Just Another Death?
Page 9, somewhere in between another problem with public services and the latest celebrity gossip, is usually where I’ll find today’s horrific murder story. A teenager is brutally beaten and then “accidentally” killed when his attackers take it too far. They get a few months inside for man-slaughter; his family gets a lifetime of heartache. Consequently, the world balance between peaceful, loving, value creators and destructive, sadistic losers is shifted yet a little further in favour of idiocy. Yet, taking another sip of coffee, we turn the page.
We think to ourselves, “There’s nothing we can do”, and continue with our daily lives. "It doesn't really affect me or anyone I know". We blame "fate", or, most fundamentally, we think "Everyone dies, he was just taken before his time".
As a society, we still see death as inevitable. As a result, there is just no respect for human life. This, I believe, is why we have a situation where killing somebody can carry a lower sentence than stealing money from a bank.
Not only do the killers have no respect (another topic!), but neither do those handing out the pathetic sentences. Nor do the beauracrats who create the laws. Nor do the media, who report on deaths with a cold objectivity. As such, nor do the public, whose attitudes shape the decisions of authority. So we live in a world where the consequences of our actions are severely depreciated, a world where a mindless violent killing just isn’t important enough to get more than a passing mention.
When you know about Actuarial escape velocity and the potential for people alive today to live forever - this attitude is incredibly significant. Life suddenly gains a lot more significance when people are presented with the possibility of an increased or even indefinate biological life span. And not just on a personal level, people living longer has many implications to society. Centuries of training, knowledge, and wisdom could bring us an entire generation of Einsteins, Da Vincis, and Hendrixes. (Another topic!)
Our attitude to death must change. Every human life is sacred, deserving far more respect and recognition than we currently give. The concept of radical Life Extension simply must be introduced into the public conciousness, because every day, we're seeing more and more mindless killings of valuable, potentially immortal members of society.
We think to ourselves, “There’s nothing we can do”, and continue with our daily lives. "It doesn't really affect me or anyone I know". We blame "fate", or, most fundamentally, we think "Everyone dies, he was just taken before his time".
As a society, we still see death as inevitable. As a result, there is just no respect for human life. This, I believe, is why we have a situation where killing somebody can carry a lower sentence than stealing money from a bank.
Not only do the killers have no respect (another topic!), but neither do those handing out the pathetic sentences. Nor do the beauracrats who create the laws. Nor do the media, who report on deaths with a cold objectivity. As such, nor do the public, whose attitudes shape the decisions of authority. So we live in a world where the consequences of our actions are severely depreciated, a world where a mindless violent killing just isn’t important enough to get more than a passing mention.
When you know about Actuarial escape velocity and the potential for people alive today to live forever - this attitude is incredibly significant. Life suddenly gains a lot more significance when people are presented with the possibility of an increased or even indefinate biological life span. And not just on a personal level, people living longer has many implications to society. Centuries of training, knowledge, and wisdom could bring us an entire generation of Einsteins, Da Vincis, and Hendrixes. (Another topic!)
Our attitude to death must change. Every human life is sacred, deserving far more respect and recognition than we currently give. The concept of radical Life Extension simply must be introduced into the public conciousness, because every day, we're seeing more and more mindless killings of valuable, potentially immortal members of society.
Comments
The problem with the violent, destructive losers is that life is cheap to them, therefore they cannot conceive of others' lives being valuable, having something to live for.