My wife and I watched a documentary on Netflix tonight called Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. I first heard about Bryan Johnson a couple years ago, but never really took any notice. And then a friend had me listen to a podcast with him, and I was interested in finding out more. Not because of the premise per se, but I find what he is doing quite fascinating. It is pretty simple though really, he is trying not to die.
To do this, he is systematically looking to reduce the biological age of his body, in an attempt to slowdown the aging process and extend his life. Again, this doesn't interest me so much, but he is very dedicated to it and is about as disciplined as a person can be with how he spends his time. There is plenty of content you can search for if you are interested in that side of it to find out more.
However, one of the guiding philosophies he has resonated with me. While people probably think it is ridiculous to try and live forever, this is actually something that we have tried to do for millennia. Sure, we probably know our body won't make it, but much of what we look to accomplish is to extend our life, if only in memory. But, when it comes to living life itself, over the last decades we have been told that we should "be present and live in the now".
Technically, we can't live outside the now.
But of course what they mean is that rather than spending time dwelling in the past or worrying about the future, we should enjoy the eternal moment that we have in our hands. However, I believe that this concept, which can actually get quite deep, has been hijacked and shallowed further to mean, spend in the now.
Don't save, don't plan, don't prepare - consume.
This is not enlightenment. It is desire fulfilment. It isn't about living in the now at all, is it? And if one wanted to get technical of what the "now" actually is, I could argue that because time is infinitely divisible and based on movement, if we were to live in the true now, absolutely nothing would actually be moving and therefore, be dead.
Death lives in the now.
But, my personal philosophies and death aside, what Bryan Johnson wants is not immortality, but optionality. He wants to have the option to live tomorrow, if he has something he wants to do.
Living forever and living for tomorrow are identical concepts. I really want to live tomorrow and when tomorrow arrives, I'm imagining I probably want to live tomorrow's tomorrow.
Bryan Johnson
But in a world lacking the cognitive skill of understanding nuance, people don't seem to be able to wrap their head around this position, in a similar way that they think that someone being dedicated to something like their own longevity, is a waste of life. However, this level of dedication is something that few people on earth are able to accomplish, and those that do are either world changers or madmen. I have a feeling that even though Bryan is likely to fail in his quest, the amount of data and learning being produced and inspired by him, he might find his immortality in what gets developed past his own life.
But, it is the philosophy of "live for tomorrow" that resonated with me, because this is something that I have come to apply to my own life. If a person has nothing to live for tomorrow, they are probably not having a very good life experience, even if they are adding value to others. They are a slave to life, living on obligation. Again, a lot of people don't understand the nuance here, because they believe for instance that if someone suicides, they rob the world in some way, but what if it is presented in a more extreme example.
If a person is valuable because they are a slave used for labour, sexual gratification and humiliation, and they have no way out of their situation, should they stay alive so they don't rob the world of their value? If you were a passive observer and all you can do is allow them to end their suffering, or force them to endure their torture - which would you choose?
But, I digress.
What does living for tomorrow mean? It is easy to think about it day by day of course, but I don't believe that is the approach. Rather, it is about setting up a life where one can assume that there will be something worth doing tomorrow. And not just worth doing because of the value it holds, but compelling enough to actually do it. I am not saying that every moment is going to be the best imaginable, but the expectation of those moments inspires the will to go on.
Handy to interject some etymology here.
will (n.)
Old English will, willa "mind, determination, purpose; desire, wish, request; joy, delight,"
Do you notice something there?
Joy.
Another thing about "the now" is that if truly living in it, not only is everything dead, there is also no thought, no feeling, no joy. I get it, you think that I am being silly in such a strict definition of the now, but anything outside of that dead moment, is past or future. As far as I can see, we exist in the now, but we experience in relation to the past and future. And if we ignore them, we are going to miss opportunities to experience joy.
What is life without experience?
This guys style of living is not something I feel I would be able to maintain for a day, let alone for years on end, but it is pretty incredible that he is attempting it. If it ends in disaster for him, if he dies anyway, he reached that point on his own terms, not caring what others think of his approach to living. He might be wrong, he might be right, but the reality is that most likely, he will fall somewhere between, where some of the things he does will bring immense value to others, and potentially help extend the quality of life of millions.
Imagine living to the average age of 100, but there is little degradation in mind and body until say, eighty years of age. At that point, it starts to wind down, but at 90, you can still dance with your partner, and play on the floor with your great grand children.
Wouldn't you want to continue on tomorrow too?
A good life isn't measured in time.
But, we only have so much time to make a good life.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
My guess is folks who have kids probably want to live to see those milestone moments which might come tomorrow, or the tomorrow after tomorrow. Graduations, weddings, babies, more graduations, more weddings, more babies etc. While my wife and I don't have that, we find ourselves living that process through our nieces and nephews. My oldest niece recently had a baby and now we find ourselves starting all over in the cycle.
It isn't just about the kids though, is it? It might be easier in some way with kids, but I feel that a lot of people, including parents are just biding their time until death, entertaining themselves passively, rather than actively doing something daily.
