The man who’s determined to live forever

[goldengirlz]

I have so many thoughts about this piece.

time.com/6315607/bryan-johnsons-quest-for-immortality/

The “longevity” space has been such a big trend for the too-rich-for-their-own-good-types, and it seems so crazy to me. This guy could not make living forever seem more unpalatable.

[audette]

"Moisturize me!"

(Dr. Who reference... all from your text. Now to go read the article)

[chickadee77]

I think they hit on something with the idea that making the decision to live this way means never having to decide anything again. It honestly sounds like a shift in depression, sort of. I know there are days during my own depression where it feels like if I have to decide one more outfit, one more meal, one more *anything*, it might be the final thing driving me to absolute insanity.

[tacokick]

I miss the days when millionaires built libraries and funded museums!

He sounds depressed and struggling with some body issues to me.

[VillainV]

I guess in a sense the deprivation isn’t much different to monks. They did it to feel closer to God, and he does it to achieve immortality.

What would happen to our planet if people lived forever? Would we overpopulate until the earth crushed under the weight of human influence? Or would people feel compelled to give a shit about our planet because they would be around to see the Earth’s destruction (or salvation)?

This type of life sounds utterly depressing with no pleasure at all, and ultimately out of reach for all but the ultra-rich.

[TR]

This made me snort:

He has the body of an 18-year-old and the face of someone who had spent millions attempting to look like an 18-year-old.

[pixy0stix]

I enjoyed both the subtle and overt shade woven throughout the article.

I haven't thought about Tuck Everlasting in forever.

All those supplements are going to kill him. Did he not look at the conclusive research that flooding your body with excess stuff overwhelms your organs?

@@@

Getting his kid to give him plasma transfusions is nuts. /@@@

I'm not going to speculate on a mental health diagnosis, but perhaps he should include mental health care into his regimen.

[ECB]

So, basically he's living his life ENTIRELY around trying to live forever. But what about enjoying life NOW, for what it is? 111 pills DAILY? Eating a cookie is violence? When you take out enjoying the here and now, I really don't understand the point of wanting to live forever.

[TR]

My first thought was, watch this guy get hit by a bus. But I see he addressed that in the article and recognizes the potential irony there.

[cattledogkisses]

What's the point in living forever if it means living such a joyless existence?

ETA:  I say as I'm literally eating a chocolate chip cookie.

[pixy0stix]

I'd argue that living like this IS his joy.

[shauni27]

I have a lot of thoughts, but the very first one is, "this is NUTS."

[goldengirlz]

I think it’s easy to dismiss this guy, but there are so many companies working on the same thing. Most of them — if not all of them — will prove to be bogus. If these rich techies really wanted to make a difference, they’d fund actual medical research, not pseudoscience helmets. I think that’s what pisses me off every time I hear about a “longevity” company. If they actually cared about longevity, they’d work to address the social determinants of health, like health equity, poverty, food insecurity, gun violence, etc. etc.

[wawa]

Oct 6, 2023 12:49:48 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I think it’s easy to dismiss this guy, but there are so many companies working on the same thing. Most of them — if not all of them — will prove to be bogus. If these rich techies really wanted to make a difference, they’d fund actual medical research, not pseudoscience helmets. I think that’s what pisses me off every time I hear about a “longevity” company. If they actually cared about longevity, they’d work to address the social determinants of health, like health equity, poverty, food insecurity, gun violence, etc. etc.

but they don't want everybody to live longer. Just people who can afford it.

FWIW, there's always been too rich for their own good assholes with who needed therapy and instead dumped money into weird obsessive approaches to wellness. Like, think royalty having a court alchemist who's supposed to be discovering some elixir of life and instead feeds them mercury. The Greeks wrote about this sort of thing. Chinese legends have stories about emperors dumping insane resources into the creation of totally poisonous elixirs. Humans who aren't in actual danger apparently end up a little obsessed with our own mortality and every time we have too much time and money on our hands it seems some of us circle back to this sort of nonsense.

There's a reason it's a common sci-fi trope. Because wasting resources on trying to let the elite live forever is just...one of those things humanity does and keeps finding new ways to do. Apparently.

(now I want to re-read Altered Carbon...)

