Is Immortality A Curse And A Gift - 1567 Words

The concept of immortality is both a curse and a gift. We are left here to ponder what immortality really is, if achieving it is possible outside of a science fiction work, and most importantly: is it worth it? There have been many assumptions and debates over what immortality is at the true level. Is it merely surviving forever? Or could it be as complex as being able to hold onto our consciousness forever, while staying alive? Keep in mind that we have absolutely no clue what consciousness is to begin with; the only thing we know about the extremely basic functions of human life is that there are trillions of neurons firing back and forth in our brains, sending signals to different parts of our bodies, allowing me to type these words as they are written with the intended message. True immortality may always remain a mystery, although in my opinion, immortality is remaining as you are in your life now, with consciousness and your own unique thought processes. Achieving immortality a t our level of advancement now is a ridiculous thought, although, within the range of possibility in the next 500-1,500 years (if we are to even make it that long as a species). As we approach that point in time, we also approach the ethical issue of not only, ‘is immortality worth it?’ but alongside, ‘is it right?’ I feel as though we all owe a death to the universe, for it has provided a life to everybody on the earth today and in the past. Therefore, we have the non-negotiable responsibilityShow MoreRelatedSherwin Dowell . Cmlit 101H. 03/02/ 2017. The Poison That1108 Words   |  5 PagesTemptress The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey of Homer are two of the most known epic poems in the world. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first recorded epic which depicts the journey of the god-like Babylonian king Gilgamesh, and his quest towards immortality with his close friend and god-like equal Enkidu. The Odyssey of Homer depicts the journey of Odysseus, who is returning to his kingdom, Ithaca from triumph in the Trojan War. Each hero in these epics encounters a temptress, whether it be divineRead MoreThe Knowledge That The Laputians Possess May1350 Words   |  6 Pagesthe average lifespan of a human is approximately eighty years. Like most species, humans do certain tasks to keep themselves alive for as long as they can. The thought of immortality would be nice since one would not have to do such tasks, but that is not how it is for the Luggnaggians. Swift portrays human immortality as a curse rather than a blessing illustrated by human attributes of wishing to live forever and old age. When Gulliver reaches kingdom of Luggnagg, he learns of the immortal struldbruggsRead MoreFrankenstein: Allusions1112 Words   |  5 PagesPrometheus, being the caring creator, stole fire from Zeus and gave them to the humans. Zeus sentences Prometheus eternal torment; His punishment is to have his liver eaten every day by an eagle, only to have it regrow and consumed again because of his immortality. Prometheus became a figure of anyone who sought to improve humanity through the means of scientific knowledge, but suffers from the risk that follows because of his well-known tragedy. Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist of Mary Shelley s FrankensteinRead MoreThe Hero s Journeys Of Gilgamesh And J.k. Rowling1590 Words   |  7 Pages(33). Shamash and Siduri try to convince Gilgamesh that his quest is useless. Even though Gilgamesh rejects Siduri’s advice to turn back, she also counsels Gilgamesh to live life to the fullest and to not wallow in sadness because death is given as a gift (34). ATONEMENT WITH THE FATHER Harry and Gilgamesh both demand the truth from their father figures, which makes this part of their journeys the same. In A Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell recognizes the dangers that are presented to theRead MoreThe Night - Original Writing1391 Words   |  6 Pagesgrandmother had died and Alice had no one left. Ida left her a box that she was supposed to open in her happiest days, but instead she opened it during the darkest time of her life. inside the box was Ida’s gift of magic, and immortality.   The immortality was meant to be a gift but was only a curse to her. With nothing left for her in civilization, She used her husband s life insurance to buy the huge amount of land where she constructed her dream home with her magic. It was here she decided to useRead MoreSummary of the Odyssey1133 Words   |  5 Pagesand brave. She tells him that he must defeat the Trojans. After seven years of battle, the Trojans appear to have won, but Odysseus devises a plan to win the war. Him and his men hid inside of a wooden horse, which was then given to the Troy as a gift. The Trojans unknowingly accepted and bring it into the city. When night fell, Odysseus and his men snuck out of the horse and attacked Troy unarmed from the inside. This won them the war and they conquered Troy. Before sailing out to return to IthicaRead MoreGilgamesh : The King Of Uruk984 Words   |  4 PagesGilgamesh is extremely saddened by this but also freighted. Gilgamesh goes on a quest for immortality, which leads him to Utanapishtim who tells him he can’t be immortal after failing a challenge but can go retrieve a plant to restore his youth. Gilgamesh finds the plant but before he can bring it back a snake sneaks by, eats the plant, and leaves. The Tigris and Euphrates river was both a gift and a curse to Mesopotamia. It was one of the key components to the survival of the Mesopotamian peopleRead MoreThe Odyssey: Different Point- of View1360 Words   |  6 Pagescold iron- but my heart is kind. (Homer, 86) I then swiftly led Odysseus to my cave. He took the empty chair that was left by Hermes. I prepared a bed for the both of us, but there was something that was troubling me. My Odysseus turned down immortality and being with me forever. Is it cause of that woman? The woman he left for Troy? Penelope is her name right? Why her? Why that mortal? I could not hold my tongue any longer, Son of Laertes, versatile Odysseus, after all these years with me,Read MoreLakshmi, The Hindu Goddess Of Wealth And Prosperity1101 Words   |  5 Pagescausing her to place a curse on Indra and the Gods to where they would lose their supremacy. This made the Gods banish, making Lakshmi take shelter in the ocean. Following the incident of Indra and Durvasa, demons invaded the heavens eventually gaining control of the universe. Indra had lost his kingdom, he sought help from god Vishnu which advised to treat the demons in a conciliatory way. They formed an alliance between the demons to jointly churn the oc ean for nectar of immortality. While they churnedRead MoreMedea Is Not A Bad Mother Essay2361 Words   |  10 Pages I will do this by proving that: Medea defies the social conventions of motherhood in three ways; she kills her children in order to protect them; and, that she rebels against her husband’s control and male domination by depriving him of his â€Å"immortality† by killing his sons and ending his bloodline. There are three ways in which Medea defies the social conventions of motherhood. Firstly, she does this by not being a stay-at-home mother. Secondly, she demonstrates that she can be powerful as a