SECTION FOUR
HUMANISTIC (AND PHILOSOPHICAL) ASPECTS
Uncontrolled aging and death can be seen as common enemies that we all must unite against. People working together against an adversary tend to become closer and recognize how important each member of their group is to the effort.
Could Hale itself help make us more humanistic? It’s possible. Since the species will continue by every individual living as long as each may wish, we will look upon each other in a different way. Hopefully we will see each other as sacred, special, godlike, worthy of total respect and consideration.
Another reason to speed up the research: We have to stay superior to computers (no doubt doing so with the help of computers) before computers and robots become superior to us. Computers and robots have replaceable parts, thus they have already "conquered aging." If they continue progressing unchecked, including learning how to replicate, they could become the next step in evolution and turn us into the next monkeys.
We want to have human form and consciousness dictate how evolution proceeds. We won't have to be hampered on any level by the limits of biology, disease, or some of the typical (and now sometimes necessary) societal constrictions, and we'll be able to totally enjoy the benefits of humanity (sex, etc.).
Death was necessary from an evolutionary standpoint so many different individuals could be produced, leading to diversity within species and natural selection. With the end of aging it will not be necessary. Evolution can then proceed on a conscious level.
The humanistic aspects of including everyone afford insights into problems such as extreme poverty: Though many are working diligently to solve it, there's still not a great enough desire to solve the problem of extreme poverty in many parts of the world (most importantly as it results in hunger to the point of starvation) because even if hundreds of millions of people die off prematurely, the species continues. Also, people in the poorest countries tend to have many children for a spectrum of reasons, such as a desire to propagate family and nationality in the midst of so much dying (usually leading of course to a vicious cycle in terms of the number of individual premature deaths).
Once we're able to increase the human lifespan, and especially once we're on the way to indefinite increase, and we realize we can continue the species by having each individual in it continue, we will see each individual life as having the value it deserves. It's doubtful anyone will then be allowed to starve. Furthermore, those who are in such situations will not likely be very accepting of their plight while others are close to, or have actually reached, the next plateau. In the meantime perhaps massive relief should be offered contingent on population control.
By having the choice of indeterminate life extension we no longer will have to accomplish what we can only in a short lifespan and pass it along to future generations (a workable but rather inefficient method of progress). We can each accumulate massive amounts of knowledge, skills, abilities. Our collective capacity for accomplishment should then become virtually limitless.
Dogma is dangerous. Once an idea becomes attached to one’s sense of self, it is hard to evaluate that idea objectively, much less change it. Maybe one reason so many people are so attached to their views is connected to the inherent (at this point) shortness of human life. Once we’ve invested some of our precious time into learning a system of thought, we don’t want to spend more of what little we have left to change it and adapt to a new one. Aging control will help greatly. If we have endless time and health, it may not matter much if a better argument moves us toward change.
Psychological growth typically takes time and effort. Overcoming traumas, ingrained prejudices, negative habits, values, attitudes, is not easy. With more time to make needed changes, the species will have another avenue for humanistic progress.
Won’t people be much happier, and much more likely to treat others well as a result, if so many fewer are in physical pain or debilitated physically? And won’t that all make everyone value life and humanity that much more?
Are we ready for a perfect-health unlimited lifespan? Technological progress moves much faster than humanistic progress. So we’re now at what could be seen as an interesting crossroad. Will we destroy ourselves with advanced weapons? Continue fighting, even in wars, over who has the best interpretation of a particular religion, over who has the rights to a particular land area, etc. If those who are decent, sensible people get to live in an age-free environment, so do those who are not.
Perhaps as a species we have to put at least some effort into evolving humanistically along with the massive needed effort we must put into scientific acceleration.
How could that be done? Meditation (and mindfulness) helps many become more peaceful; psychology helps many become more actualized and rational; the law usually gets us to behave in better ways than we would have otherwise; social movements can get aspects of a given society to change for the better, and so on. But still, we move slowly in this area. Science only requires us to use our abilities to think and reason; humanistic progress requires us to come to grips with our egos, our emotions, our unconscious minds, and the like.
So, what to do? One idea: We can use everything we have from the golden rule, to psychology, to Eastern practices, to common human decency, to whatever, plus inventing and creating new methods for humanistic evolution. And, if a group of people (or a network of such groups) within the Include-Everyone huvement were motivated enough, and open-minded enough, and already somewhat evolved, they could start with themselves. They could face their flaws and issues, and glean what they could from existent books, CD’s, courses, seminars, and such by the numerous thinkers and practitioners already trying to provide help via protocols, methods, for group interaction and personal growth.
Each group could then try figuring out ways for its members to get along with, and help each other. They might be able to share ideas with the other groups, and eventually show others what could be accomplished. Perhaps new methods for positive change could be devised along the way that would be helpful to all.
Just plain socializing for "Includers" (members of the Include-Everyone huvement) through various get-togethers, networking, so we can get to know each other as people is a worthwhile venture. Organized social activism for those who may be disposed in that direction, such as trying to end, in various parts of the world, extreme poverty, subjugation of women, etc. is certainly an end worth mentioning as well.
The main point is: for now we may need to just use what we have. We all know how to treat other people we typically interact with in better ways, whether we feel like doing it or not. If we’re motivated enough to make something happen that may be enough for a real start. We can start small. A suggestion: let’s each just try to do a little better in our daily lives.
If Includers (members of the huvement) join even minimal humanistic goals to their efforts toward physical-lifesaving, our huvement will have a fine and admirable extra dimension, adding to its chances for success.
(For those who feel concentration on the acceleration of rejuvenation research is enough for us now, we all agree that such acceleration is the main objective; it is the one thing we all agree on. The huvement will have more than one faction. Fortunately for the rest of us, if it’s done right, the pursuit of humanistic progress as an important supplement to including everyone may be led by that faction so inclined.)
The control of aging is going to happen. It's inevitable. Be there or be a smorgasbord for worms!
Note: This is the last numbered section, since order in the site's remainder is not as important from here on. But it's probably still best to go from each section to the one following.
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