we gonna live 4ever, it is imperative to find ways to "delete" memory, somewhat like in the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, since i do not think human mind is capable of coping with countless emotional traumas she/he would have to inevitably go through in this life 4ever: a conscientious immortal being will be bombarded by constant flashbacks and sooner or later would have no choice but to terminate one's own life.
simple zapping of a couple of brain cells seen in the upper mentioned movie will not do, since a memory is stored in "disk array" format, and wiping out only a couple of memories would require zapping off huge number of brain cells. a new method needs to be devised to eradicate only the "memory molecules", leaving all the brain cells alive and intact <-- and i am not sure this will be ever possible (i do not believe it is..)
but then, lets say it is possible,, then we need to ask ourselves --> what's the point of living 4ever without all the memories? unless you are a souless sex machine (hmm.. live 4ever only for the eternal reptilian pleasure.. that's one thing to think about..)
* one less impractical approach is to leave all the memories (and brain cells) intact, but somehow "sever" the emotions associated to each and every memory. in other words, you do get flashbacks things, but you feel no anger, sorrow, shame, joy and pleasure from them anymore (perhaps de-associate all emotions but save joy and pleasure..?)
imagine visiting "de-association clinic" every 20 years or so and say (or sign off) "and that's the way it has been" before switching on the dessocaition machine (does Cronkite power on this machine every night? ^^) maybe the maxim "one can forgive but can't forget" has valid scientific point (one can dessociate but can't wipe out the memory itself).
** interestingly i find this defense mechanism is already built in our mind --> catharsis.
this powerful burst of emotional eraser wipes out anguish associated to traumatic memories and allows us to transcend it.
***what is also fascinating is that we are somehow meant to experience catharsis only when we are in a state of mind that our soul is pure and grand. in other words, you never get catharsis when you are greedy, angry, vengeful and petty.
****our creator coded in this function of bliss in preperation of us eventually becoming immortal? and is it our creator's intention to preclude or purge out impure and petty souls ever achieving immortality even when the technology becomes available, since catharsis-deprived souls will eventually have no choice but to self-destroy from their own accumulation of emotional torment? am i giving an entirely new meaning to Purgatory?
***** anyhoo in this line of reasoning, i simply can't picture an advanced race with malignant mind.
Edited by full_circle, 24 March 2010 - 05:10 AM.