As a devout Nigerian Christian, the idea of living forever immediately makes me ponder what the Bible has to say on the matter. We are taught that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Does this mean we are meant to have everlasting physical life on this earth? Or is it referring to spiritual life after death? These are heavy questions my mind has grappled with.
If I'm being honest, there is a part of me that finds the prospect of never dying quite seductive. Like most people, I have an innate fear of the unknown that is death. Even with my faith's assurance of an afterlife, the finality of leaving this earthly existence behind is scary. What if living forever physically meant never having to confront that fear? No dealing with grief from losing loved ones either if we could all go on eternally.
Then I think about all the inspirational figures throughout history who died long before their time , able to impact the world profoundly despite their shortened years. From Nnamdi Azikiwe to Fela Kuti, many redefined what one person could achieve in a single lifetime. Perhaps death forces us to maximise each day and create urgently rather than drift endlessly. With unlimited time, would any of us feel driven enough to leave legacies?
My Christian values grapple with the idea of immortality too. Part of why we respect God as the supreme being is because only He is infinite and eternal, without beginning or end. For humans to somehow gain that trait could be disgracefully prideful as it's aspiring to be deity-like. Am I equipped to handle millions of years of life experience and simultaneous traumas? What mind could bear that overwhelming existence intact? Our finite comprehension is meant to accept limitations.
Yet the scientific possibilities of defeating ageingopens up fascinating questions too. In an over-populated world already struggling with sustainable resources, allowing people to live indefinitely could be catastrophic. Eliminating that natural population curve could irreversibly throw ecosystems into chaos as the planet gets overwhelmed. Perhaps that's part of our duty as humans – to live, create, then make way for future generations as the cycle renews. Immortality could upset that balance entirely.
Then I remember that death was never originally part of God's plan until sin brought it into the world. If Eve hadn't accepted that forbidden fruit, would we all have lived forever in Eden's paradise? Were Adam and Eve immortal beings until their fateful choice cut their eternal lives short? Even with religion's disagreements on this, it's thought-provoking to ponder if eternal physical life could be considered a take-back from death's curse.
At the same time, every major faith has concepts around our souls being spiritual and infinite after death , while the physical body remains temporary and mortal. For Christians like myself, knowing we were created by God for companionship in this life, with our true everlasting home being heaven with Him, does reframe my view of permanent earth-bound existence. Would immortality here just mean getting trapped indefinitely and separated from our divine origins forever after? Not a very appealing prospect now.
In the end, I have to keep pondering if eternal life, no matter how advanced science could someday make it possible, is a blessing I would really want. So much of the human experience's profound beauty has been shaped by its inescapable temporariness. Our short windows make us urgently chase meaning, purpose, legacy driving us to create, feel, and live each moment more vividly. I cherish my faith's wisdom that assures me this physical life was never meant to endure infinitely. Perhaps I wouldn't be who I am or appreciate existence the way I do without that humbling perspective.
So while beating aging through science could have benefits, true eternal life doesn't seem the natural intention for humanity. I'll gratefully spend my finite years here making impacts that matter to me. Then eventually take that step into what the afterlife has in store with faith that the true gift of infinity still awaits us beyond this earthly realm.
My responses to the hive ghana prompt