No, but for a lot of people that is the case. I mean if it was just about the kids we likely might have tried harder to have them. I'd maybe argue that a lot of it might have to do with what you do for a living. People who work for a non profit or a public school like we do might making their living impacting lives and when that time is done perhaps some passive entertainment is well deserved.
It could be well deserved based on culture, but I also wonder if what someone in that situation deserves, should be something more meaningful. I am not saying that everyone has to cure cancer, but a lot of the retired people I know, are still looking to try and have meaning in their life, but it is more of a struggle in some way. If physically/mentally healthy for a few more decades than we generally are, do we change our culture to design a different set of life practices? If you were 70 and healthy, would you spend your time in front of the TV?
No, I hope to be out walking and doing things with my friends well into my retirement. It might not be camping or disc golf, but even if it is just regular walks around a park I want to stay active. My dad worked in an auto plant for thirty years. When he retired he had the opinion that he stood on his feet for thirty years, now he shouldn't have to. I really believe his low activity has led to some of the medical problems he now has, so I want to avoid that.
Exactly, ‘The Cycle of Life’. Life is a pendulum that starts from the very moment of conception in the mother's womb and ends with death, there is no escape.
This, you argue, can be interpreted as a confrontation with time and human mortality. While contemporary culture often urges us to ‘live in the now’ and enjoy the present, Johnson focuses on ‘optionality’ and preparation for the future. This perspective highlights the tension between immediate enjoyment and long-term planning. As I read it, you suggest that living solely in the present, without considering the future, can lead to shallow hedonism, while a balanced view that values tomorrow's opportunities can provide deeper purpose and motivation. Johnson, with his meticulous and disciplined approach, represents a rejection of ‘passivity’, all right, and an assertion of ‘control’ over one's own destiny, even if this means challenging the common perception of ageing and mortality - there are many variables to consider. In discrete mathematics, we find models that conclude in chaos from premises that seemingly appear perfect... It's all in the hypothalamus.
Not just hedonism, because I think a lot of people aren't making decisions for pleasure, but to avoid displeasure. I think there is a difference there. Like running to something, or away from something.
Interesting you mention the hypothalamus, as it controls body temperature. Supposedly, this guys body temperature is 4 degrees F lower than most people, as his body has so little inflammation it doesn't have to work as hard.
The Clock of Life is a concept by Bertrand Planes that is marked in seven to eighty-four, with a mechanism slowed down 61,320 times. Each number represents one year, and a complete rotation takes place every 84 years (12x7=84). This was the maximum average life expectancy in Europe in 2006. And these studies have been done on the hormonal process of the hypothalamus and the natural lifespan.
In related irony,
Bryan Johnson discontinues longevity drug, after concerns it may have accelerated aging
A long life to see children and grandchildren growing up is great — to a point. But once your mind drifts away it might not be as much fun. My mom definitely had dementia and my dad was showing signs of it even if he didn’t get a formal diagnosis. So that’s probably in my future unless treatment for it improves markedly in the time I still have left.
I'm sorry to hear that Wombat - dementia scares me more than most other things to be honest.
It seems to be more common than it used to be. Maybe just because people are living longer than they used to? Environmental causes?
Oh totally... honestly it wasn't that long ago that people weren't living much past 65 years old - and then our diets, products, exposure to microplastics are all very different, and then on top of all of that, there is a link between Covid and Dementia as well...
Source
He might be living for tomorrow, but is he really living for today? As far as I know he's spent millions on his various protocols and so much of his time and energy. I don't know too much about him... but it's hard to imagine it has been money and effort well spent, especially if it is fairly experimental. Has his effort to live forever prevented him from friend's dinners, family occasions, etc?
Alternatively, maybe he's doing it purely for the content creation, to sell a story that literally everyone is interested in? I imagine, he's made something out of all the podcasts, Netflix specials, magazine articles, etc. I think it's important to ask 'how do they benefit from this story?' to get a read on their intentions and if it's all real or not.
But it is a fact that we all want to present ourselves young all the time and live forever. But we forget the fact that death is destined for us which we cannot deny even if we want to, nor can we delay our old age even if we want to. If we work hard then maybe we can retain some youth but after some time our body definitely returns to its original form.
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STOPYes, we must have a reason to live. To live for tomorrow and the afterlife. A life without a reason is a wasted life. You will have a dull, boring life.
If a person of the future can transfer his consciousness to an artificial environment, then he will live forever (choosing any body). But if suddenly consciousness lives not only in the human body, as neurophysiologists John Eccles and Natalya Bekhtereva spoke about, then theoretically we are already eternal.
Right, we are stuck in past and we overthink about the future, thus we miss the moment and forget how valuable the days when we are healthy.
By the way, I was looking to watch something on this cold wintery days. I will watch it ;)
La idea de la eterna juventud siempre ha estado presente en muchas culturas desde tiempos antiguos y que el ser humano presiente que es eterno y nunca muere. Pero no es el cuerpo el que es eterno, sino el espíritu que no muere y es or eso que siempre uno se siente joven a pesar de la edad que se tenga.
Excelente publicación. Te deseo éxito.