Not only is death necessary for new generations, it kind of gives meaning to the time we do have.
Why do you think limited time give us meanings?
Why do you think limited time give us meanings?
If you knew you would live until 300 and remained reasonably "young/healthy" during that time you probably wouldn't start a family as soon.
A few months ago, this was one of the biggest quotes around the internet. For a lot of people, death is a catalyst to do something that matters. In the biography, Jobs talks a lot about how he's in a hurry because he feels like he's going to die young.
If we had all the time in the world, literally, we could eventually learn to make decisions that are truly good instead of local conveniences.
Why don't we just choose what's the most meaningful thing to us, right now?
Moreover, I think living for a really long time allows us to be more ambitious.
I have a limited time on earth, yet I chose to spend it with you. Cuddling on this couch. Watching a movie. I think by the finite nature of our existence it imparts a little bit of significance to any sacrifice we might make to our own utilitarian maximizing.
Have there been an earthquake or your place would be ate alive by fire, you would be running away like crazy and the last thing on your mind would be to cuddle on your couch.
Further there is not much you can do to postpone the judgment. Sure you can break up with your loved one and lock yourself in a library for 10 years, grasp some wisdom, perhaps invest money or built a company, sell it ten years later for half a billion $ and invest all your money strictly into life-extension projects, but by now most likely you know the probability of achieving all this is so small, that you would rather cuddle on your couch just for a little bit longer.