columbia, The Macarena , 9/11)

Kennedy eh?

[Izulde]

3 month old, even though it's a lottery system. I'm one of the thanatophobes on the board. :P

[Mustang]

I pick C.

I shoot the alien and become a millionaire in this life off the dead alien body.

Although, if there were no guarantees to how you come back as a 3 month old, I might lean towards the 97 year old. I sure as hell wouldn't want to take a gamble that I'd be born as a 3 month old North Korean kid.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

How much wealth would you have accumulated in your 97 years? Enough to buy a 20 year old bride with perfect boobs that you secretly write completely out of your will? That would make the decision more difficult...

[Fidatelo]

I don't get why people would want to just remember a bunch of crap and then die? If that's the ideal life why not just read a few detailed auto-biographies and then off yourself?

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Mustang

I pick C.

I shoot the alien and become a millionaire in this life off the dead alien body.

Although, if there were no guarantees to how you come back as a 3 month old, I might lean towards the 97 year old. I sure as hell wouldn't want to take a gamble that I'd be born as a 3 month old North Korean kid.

Based on the odds, most of us would end up chinese

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I don't get why people would want to just remember a bunch of crap and then die? If that's the ideal life why not just read a few detailed auto-biographies and then off yourself?

As I understood the premise, you don't just remember it (like borrowed recollections of someone else or something), you actually lived it.
To wit ("you actually lived the full life of the 97 year old"

Sounds as though it was, as I understood it, a life reasonably well led. Not sure what else anybody realistically hopes to get out of their lifetime whether it ends at 30, 50, or 97. If I can say that at the final hour, I'm good with it.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

As I understood the premise, you don't just remember it (like borrowed recollections of someone else or something), you actually lived it.
To wit ("you actually lived the full life of the 97 year old"

Sounds as though it was, as I understood it, a life reasonably well led. Not sure what else anybody realistically hopes to get out of their lifetime whether it ends at 30, 50, or 97. If I can say that at the final hour, I'm good with it.

I guess I just don't see life as a vehicle for reflection. I don't often think about the past; I focus mostly on the present, and with an eye to the future. I have a terrible memory, but I think that's just a reflection of my nature - I just don't really care to dwell on things that have already happened. I'd rather discover what's around the next corner than linger around discussing the one I just came from.

[Autumn]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I don't get why people would want to just remember a bunch of crap and then die? If that's the ideal life why not just read a few detailed auto-biographies and then off yourself?

All right, you have a good point. I hit the library this afternoon. See you guys later.

[Grover]

I chose the 3 month old option, though with the impending zombie apocalypse, I fear I may be food very quickly.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

As I understood the premise, you don't just remember it (like borrowed recollections of someone else or something), you actually lived it.
To wit ("you actually lived the full life of the 97 year old"

Sounds as though it was, as I understood it, a life reasonably well led. Not sure what else anybody realistically hopes to get out of their lifetime whether it ends at 30, 50, or 97. If I can say that at the final hour, I'm good with it.

This was my take. I preferred knowing I had a life well lived versus the unpredictability of the 3-month olds life and not having any clue what I was getting myself into.

Sure I didn't get to have an iPad at 97 (most likely) but I'd be good with that.

[cody8200]

3 month old without much thought.

[SteveMax58]

I think this comes down to what you value most about life. And to me, I value the concept of what the future can hold more than what the past has yielded. Or at least...thats how I "want" to view life.

So this is an easy choice for me. I'm ok with the idea that I could possibly not lead the life I had envisioned so long as its still possible that I could do more. Perhaps I would still feel that way at 97 but I'm inclined to believe the mysteries & possibilities that lie ahead of a 3 month old are much more compelling & interesting than the reminiscent memories of a 97 yr old. To me, the value of those 97 yr old memories are to transfer them to the younger generations so that they can also learn & fulfill their possibilities but the memories are not the end goal themselves. Its the journey.