In my continuing (very unsuccessful) quest for immortality, another glimmer of possibility formed: infinite parallel universes! Now, while the physical reality of parallel universes is questionable, the ramifications are interesting nonetheless.

Let us suppose there is such a thing as parallel universes, loosely meaning there are other entire universes where most everything is the same as ours, but slightly different. Maybe certain historical events unfolded differently, you did that thing you have always regretted never doing, gravity was too weak for celestial bodies to form, or whatever other small thing. You exist in a good chunk of these universes in similar and different ways. However, what if you died before the age of three? Or you had a horrible accident that shortened your life to 60?

You wouldn’t know! Which is a huge relief, right? Forget those other “you”s.

That kind of hints at something more profound: the longer you live with your current memories, the more likely is the case you are living in the universe in which “you” live the longest! If you had died sooner, then all the memories and differences that made that you die sooner are as if they never happened. Thus, we should expect a kind of convergence of “you”s that remember only one universe: the one in which you live the longest.

Even better, the current “you” is fairly likely to be in the universe in which you live the longest, because you are experiencing it and remembering it now. Because the future you that lived to say, 200, couldn’t have had the experiences “you” have now if you died tomorrow!

It helps to consider time as more a static thing than a strictly linear progression, or, I dunno, something like that anyway. Definitely don’t over think it, because then that kinda renders the whole concept as being absurd, which would instantly shatter my hopes of achieving practical immortality.

Forget all that, though, and cheer up because there is another possibility!

If immortality, whether biological, mechanical, or virtual were possible, then there may be many “you”s that live to the future where they are able to secure eternal life. This raises the probability of the current “you” living forever even higher as there are more future yous to remember the you now.

But, sigh, is it really “you” in all those other universes? Like, if you had a different life, or were a different gender, or were born 20 years later or didn’t even think the same things in your entire life that kinda sounds like cheating. If we exclude those “you”s, then the number of “you”s in every parallel universe we would really call “you” quickly approaches only the one “here” and now, and, ahaha, comon, you really think you’ll live to 200?

You probably ate too many fries or didn’t exercise enough or listen to that weird advice that woman that lived to 120 gave about smoking and drinking 3 glasses of wine every day.

Maybe I should consider this a little more…