Happiness!

rooted in Truth

Let's start from the beginning.  That would be the Big Bang.  Scientists tell us that's when spacetime originated.  By my lights, however, there was an infinity of time beforehand, in the past, just as there is an infinity of time ahead, in the future.  Can physicists and mathematicians refute this?  Is "the end of time" a rational, logical phrase, or is it in fact meaningless?  (with the exception of the more poetic reading, interpretation, of our own individual inevitable deaths?)

Maybe the answer doesn't even matter.  Our doom could be approaching from somewhere at the speed of light.  Or the sun will expand, engulfing the earth.  Or global warming will make the earth uninhabitable, burning us all to a crisp.  Or... on the other hand, time is irrelevant, because time-travel and teleportation are possible, and humanity can live in a loop, or a figure-eight, such as the symbol for infinity implies.  A collective groundhog day, or all of us inside a computer, or something.  But is immortality possible?  Would it even be desirable?

Does time really double back, and intersect?  Apple computer is located at 'infinite loop drive.'  Do they know something I don't?  Has the future visited us?  Have aliens?  So many interesting questions!   Without knowing the answers, I adhere to the belief that life is too short, 100-odd years not enough, and immortality desirable.  Life is good!  Oblivion is unfortunate, as is aging, and pain/suffering.  If life can be secure, comfortable, pleasant, fun- in short, utopian/heavenly -then it ought be pursued.  If life only holds suffering, i.e. war, torture, hell- then even 100 years is too much. 

But if reality holds the possibility of love, then eternal youth, for a lifetime of happiness, should be a scientific goal, a holy quest.

What are we, what is it that ought be extended?  We are animals, bodies, not souls, or gods/demons.  We are what we eat, less what we excrete.  We are the roles we play, the activities/jobs we choose.  We are our dna, in the environments/time/culture we find ourselves in, as well as the ones we choose for ourselves.

If we make a heavenly environment, then we should make hardier bodies, to fully enjoy a timeless existence of life and love.  Exercise, fitness, health and wellness, with the goal of daily maintenance and improvement, such as body-building and yoga and vegetarianism and a vibrant sexuality, is a good place to start.

Children are a kind of immortality, perhaps.  Books are another (as is any other kind of creation or artistic creativity).  Although we ought keep in mind the Tibetan buddhists making their sand mandalas, to remind us of impermanence.  I saw a TED talk that gave me pause, however.

It showed, like an encyclopedia set, a set of books with an individual's entire genome printed on it.  I would guess it was like 50 volumes or something.  The full content of our genetic code can be identified, saved.  That could be made immortal, no?  We could be made anew, either cloned in the real world, or the data operating in a virtual reality.  Or both?

The relative value of different portions of our dna should be fully investigated, and eventually understood.  Then, happiness can be maximized, while suffering minimized/reduced/eliminated.