Disease/Sickness

[Kasoivc]

Alright. Since I'm currently sick (with a cold, of all stupid sicknesses) anyways, I'm kind of wondering what the purpose of sickness/disease is. It's like a plague that we can't get rid of, and even as we're progressing in modern medical science - humanity manages to find a new incurable disease or epidemic to spread around. No doctor ever wants to tell their patient they have an incurable disease, yet they have to.

I'm probably not a perfect example for a model healthy human being, as my normal human habits are abnormal compared to others, but I rarely get sick.

The only times I become sick are from a)starving, b)exhaustion/fever, c) common cold.

What are some of your ideas about sickness/disease. Why do we have it in the first place? Is it just natural selection at work? Also your thoughts about illnesses that adapt and become more... dangerous? I mean, I guess what are you thoughts about the future; as in the illnesses that crop up as a result of messing with genetics and all that jazz, illnesses we probably would have never run into (as humanity altogether) if it were not for messing with the balance?

I mean we can't exactly cure everything, especially when new illnesses arise. I'm aware what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger but I beg to differ. It's just quite a nuisance imho, then again medical practitioners would be out of a job if it weren't for sickness.

[Leviathan87]

the only way i see sickness getting cured is nano-bots and or enhanced immune system.

[DrumRoll]

If we pushed all the sick people into the sea then there would be no sickness/disease in the world....gawd dammit I am so smart.

although I think one of the reasons we get ill is so that humanity doesn't outgrow the earth, its like natures way of culling humans. But of course that changed when we invented medecine:)

http://galen.metapath.org/popclk.html

[DuLake]

I feel like diseases evolve too fast for us to truly "beat" them once and for all, but it is possible I suppose (Maybe with that worrisome singularity everyone gets so excited about). I like the point that was raised earlier, that illness (as well as the simple degradation associated with living) guards (to a certain extent) from overpopulation.

I think, though, that we shouldn't be so concerned with defeating death. I feel like, in a lot of ways, our eventual death pushes us forward, and makes us take things more seriously. Personally, I want to write books that will keep my name alive long after my death, but would I have that goal if I wasn't so concerned with death? In that way, my death has made me a more complete person, as my life has meaning (through achieving lasting impact). Of course, if I fail, then my life will just take on some other, subtler, likely forgotten, meaning. Which would be fine too, since I'm the only one who really needs my life to mean something.

[DrumRoll]

I don't think its so much a matter of defying death, we simply don't want to be the first to succumb to it.

[Kasoivc]

That has always been my speculation for disease/illness because there has to be a purpose for it to really exist, otherwise there would be no point for illnesses correct? (Though I don't understand how Mosquitoes serve our ecosystem since they're more irritating than flies, but anyways). I also agree that its not so much defying death, but more of being enabled to prolong our life so that we don't fall victim before our time. I feel it unjust that some individuals are limited to short lifespans because of how they inherited their genetics; then they leave the world with only a handful of their aspirations fulfilled.

DuLake, you're kinda reminding me of a nameless artist who would become famous only after dying; but at least you find resolve within yourself and not from the acknowledgement of others.

[zx0]

As other have said, sickness/disease is good for controling population. If we could eliminate childhood diseases that would be cool. Once people have lived to 70+ then they are ripe for death anyway and a good disease will kill them off to ensure that the population of the world does not grow too large.

The population of the world is too large at present in my opinion and a nice disease to kill off some old folk would solve plenty of pensions issues.

[ockertom]

Stops the world being overcrowded weeds out all the weak people shrug and we are in hell aint we?

[potcho]

Diseases are becoming resistant to the meds...plus with overpopulation everywhere food will eventually get scarce. We're doomed.

[failedhornet]

Diseases are forms of life that use us as a host. They have no reason or meaning to their existence they just live to live. They evolve and spread quickly so they can continue to live.

Im not worried about living longer, i smoke and drink to much for such thoughts. Im not worried about overpopulation either, that seems like a problem for future generations.

[shyguysteve]

illnesses are apart of nature, if we're lucky we can get sick and fight it off and develop an immunity to it, a type of evolutionary trait. but some illnesses or diseases are enhanced by humanity by digging deeper into soil and then spreading them around. everything has no purpose and humanity decides to give them meaning without purpose. so basically if your gonna eat food drink water, shit happens.