2002-08-23

If you're not omniscient, you don't know that you're immortal.

If you're not omnipotent, then something could kill you.

Therefore, to become immortal, you must first become God.

Becoming God seems a bit difficult to me...

A more reasonable goal is to become "mortal, but ageless".

But we don't really have any good words for that state.

immortal stems from "im + mortal" = "not mortal".

senescence = "the state of being old: the process of becoming old "

"im + senescence" = "imsenescence"

Still seems pretty clumsy and obscure.

Some other thoughts:

"age-retarded" -- has obvious problems.

"death-resistant" -- not quite, also defined in terms of a negative

"life-fortified" -- sounds like an ad for breakfast cereal

"lifeful" -- hmmm, not quite

"continually rejuvenated" -- accurate, but cumbersome

"indefinite lifespan" -- clumsy

Related concepts:

amaranthine, unfading, deathless, undying
everlasting, eternal, lasting, eonian, aeonian
deific, ceaseless, never-ending, perpetual, unending, eterne
constant, continual, continuous, incessant, interminable, nonstop, ongoing, persistent, relentless, round-the-clock, timeless, unceasing, unending, unfailing, uninterrupted, unremitting, abiding, continuing, durable, enduring, lasting, long-lasting, long-lived, long-standing, old, perdurable, perennial, permanent.

Perdurable is an interesting word - it means "existing or remaining in the same state for an indefinitely long time". But it's quite obscure--I don't remember seeing it before now.

Suggestions?