I was with two loved ones as they died last year. And a friend's father is dying now. The will to live is built deep, deep into the animal. Even when the rational part of the brain knew that they can't continue living for more than a few days, they fight to live, even asking for treatment that they had sworn they did not want. I'm not sure this is "fear" of death, or just a bone deep instinct to survive.
This is a fascinating discussion of the stories we tell about death: www.ted.com/talks/stephen_cave_the_4_stories_we_tell_ourselves_about_death.html
His first point is that get totally irrational about dying, and we accept amazing stories in a desperate attempt to convince ourselves that we don't have to die.
The rest is a lovely summary of the ways that we convince ourselves of our immortality.
So, "who would want to live forever?" might not be the right question. Who is willing/able to accept death might be.
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mmmag
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Date: 2013-12-26 02:50 am (UTC)This is a fascinating discussion of the stories we tell about death: www.ted.com/talks/stephen_cave_the_4_stories_we_tell_ourselves_about_death.html
His first point is that get totally irrational about dying, and we accept amazing stories in a desperate attempt to convince ourselves that we don't have to die.
The rest is a lovely summary of the ways that we convince ourselves of our immortality.
So, "who would want to live forever?" might not be the right question. Who is willing/able to accept death might be.