[pixy0stix]

Oct 6, 2023 15:20:54 GMT -5 wawa said:

Oct 6, 2023 12:49:48 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I think it’s easy to dismiss this guy, but there are so many companies working on the same thing. Most of them — if not all of them — will prove to be bogus. If these rich techies really wanted to make a difference, they’d fund actual medical research, not pseudoscience helmets. I think that’s what pisses me off every time I hear about a “longevity” company. If they actually cared about longevity, they’d work to address the social determinants of health, like health equity, poverty, food insecurity, gun violence, etc. etc.

but they don't want everybody to live longer. Just people who can afford it.

FWIW, there's always been too rich for their own good assholes with who needed therapy and instead dumped money into weird obsessive approaches to wellness. 

Howard Hughes is the perfect example of this. He founded a medical institute to discover the "genesis of life itself". His downfall was his germaphobia and OCD.

[BlondeSpiders]

This is the only man who will live forever.

[goldengirlz]

What I really want to know though is why all the food needs to be puréed into gray-ish brown mush.

[jane6672]

The doctor commenting on how he actually looks very unhealthy and all the supplements would be bad because:

“doctors normally research the effects of one drug at a time, rather than the cumulative effects of more than 100 pills at once.”

Lmaooo

[madringal]

Reminds me of that Blake Lively movie where she doesn't age. Like, sure, if this makes you happy. It's your money, do your thing. But what about when you have far outlived anyone that you love? Or you know how in our 40s, 20 year old are really insufferable? Just because your body doesn't age, doesn't mean your mind/maturity/wisdom won't. Imagine looking (gasp!) 40 forever but being 95 inside and wanting to throat punch all these twits you are surrounded by.

[rosiebear]

It was interesting that, for all he’s about living forever and making sure his organs and muscles, etc., are functioning like a younger person’s, he’s awfully concerned about getting wrinkles.

[cattledogkisses]

Oct 9, 2023 10:16:07 GMT -5 jane6672 said:

The doctor commenting on how he actually looks very unhealthy and all the supplements would be bad because:

“doctors normally research the effects of one drug at a time, rather than the cumulative effects of more than 100 pills at once.”

Lmaooo

The man's diet is pureed mush and pills.  I refuse to believe that's healthier than fresh, whole foods.

[basilosaurus]

Was there a documentary on this guy? Maybe a TV news spot. I swear I've heard of him.

I don't have the funds to regularly get such things, but when I've dined at an amazing mind blowing meal, I'd gladly take off years of my life to experience such.

Either this guy has never had good food or he's a horrible bore or maybe just oar.

I'm guessing he also never travels in a car? Probably more life threatening than a steady diet of mcd and less fun. And I don't even like mcd!

He certainly hasn't tried to cross a street in se Asia! All probably in pursuit of a banh mi that might cost $2. Asking for a friend.

Tl:Dr this guy's life sounds miserable and hypocritical. He probably doesn't even get a flu shot

[tacokick]

Vanity Fair did a write of up about the rest of this guy’s life and his ongoing legal drama with his ex fiancée


“According to a civil complaint filed in California Superior Court, Johnson broke up with his fiancée, Taryn Southern, in the fall of 2019, when she had just finished chemotherapy for stage III breast cancer; threatened to fire her from her job at one of his companies; and forced her to move out of their shared home. It all began when Southern refused to sign a separation agreement with an extensive NDA and declined to post on her social media accounts a joint statement that they remain “best friends who have decided to look forward to continuing their cherished friendship.” Weakened by cancer treatments and under what her lawyers argued was Johnson’s escalating pressure campaign to secure her silence, Southern wound up signing what she perceived to be a less restrictive agreement without retaining a lawyer.”

www.vanityfair.com/news/biohacker-antiaging-lawsuits

“But although Southern was suing Johnson as his former fiancée, the law treated her as if she were merely an employee. Owing to a contract she had signed in 2017 when she took a job at one of Johnson’s companies—a neuro-technology start-up called Kernel—a judge determined that half of her claims first had to be litigated through arbitration, which is notoriously favorable to employers. Southern was trampled by the very system she thought would protect her from Johnson, a man who, according to her complaint, psychologically and financially abused her, then retaliated when she refused to comply with his demands. Not only were her employment-related claims ultimately dismissed, the arbitrator ruled that Southern was responsible for paying Johnson’s legal bills, which came to $584,199.16 (plus 10 percent interest annually). Johnson has denied all of Southern’s claims and accused her of attempting to extort him. “


ETA: beyond the lawsuit stuff there is a lot of background info about him and life before all this that I haven’t seen mentioned much.

[cattledogkisses]

It doesn't surprise me that he's the kind of guy who would leave a partner when they became sick. He probably thinks she caused her own cancer by eating a cookie or something.