Robbing the Cradle

[Andsigil]

It's been interesting to see the ways in which this thread has drifted since I started it. As always, BDers provide a lot of information and insight into all things Tolkien.

To add a bit further, to this discussion, I had originally wondered about the age and wisdom discrepancy between Arwen and Aragorn solely as a matter of years and accumulated knowledge rather than as a matter between races.

I know this tends to go back to a default of elves and men because elves have virtually ageless bodies and live thousands of years, but I thought this could apply to humans, as well. For example, some of the Numenoreans lived for centuries while "lesser men", who were still of the same race, lived only one century (at best). Perhaps even a common son of Numenor might often have looked at a Northwoman beauty and thought, "By Arda, but she is immature. Even at thirty."?

I often wax philosophical about the subject of immortality, seeing as how we humans are forever looking for it. I think it would ultimately be a demographic disaster for humanity to discover a practical way to physically regenerate our aging bodies. Moreover, I think our human minds aren't hard-wired to handle immortality.

To illustrate, I once wrote a series of short stories about a human male in a low-magic, early renaissance setting, who discovered that he never aged past thirty and had lived for over 900 years. