The Curse of Gifting Eternity

[Cayden Black]

I was listening to a beautiful song, King by Lauren Aquilina, when I suddenly realised something after pondering an RP dealing with an immortal being and a human lover.

The scenario in my head is the idea of loving someone as an immortal and being cursed to never age while all around you wither and die. The dilemma I formed in my mind was the idea of having a child with this person, the child also being mortal, and asking the simple question;

Is it better to walk away or stay until the ultimate end?

I felt it could really play with the heart and mind for many people. You love this person with all your heart but you'll always know that you can never grow old with them. Which one would be the most caring and kind of the two? To be with them or to walk away? Their does not have to be a child involved, that was the scenario in my head.What do you all think on this?
Would you walk away?

[LostBrotherGrimm]

If pulled off correctly, it could be a really heartbreaking story - especially if it continues on after the death of the mortal lover and focuses more deeply on the life and the relationship between the immortal parent and a mortal child. Y'know, that would really be something. It would be a really good setup for the main character's inner war - he (or she) already lost a lover to the tides of time and yet face another big, inevitable loss.

I do think it's an older theme - staying alive while everything else withers away; I feel that was pondered on about before, but I may be wrong as well. I know that in Stephen King's Green Mile, for one, that thematic was introduced - watching everyone around you slowly die and everything you know slowly disappear, whilst you remain alive.

But, it's a good question... if I think about it from my perspective, would I walk away or stay with the person - to stay with them may be more caring and kind for the other party involved, but it would probably tear me apart from the inside. Then again, would it really be good for the child if I stayed back, that's the real question. I could very well hold them back in having the normal life, even making them fell sad for my own pain. The pain of me walking away would be sharper, but would last (depending on the age of the other party) shorter than me staying with them until the day of their inevitable death.

[UnendingEmpire]

For the most part, eternal life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Indeed, you will remain ageless while all those around you - your friends, family, and everything you love - gets old and eventually dies. But as with any rule, there are exceptions.

There are no doubt some people who would happily accept this burden, making the most of it. These would typically be people who don't have any loved ones to lose (or exceptionally few) nor any particular attachment to anyone or anything. Even I'm thinking such people wouldn't exist, but there are 7-billion of us and our population, unfortunately, is constantly increasing. Somewhere, such a person would exist. It would come to the question of what they would do with their eternal life. Love is clearly out of the question (and like that, I bow humbly from eternal life) as are any strong forms of emotional attachment. As the years passed, this immortal would retain the knowledge of his/her age and ones yet to come. They could do anything with their lifetimes of knowledge. And I mean anything. Conquering warmonger who becomes an everlasting dictator of the world? Why not? Perhaps they could become a wise guru-type person instead, passing their wisdom down from their time to the future. Or maybe they'll just run a bar for all time or something like that ^_^;

In summary, the concept of eternal life is currently that and only that. A concept. As such, you would probably get different answers from each person you asked, since despite our staggering world population, no two humans think exactly the same. I myself would not take eternal life, but that doesn't mean I don't want to live forever. I'd like very much to live forever, just not as I am ^_^ but more to your question. Were it me given the choice to remain with a mortal or leave them, I would stay. Just because a person dies doesn't mean they're gone, if that makes sense. In fact, my grandmother's birthday was just yesterday. She may not have been able to properly celebrate it, currently being a pile of ashes in a black box above the kitchen sink, but a person isn't truly dead until there are no more people in this world who would care to remember them. To quote one of my favorite songs to this day:

Megadeth said Smile when you think of me. My body's gone, that's all.

[Jannah]

I actually tried to RP something very similar before, but unfortunately it didn't get beyond the first few posts since my partner dropped out. Mine was more focused on the moral dilemmas the two had to face though such as whether it's worth it to gain immortality for love. Things like that.

[Dervish]

This is actually a pretty common concept that's been explored lots, not to detract from your idea. A thing to consider is when you get older, your perception of time changes and goes a lot faster. It's actually a reason why old people drive really slowly; the world seems to be rushing by and it's terrifying. Less grimly, it's like when you're a kid and a month in school seems to take forever, while as an adult you lose track of time and feel like time flies.

Watchmen did a fantastic job with this with Doctor Manhattan. He perceived time so differently from everyone else he actually lost his humanity along the way after the accident turned him into a living god. His relationships were emotionless and fleeting, and he could no longer connect with mortal people. How can you when you're literally living several decades worth of time simultaneously?

Anyways, point is I think if you were immortal, you'd be so used to seeing life pass by and people come and go, you'd probably see most people in the same light as you would at a subway terminal. Family would be like having a short-lived pet you'd love but be able to move on from pretty easily... if you could ever love someone who was mortal. You'd have seen and experienced so much, trying to relate to someone who has only been mature for what might as well be a blink of the eye would be extremely difficult. It would be like a toddler who is fumbling through life, largely ignorant to the world before they die while you know every answer to every question they'd ever have. There would be no growing together or learning, or even dealing with similar struggles. How could you relate to the pressing need to go to college, or balance bills, or have kids by a certain age? You'd never understand the stresses and worries of a mortal life, especially when you have an eternity to do anything.

[Cayden Black]

You all have very well thought out ideas on this subject. I find it interesting, and then suddenly (and heavily due to the music I am listening to) remembered a single person who most English citizens should at least recognize...

[Brovo]

Eternity is the worst curse to gift a mortal mind, of mortal desires, and mortal whimsy, and mortal emotions and fears.

I would stay. They are my child and I care about them. Once they perished of old age I would find a way to end my own life, or make some purpose out of it, to enhance the lives of those around me... But I would never share the curse of eternity. Too many would leap for it, take it, and realize some centuries later that all their mortal desires are finite, but now their own existences are not.

But alas. Eternity is impossible so long as entropy exists.

[Protagonist]

In my opinion, immortality is a bit underrated. There's actually quite a few perks that people tend to forget about when it comes to immorality. It's basically the opposite of being terminally ill. As for the issue of love, I'd agree with dervish to an extent. Time heals all things, so you'd eventually get over your deceased loved ones.l and go on to meet new people.

[Kadaeux]

Protagonist said
In my opinion, immortality is a bit underrated. There's actually quite a few perks that people tend to forget about when it comes to immorality. It's basically the opposite of being terminally ill. As for the issue of love, I'd agree with dervish to an extent. Time heals all things, so you'd eventually get over your deceased loved ones.l and go on to meet new people.

No no, Immorality is much more fun. :p