STORY TELLERS

A page for readers to share their views, thoughts and stories.

Each week, we’d like you to share your thoughts, anecdotes, views or stories. Last week we asked you if you would like to live for 1,000 years.

As the saying goes ‘everyone wants to go to heaven but no-one wants to die’. Death clearly defines the term ‘fear of unseen’, so yes I definitely want to live for 1,000 years if given a chance. But, of course, with the condition that I should be surrounded by zestful, loving and caring people. The world should be free of hatred, sorrow and inhumanity.

Although my idea is quixotic, still, I want a world where only peace and happiness prevails and I want to live in such a world for 1,000 years. Shazia Aafreen

When life is going on at an even keel, it is natural to take it for granted and to live each day at a leisurely pace, for subconsciously there is comfort in knowing that there is always tomorrow to look forward to. Here, Scarlett O’Hara’s words from Gone With The Wind come to mind: “Tomorrow is another day”.

It is only as one goes through life’s ups and downs that one is faced with the mortality of one’s loved ones and oneself. At some juncture in life we realise that mortals come with a predetermined lifespan and we ought to live our lives to the best of our ability, keeping that fact in mind.

1,000 years is an extremely

long span of time. To want to live that long would depend on so many factors. If I could have the companionship of my loved ones for the length of my extended years on Earth, then yes, definitely I would love to have that long a life. If I could live without ageing and creaking bones, then again the answer would be a big yes.

The advantages of living to be a 1,000 years would be the ample time afforded to acquire the vast amount of knowledge available to us; to grow in goodness and awareness steadily but surely, and to experience life manifold in all its richness. Vinita Mohan

Having a thousand years to live could mean that I have the chance to be reborn in every moment. I can have so many opportunities to relive days that didn’t turn out so well. I would take all the time in the world to make decisions. I would not have to regret anything because I will have enough time to change what I did wrong. But do I actually want that much time? Do I have so many things to do so I can guarantee that each day would be productive and eventful? Do I have the energy to keep pushing forward for 1,000 years?

The society that we live in wouldn’t really make it easy. I can’t tell that I will not have days in which I won’t feel pressurised, because facing hardships and breaking down is a part of everyone’s life and I wouldn’t want to have more time to let that happen. I wouldn’t want to carry painful memories that are sharp, and cut right through me every time I think about them, for so long. I wouldn’t want to meet people who have caused me pain or go to places that remind me of melancholic times. I wouldn’t want to spend more time having my heart ache over the departure of someone I loved. Hearing it for the first time, a thousand years to live would be interesting, but after coming face-to-face with the concrete reality, I’m certain that I will be satisfied with the short life I have! Suhaila Basim

I feel living for a thousand years is, pun intended, a waste of time. The quality of life is much more important than the quantity or length of life lived. Also, who is going to read bedtime stories, babysit or listen to “Granddad, you are such a Luddite!” from 30 generations of grandchildren? Dr Vamsi Chaitanya Varma

Yes! Yes! Yes! I would love to live a thousand years and see how my kids and grandkids grow up to be. I would love to see how the world would evolve in another 1,000 years.

I would love to see the sunflower seeds and apple seeds that my son planted in our backyard blossom into full-grown plants and trees.

I would love to see my daughter fulfil her dream of becoming four different professions in a single life.

I would love to live a thousand years and see my husband grow old with me.

I would love to live a thousand years... provided my teeth and health don’t give up on me. Saima Abdullah

The world is getting more advanced, nonetheless, all these developments seem to be at the expense of innocent citizens. People are finding more and more ways to develop the world in terms of guns and other equipment. It all started with the simple bow and arrow and now we’ve made our way to guns. Frankly, I would rather die peacefully on my death bed, than being shot by some advanced machine gun! Plus, I would be like a living cockroach – the ones that never die no matter how many times you step on them. I would rather live a good short-lived life of around 80 years and make my mark, than unnecessarily elongate my years. I think there’s a wonder in the sweeter, shorter things, that don’t last too long. It creates a deeper understanding of the impact made on people’s lives. So, would I want to live for 1,000 years? No, no and for the thousandth time... no! Bola Ajike

Certainly not! Instead I would prefer to live and enjoy every minute of my life as 1,000 years. What’s the point of living alone? My family and friends are the most valuable treasure of my life. I cannot think of my existence without them. Living a healthy and a happier life is my goal. So cheers for happiness and thanks to God that I am alive today and enjoying my life. Preeti Jain

This is a very interesting question. Firstly, it would be really nice living for a long time. I would love to live long but we have to remember that Earth is just a temporary home and no matter how long we live, we will eventually die since we are mortals in this life. However, there’s another life waiting for us. Seeing what the Earth has become now, I do not want to live for a 1,000 years just to see it get worse.

