Longevity

I've just finished reading a novel about living forever. Basically, it's set in the future, where a drug that can stop aging exists. People don't die and don't get diseases. But the thing is, that children cannot be born.

In the book, if you've chosen to take the drug, Longevity, you cannot have children. However, those people who Opt Out, can have little kiddies. "A life for a life" is how it's put. And for those children who are born, illegally, they're called Surplus. Unwanted, and a burden on Earth, with its dwindling resources and overpopulation. Surpluses are kept in an Oliver Twist-esque orphanage. Doing chores, fed the bare minimum and being beaten.

Then there's the government. They know your state of health from your ID card. You are told what to buy for dinner, so that you can 'stay healthy'.They can come into your house in the dark of the night and take you away.

In other aspects, people don't marry or have many close relations. Why? Because people have lived for so long that they've become bored of seeing the same faces, such as their husband or wife, or even their children. People are nosy with each other and it's a luxury to have chocolate. Also, for some odd reason, there's no mention of religion and celebrations. Perhaps the people have lived for so long that they're beyond the need for spirituality and social gatherings.

It's scary to think of the world as a place where no one dies. Old HAS to be replaced with new. Everyone feels a sense of foreboding when the topic of death comes up. It's normal and human. I believe in heaven, and that this life is actually temporary. Others believe that no heaven or hell exists, whilst others believe in reincarnation. Do these give us a comfort of a certain degree? I think so.

Science is discoveries and explanations. Logical first, with the issues of ethics secondary. Isn't the aim of biological sciences to extend human life?

It would be mind blowingly messed up if a world such as that created by Gemma Malley came into existence.

The trilogy which has inspired this post is called The Declaration, written by Gemma Malley.