Continued Consciousness - A Road to Boredum?

As a long time lurker and not one of the most well-read individuals on the forum I have a constant concern that rises whenever I delve into continued consciousness or even extended life such as what is being researched by those in Aubrey De Gray's camp. 

I was hoping for some different view points as I know we have a wide spectrum of different beliefs as to what happens when we pass on, the question I pose is:

"Would continued consciousness forever get boring?"


I feel this concern is rooted in materialist indoctrination that I have had difficulty shaking and wanted to inquire how other people have approached this question if at all.

I am only recently delving into this topic so literature recommendations would be appreciated as well!

Hi Caduto

Well, if I ever got bored, I’d sleep. It’d surely be better knowing I’d be waking up sometime than to face eternal nothingness! Actually I quite look forward to dreaming. You could take an overdose of sleeping pills knowing you’d not come to any permanent harm 

This is just a light hearted way of saying hello. If I was to try and answer your question properly, my brain would surely explode. 

Hi Caduto

Well, if I ever got bored, I’d sleep. It’d surely be better knowing I’d be waking up sometime than to face eternal nothingness! Actually I quite look forward to dreaming. You could take an overdose of sleeping pills knowing you’d not come to any permanent harm 

This is just a light hearted way of saying hello. If I was to try and answer properly your question my brain would surely explode. 

Haha is that not the truth, maybe that is the thing, we as humans could not have the capacity to contemplate it, just interested to see if others have given it much thought and what conclusions they may have come to

Haha is that not the truth, maybe that is the thing, we as humans could not have the capacity to contemplate it, just interested to see if others have given it much thought and what conclusions they may have come to

If I’m being honest, I think that questions like this only make sense from a human perspective. Probably it’s nothing that we should concern ourselves with. Speaking personally, I’d be so grateful that I don’t think I’d ever be bored. There’s so much to learn even in this tiny dimension, and our tiny limited capabilities! Imagine if our imaginations could produce our reality? Wow

As a long time lurker and not one of the most well-read individuals on the forum I have a constant concern that rises whenever I delve into continued consciousness or even extended life such as what is being researched by those in Aubrey De Gray's camp. 

I was hoping for some different view points as I know we have a wide spectrum of different beliefs as to what happens when we pass on, the question I pose is:

"Would continued consciousness forever get boring?"


I feel this concern is rooted in materialist indoctrination that I have had difficulty shaking and wanted to inquire how other people have approached this question if at all.

I am only recently delving into this topic so literature recommendations would be appreciated as well!

According to Alan Watts who recapitulated a lot of Eastern philosophy to Western audiences in the 60's... Boredom is THE only problem. All other problems are a solution to the ultimate problem of boredom.

I'm not sure how easy it is to separate this topic from that of physical immortality. I tend to think that extending the length of human lifetime to be somewhat counter-productive. In our later years we may have acquired a certain knowledge, maybe sometimes wisdom. But if we must spend those later years limited by our physical frailty, and even the thought of renewed youth may seem like a mere repetition, then it might indeed seem uninviting. But that view is tied up not only with this physical existence, but also with the existence within the flowing river of time. We are constrained by time as much as we are by materiality. What if there was no time?

Well, without time, even the word 'continued' is rendered meaningless. Given that difficulty, I feel that the question needs to be addressed by different modes of thought, ones which take us beyond or outside ordinary conceptions of time.

I am asked this question often enough that I wrote an essay intended to explain what we think is true about transition based on a wide range of sources. It is What is it Like on the Other Side

Two thoughts. One is that that we think the best model is the idea of a chorus. During a lifetime, we step forward to sing a solo, but we are always supported by the other singers. The idea is that we gain understanding for the collective and from the collective.

The other thought is the idea of Perceptual Agreement: Personality must be in perceptual agreement with the aspect of reality with which it will associate. As we gain more understanding about the actual nature of reality, the more we are able to develop perception beyond what we now know. With increasing perception comes new venues for learning.

I am asked this question often enough that I wrote an essay intended to explain what we think is true about transition based on a wide range of sources. It is What is it Like on the Other Side

Two thoughts. One is that that we think the best model is the idea of a chorus. During a lifetime, we step forward to sing a solo, but we are always supported by the other singers. The idea is that we gain understanding for the collective and from the collective.

The other thought is the idea of Perceptual Agreement: Personality must be in perceptual agreement with the aspect of reality with which it will associate. As we gain more understanding about the actual nature of reality, the more we are able to develop perception beyond what we now know. With increasing perception comes new venues for learning.

Thanks for this wonderful essay! Very much enjoyed it. It also resonates very well with my intuitions of an "afterlife".