Sumaiya Tauhid

Personally, I would not choose to live for a thousand years because I think life is precious because it’s short. Living for 1,000 years, it would be painful to see everyone I know go away early and just live for so long on my own. I also think that living for as long as we do now is better because we can experience so many things and we

want to do so much before we die and we want to savour those moments. Living for a thousand years, I can do what I want, but it wouldn’t really matter that much because I would be living for so long. In conclusion, living a shorter life is much more preferable than living for a thousand years. Zehra Aqeel Bughio

I would like to, believing that the Moon and Mars are within easy reach and I’d be able to make regular trips. Sureshbabu Bandi

What would it mean to live for a 1,000 years? It would mean watching humanity evolve along with breathtaking technology. A chance to experience different ideas from different generations that would make huge impacts on the world and mankind in the way we live and communicate. Living for 1,000 years intrigues me as it reminds me of the fantasies I enjoy reading in my everyday novels. But what I’ve seen is that fantasies don’t always end with ‘and they lived happily ever

after’. As inviting as it would sound to have a lifespan that long, it comes with a lot of unbearable costs. Losing your physical abilities, your familiarity with things, your feeling of belonging, and most painful, to watch all your loved ones leave you one by one is a price I would not be willing to pay. Unless my long life comes without physical deterioration and my loved ones are granted this miracle as well, I would not like to live for 1,000 years. Ameera Darain

Life is becoming more complex with the knowledge industry gaining prominence and struggles in life becoming difficult to handle. Conflicts are rising with people killing each other and Earth becoming a difficult place to live. If we try to play with nature, nature will play with us. Already resources are becoming scarce. This is what is happening to the environment when we play with it – it results in devastation. Humans cannot control everything. It is better if we try to improve our existing lives by improving the environment, protecting the natural resources for the next generation and try to make Earth a habitable planet for generations to come rather than increasing our life span to 1,000 years and becoming a burden on our already overburdened mother Earth. Kovid Ranjan

I haven’t put much thought into the question because I already knew my answer right away. It’s a big fat NO. As much as I’d love to hang around and see civilisations evolve and humans going further and further away from Earth, I realised that the world isn’t changing for the better. As surprised as I was about my decision (I’m just another Gen Z kid who’s terrified of growing older and withering away), I’d rather not worry if the food on my plate is another chemistry project and if a sudden WiFi outage would drive me bonkers. The more I read the news, the more I realise how humans have decided to run away from their problems by travelling to other planets when we could clean up the Earth and restore her to her former glory. I know the planet is overpopulated and I know we’ve got way too many crises in our hands, so I don’t want to stick around and see what new problems decide to arise. I’m going to enjoy my short life to the fullest. Faadhilah Abdul Hamid

My answer is 1,000 per cent yes. Why? Well if I was in good health then why wouldn’t I? The world is going to get very exciting in the next 50-60 years, let alone 500 or more and I certainly want to see the drastic changes that will take place. In the past five or six years the world has evolved like crazy, and if every day someone is going to come up with a crazy invention then in 1,000 years we’ll be a complete different planet. Sara Shailesh Joshi

Living for a 1,000 years sounds great. Imagine you are living in a sky abode like the Jetsons, driving in the sky and no longer need a bunch of jingling keys to enter places. Or, maybe, on the flipside, mankind may not prevail and the earth is quenched by tsunamis and global famines and humanity has to learn basic survival skills like the Flintstones. In a 1,000 years, probably, there would be a lesser human and greater contact with other galaxies. Azmeen Wadia

I really adore life and everything about it, especially family and friends. I’d have no problem with living a thousand years. However, only if my ‘Terms and Conditions’ are applied.

Firstly, everyone I care about should exist for as long as I would, as living alone and losing people isn’t something I’m looking forward to because the best thing to do in life is to chill and have fun with close ones.

Secondly, I wish to be young and full of energy for all the thousands of years I have, and obviously, I wish the same for my friends and family.

I’d really like to see how advanced the world could possibly become in the course of a thousand years. Would the issue of pollution finally be solved? Will crimes end or increase? Will aliens become our allies, if any? Would we be living on some other planet, or galaxy? Would there be world peace? But most importantly, would people finally find the answer to the world’s toughest question: “What came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Curiosity makes up about 65 per cent of the reason behind why I’d like to live a thousand years and the rest of the 35 per cent is covered by my love for life.

Life is amazing even despite the existence of school and work. All we need to do is see things positively and keep smiling.

I can’t even imagine how smart and wise I would be if I lived for a thousand years, I’d do everything I possibly could; skydive, take a trip around the world twice and play video games all night.

One thing I know for sure though is that time flies, so these thousands of years I have will feel like nothing more than a hundred years in the end. Danial Imran