If Consciousness was passed on

The year is 2079, and you’re on your death bed. You’ve lived a good life, married, children, enjoyed a fulfilling career. You’ve enjoyed good health, with the exception that your age is catching up to you. Your wife, your children, and your friends (if they’re still alive) are preparing for your departure. While in the hospital, an unknown doctor approaches you. He has an amiable demeanor, and he looks excited.

“My name is Doctor Ava. We have good news.” He begins. “Our researchers have been working extensively on a cure for death. Though we haven’t found the cure, we’ve found a way to postpone it, perhaps indefinitely. Our lab has discovered a way to copy the consciousness of a person, and import it into a host that we’ve grown in one of our sister labs across town. As the consciousness is copied, the original gets erased.

The body to which it is copied has the age of a twenty-five year old. Fit physique, attractive, and free from genetic illnesses, we hope one day to customize and/or duplicate the DNA of the participant. Right now, we’ve focused on a more generic, moldable model. As it is, it’s like a house plant, growing, unaware of the world around him.”At this point, you sit up, wishing you weren’t alone in hearing this, that your spouse could be there to say you weren’t crazy in what you were hearing.

Dr. Ava pulls out a tablet. “We have a copy of your lab results, which you’ve agreed to let us examine when you entered into our facility here. Your condition is a perfect match to execute this kind of treatment. You’ll be our first human trial. From animal testings, we know it won’t hurt. It’ll be like waking up from a dream. You’ll feel completely like yourself, only in a younger body. We can have your spouse and children there waiting when you come to. Because this is a trial, we will even pay you if you go through with it. Feel free to contact whomever you’d like to make this decision. I hate to put this kind of pressure on you, but you don’t have much time to decide. We have other patients that are also an ideal match, and we have only one host body and it will rot if left in our lab for too long. I’ll come back in an hour for your decision.”

Without the chance to ask questions, Dr. Ava has stepped out. You immediately go for your phone. You try to get your spouse on the line, but there’s no answer. You try twice, a third time, and only get the operating machine. You leave several text messages. You try not to make her worry. You call your kids, but immediately hang up. You don’t know what you would say, and you would rather have your wife help make this decision.

Your gut response is to say “no.” It sounds too risky and bizarre. Why would you consider adopting a second life? You’ve lived a good, successful life up to this point. It wasn’t easy accomplishing everything you did. Why start over? Your spouse will still be much older. It would be too painful watching her die first, especially knowing you have so many years ahead of you still. And sex would be weird with that age difference (if she’s even up for it). You would be about the same age as your grandchildren, meaning you’d grow to see your children die as well. If it was hard relating to young people before, it would be much harder relating to them now.

And your career would be shot. By the time you are fifty again, your way of doing things will be obsolete. Technology and labor changes so quickly, you may as well start over. You would almost be forced to learn a new profession, or at the minimum to keep up, at least learn the newest and best way of doing things. We all know how well old people are at learning new things. But maybe not. Maybe your new body will come with a brain that adapts fast, like you were when you were twenty-five. It has the muscular structure of a twenty-five year old, why not the brain power as well? You do like the idea of being able to retain information again. You’ve already forgotten the Doctor’s name that just walked in, and it’s so embarrassing having to ask someone’s name over and over.

Of course, switching careers isn’t necessarily a bad thing. One of your biggest regrets in life was never learning how to sing. You could try and pursue singing for a time. Between the money that you’ve saved up for your inheritance, and the paycheck that you’d get for signing up, you’d have the money to take the risk. And you could always try going back to your former job. Your boss is a nice guy, although it’s been several years since you’ve worked for him. But you did enjoy your work while you were there. Maybe it’ll be to your advantage going back, considering all the years of experience you carry. You could easily outsmart those youngsters. Well, those with less experience anyway. Maybe you could get paid more for that experience too. Your boss can afford it after all, he’s loaded.

That’s another question to ponder. Your employer is young for a man in his position. He seems healthy too. You know he’s obsessed with his job and hasn’t stopped working since he was twelve years old. He’s a good natured capitalist. When he gets old, wouldn’t he want to transfer his body too? Wouldn’t everybody? Wouldn’t the rich have first access to technology like this? Not because of privilege, but only because they could afford it. Over time it would get cheaper, but at first it would be really pricey. That’s what they’re afraid of isn’t it? That they can’t take their money with them when they die. If they never die, they can keep their money forever. Their empires would continue to grow. Who knows how high they could climb. That reminds you of your favorite athlete. He’s wealthy too, but he’s been retired for some time now. If he were to get a younger body, would he be able to compete in the same competition as those who are naturally in their 20’s? What about the elite intellectuals? They love to learn, so wouldn’t they just continue learning? Imagine if Stephen Hawking could have transferred his consciousness into another body when he died? Imagine what he, and others like him, could learn in a second lifetime. Imagine what the world could know?

The world. Despite what’s been attempted by well-meaning individuals, the world is still full of war. From what you’ve seen over the last several years, technology has increased so rapidly, that humanity could easily be wiped out with the weapons we’ve created. If they thought nuclear weapons were bad 100 years ago, they couldn’t possibly imagine what we have today.

You wonder what they would do with a second lifetime, the evil superpowers who rule in anarchy and tyranny. Would they control their citizens by control of the bodies passed on? Would only the friends of the powerful receive the more ideal, capable bodies, while those under their control be confined to a body more basic, less capable of physical growth or mental stamina? Or would they just let the poor and discriminated against die, without the elite luxury of passing down their consciousness?

You look at the clock on the wall. It’s been a long time since the doctor stepped out of the room. He could be back at any moment. Your wife still hasn’t called. Many things have gone through your mind, and you’re even more uneasy about the decision. You may have to decide on your own. You know if your wife were here, she’d want to pray. You’re not a religious person, but you’ve always supported her in her beliefs, even if you don’t quite understand them. You try praying, not because you understand, but you hope you’ll feel something that she feels. If anything, that you might feel her.

At that moment you realize, all her life your wife has been using religion as a way to prepare for death. With promise of Eternal Life, she’s looked forward to the day that you’ll be re-united again after your passing. The Doctor has said that with the exception of a tragic accident there would be no death, but how often do tragic accidents happen? Would religion fall away if everyone continued living? Perhaps religion would be for the marginal few who mourn the loss of a loved one, or the impoverished who wouldn’t be able to pass down their consciousness.

But we’ve come this far, and we continue to work and live together. Maybe we will all band together with our combined experience learned from the suffering of multiple lifetimes and make the world a better place, joining together, albeit drunkenly at first, to live free and unified for the glorious gift of life? Maybe not, but we haven’t killed ourselves yet.

The Doctor steps back in as you finish your prayer. He stands by the door, as if to turn around and talk with the next candidate. “Have you made your decision?” He asks in monotone. Your phone beeps as if on cue. It’s a text message from your wife. You read it quickly. You’ve made no mention of your situation over text. Her response is simply, “I love you. The world is better with you in it.”

“Yes Doctor, I have. Please let my wife be there with me when I wake up.” Your voice cracking as you speak. Dr. Ava nods. He types something in his tablet and gives you the remaining details of what to expect next. You relay the information to your wife and kids, all seem to be very supportive. If any of them are uneasy, they hide it well. All that’s left is to wait in the hospital bed for your new life to begin.