When it was time to die I found I still wanted to live and, yet, in the prime of my life I sometimes found that I wished I were dead.  I lived then died but did I then live yet again?  Would I?

I had a friend- we didn’t stay in touch over the years- who had a very strong desire to live to a very old age, say to 300 years or more.  He asked me “wouldn’t that be coo?l” and I had to answer that I didn’t think it would be.  He was incredulous; I was not.  I just didn’t think it would be so great but I really wasn’t sure why not.

Would we all still continue to get more gray and wrinkled as we continued to age?  What would we look like at 200?  300?  I shuddered to imagine that.  Maybe we would all just keep looking like we did at 100.  And that’s much better….  !!

Imagine this: “Yep, that’s my blushing bride.  Been married for 275 years now…”  Sound good to you?

And would fertility be extended as well?  “Yep, I have 97 kids, 48 boys and 49 girls.  We might try again to even things up.”

How would family gatherings look?  “Yep, we had Christmas at my son Joey’s house last year.  1,150 people and he has a small house but at least it won’t be his turn again for another 97 years.  But then there’s still Thanksgiving.”

“Yep, lived here 112 years.  Third house we’ve put up on the same spot.  Another 25 years and we’ll have lived here longer than any other place we’ve owned.”

If we lasted longer would other things as well?  Would regular stuff wear out the same as it does today?  “Damn!  My favorite jeans just disintegrated when I was putting them on.”

If we never died would we still maintain great relationships with all of our friends and loved ones?  “Nope, haven’t spoken to my daughter Jane or anyone in her family for over 100 years.  And she has 62 kids, 135 grandkids, over 400 great-grandkids- I think- and I just don’t know how many more beyond that…”  Doubtful.

Would dementia and cancer and heart disease and the like just be conquered?  Would the only way to die be by accident or maybe by war or maybe on the job?

How could we possibly stay in touch with everyone?

And if we didn’t want to die because we wanted to maintain close ties with our kids wouldn’t they feel the same?  And wouldn’t their kids feel the same?  So if we are all looking to stay close with those we beget how in the hell would we be able to stay close to those who begot us?

Maybe every person could have only 1 or 2 kids.  That would help but things would still eventually get out of control.

And the population growth problem…wow!

And what about heaven?  If you believe and if you have parents or grandparents who might now be there are you okay saying you don’t want to ever get there to be with them again?  Leave your kids or never see your parents again…  What about the loved ones who got there by accident- same story there.

I guess these are just some of the things that come to mind some years later as I think again about my friend’s question.

I guess the time we have here on his earth- afterlife or not- is maybe just about right.

Almost like somebody, somewhere planned it that way.