The first few “walking with coffee” columns were interviews with Millennials, in which we discussed their views of “boomers.” One common complaint was that the post-war generation refused to let go of jobs, culture, politics, and basically everything. It brought to this boomer’s mind a novel by Aldous Huxley, “After Many a Summer Dies the Swan.” Written in 1939 it tells of a super-rich industrialist’s search for immortality, which ends, despite well-funded efforts, in failure.
Fast forward to last week’s NY Times story about the futurist genius Ray Kurzweil, whom I knew of during my music days, for his work developing synthesizers. Now 74, Kurzweil postulates that if he could live another 15 years he might never have to die. He speaks of something called “singularity”, which as far as I could grasp, was a total interface between humans and computers. So, Ray, what do we do, upload 90 years of consciousness on to a hard drive? Then bounce around on computer chips? Could we lick an ice cream cone? Have a beer?
In 15 years, if this procedure is possible will it be covered by Medicaid?
And so to my millennial friends, your complaint is on the money. But cut us some slack, for this quest for everlasting life has been around forever. Think Ponce De Leon, roaming the swamps of Florida for the fountain of youth. Jack La Lane (you could google him) jumping around on a black and white TV in the fifties. And now Ray Kurzweil with his promise of “Singularity”. ‘Tis truly a Brave New World approaching.
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