Absurdity of the Scientific Conquest of Death

Delaying the inevitable 

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च |

तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि || 27||

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha

tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi

Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, Verse 27; Meaning: Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died. Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable.

I returned to blogging 10 weeks back with a piece that summed up with the thought – Is death the true meaning of life…? The search for answers continues... Life goes on...!

I continue to believe in the Bhagwad Gita and the fact that Death is the ultimate truth, yes Death is certain for one who has been born… till that part I am certain science has no denial. While the later part of the quote “and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died” is not scientifically proven and I am not making efforts to discuss or disprove it at this juncture.

This morning I woke up to a post from one of the most erudite gentleman in a WhatsApp group that I am part of, which said Death will be optional by the year 2045!

Incidentally, I got news of a friend’s father passing away yesterday, today was his funeral. The septuagenarian suffered from multiple organ failure following a long period of recuperation from the dreaded C.

So I checked the calendar on seeing the whatsapp ‘report’ – confirmed it was May 1st and not April 1st.

The post didn’t quote the source. It spoke about how the ageing process will be 'reversible', according to two genetic engineers during the presentation of their new book in Barcelona. It went to give technical details of how the process will involve turning 'bad' genes into healthy ones, eliminating dead cells from the body, repairing damaged cells, treatments with stem cells and 'printing' vital organs in 3D. Summarily it said humans will only die in accidents, never of natural causes or illness, by around the year 2045

I did a quick check and found the source of the article, you can read more of it here: Death will be optional by the year 2045 - A report dated April 21, 2018 in ThinkSpain.

Well, ThinkSpain, like many neighbourhood websites dotting every town these days is a Valencia based advertisement driven portal that primarily ‘lists’ information on travel, real estate, apart from also providing continually updated news, features and information relating to living and holidaying to the visitors to their site. That in short is the credential of the news source. No there is nothing about it on BBC or New York Times or the Guardian or The Hindu.

Then I remembered this quote by the celebrated American author, computer scientist, inventor and futurist:

I and many other scientists now believe that in around twenty years we will have the means to reprogram our bodies’ stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, aging. Then nanotechnology will let us live forever. ~ Ray Kurzweil

The flip side to the argument that a few scientists propound and a few learned people propagate is immortality. Like the ThinkSpain report says: “Immortality will not necessarily mean the planet becomes overcrowded, the scientists say: there is still plenty of room for more people on Earth, and these days, people do not have anywhere near as many children as they did in past decades and centuries; plus, 'it will be possible to live in space by then’.”

It makes sensible people with a decent scientific temper to judge the optimistic enthusiasm of the learned scientists, who think death, can be conquered and life can thrive in space.

If anything this world has taught us only to delay the inevitable. Death is that inevitable, so says the Bhagvad Gita and so says human wisdom that still grapples with science and technology’s proven might to create a Frankenstein more often than a cure to the maladies, the diseases!

The next time you see a Vaikunta Ratham – Anthima Yatra van and hear the beautiful voice of the great Telugu singer Ghantasala Venkateswara rendering the Bhagvad Gita with the meaning… *పుట్టిన వాడు మరణించక తప్పదు అలాగే మరణించినవాడు తిరిగి జన్మించకా తప్పదు..., spare a thought for an entire industry that may go out of business, the vehicle is just the visible part of the journey. There is huge chunk of human race that thrives on birth, growth, prosperity, disease, cure and above all death.

Death in itself is a huge money spinner for life to sustain. Death of Death will mean death to life?

Ponder!

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*Puttina vaadu maraninchaka thappadu alage maraninchinavaadu tirigi janminchaka thappadu... Telugu for: Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died.
Pic courtesy: Internet