What Is The Real Meaning Of Immortality?

Immortality is a subject debated by many and often stems from the desire of human beings to live forever. There is an inclination within many people to live forever. Some simply fear death and so they try all kinds of foods, medications and pills they believe will prolong their lives. Yet, we know from experience every living thing will die a mortal death. bodies just do not last forever.

For some people the fact of mortal death is so unappealing they even seek the presevation of their bodies through cryopreservation hoping science will find ways to prevent physical death. They beleive science will be able one day to bring them back to full life.

The most common belief is human beings possess a soul, which will live forever. People believe we will have a spiritual existence beyond our physical death. Within most religions, sects and religion based organizations we find the belief that spiritual immortality is a free gift from the God, in whom they believe. The general consensus is spiritual immortality means our soul will go on living after the death of our body.

Then there are some who deny the existence of and immortal soul and believe immortality applies to our legacy after death. The good things of our lives will be remembered by others long after our body dies. The belief is our lives meant something to others; we will be remembered and missed forever. Examples of legacies surround us: stories of our heroes: families, friends and others will be told over and over and those memories will never die.

Others believe our lives go on through our children. You have probably heard or perhaps have said yourself about someone: he/she will never be dead as long as his son is
alive. This is referencing genetics, the ways, in which children are so much like the parents is words, expressions, actions and so forth.

There is also a belief of immortality that our bodies die and as the components of our bodies break down they fee the earth by absorption into the soil. Our bodies go on living in the plants, animals and other creatures. The theory of our bodies coming back to earth in other forms or we come back as other people is part of the belief in immortaly.

So immortality means many things to different people, but basically it means everlasting life in some form. Not all believe as many religions do that immortality means an everlasting spiritual existence.

Immortality means to live forever. It raises so many questions and has long been a subject of passionate debate. One question it raises, is how do we know that there is a forever? One might say that they want to be immortal so that they last as long as the universe. How do we know that the universe itself has an infinite existence? One interesting phenomenon is that the concept of immortality is so well known; yet, what experience do we have of it? We are born and die, and our lives last for a finite span. Mortality is what we are most familiar with. yet immortality has a lasting hold on us; most people have some feelings about the idea of immortality. Some religions say that the reason we are so entranced with immortality is that life does indeed last forever, in another form from our existence on earth.  

Immortality is also used in a figurative way. People who make history and are remembered long after their death are sometimes referred to as immortal. Indeed some people strive to be remembered forever, or at least for the next twenty years! Napoleon was perhaps one of these people. Despite his eventual defeat, he has been remembered throughout time. Some say that he achieved immortality in a figurative sense.

Immortality is an ideal situation (which cannot be achieved) in which one overcomes or overpowers death and so lives forever.