Are there any obstacles to global life extension project?

It’s time to figure out the circumstances of what is happening. Because right now a rather dramatic story is unfolding. Let’s put it this way: the thing that according to all the signs around us should have happened is not happening. Although we all need it, there is no global life extension project.

What makes it even more mysterious is the fact that the reasons we could point out as obstacles are not really obstacles and have been surmounted long time ago. Take a look yourselves.

Most people say that the main stumbling block is the lack of information on the possibility to scientifically extend life. But that is not true at all. All the world leaders have been notified long ago, all the billionaires have been briefed, while the media provided tons of content about Aubrey De Gray, telomeres and rapamycin rejuvenation.

A cultural barrier has been overcome as well. Working people of Boston and Palo Alto welcomed Artificial Intelligence and impending singularity at a rally. There is no fear of discussions about immortality. But unfortuntely it doesn’t go further than conversations.

And when it does, then what? Google and Facebook allocated a billion dollars each but then they started hesitating and instead of a crusade against death, ordinary biotechs emerged. Some shady people try to sell their ideas to Mr. Nazarbayev. While talented scientists are still begging for a tiny scraps of innovators’ pies.

Even the scientific community is afraid to say something aloud about the radical life extension because of the habit to simply write grant proposals and reports on grants. They do not want to realise that it is possible to do something different from what their fathers and grandfathers were doing.

Conservative views are strong but in our crypto-dreams age an attractor of freedom could have emerged. Something like Dr. Moreau’s island but a good one. But everyone keeps mining their daily routines, as if they are already immortal, losing precious years and not prolonging their existence.

It is customary to refer to the economic structure, political short-sightedness and consumption society that devour the souls of buyers and sellers like a toad. There are other trends too, such as Make the world a better place in California. But whatever they preach it’s not life extension.

Of course, not everyone embraces the rise of transhumanism but we don’t need everyone. 2,000 geeks could have easily brought about a perfect future but they are too busy reading online news about cloning and do not quite understand how they can be of use.

There are enough funds, people, communication channels and knowledge in the world to test the old hypotheses and carry out bold experiments. It really IS manageable to do a hundred clinical researches on aging therapies and introduce diagnostics into the clinical practice.

What’s the catch? What is really going on? What stops those who support all this from making an effort and making it all work?

You can always complain that it is due to the fact that there are no Musks, Jobs and Von Brauns in the field of longevity and all we have is a useless bunch of alcoholics, crackheads and mad outcasts. This is simply not true. Quite a few champions in other fields came to ours and dragged themselves into a swamp of idiotic ideas.

I myself change my attitude towards this paradox every now and then and as a result refuse to blame our biological nature, which is prone to turn away from anything that doesn’t bring a dopamine-seratonin reward. And since the idea of long life is far away, it cannot compete with immediate gratification.

Perhaps, the invisible wall between us and eternal life is built of heat-resistant bricks called “good wishes”.

Many people who were making attempts to solve the problem of life prolongation stated something like “the government must understand” and then retreated believing that the work was done and the spell would work. A brain supported by good wishes creates an illusion of finished work and makes its owner dive into the sea of ​​current problems.

What is the solution to all this?

I continue to believe that our goal can be reached by attributing immortality with a useful gadget that would tingle and remind its owner: it is not the time to relax yet. Millions of Fitbits have been already sold but they motivate point-wise and not globally.

In short, what will guide us towards 22nd century is some application that won’t let the user calm down in the face of impending death.

How much time is left till it happens? Three years tops. Crypto-neuro-biohacking will save the world, it is already obvious.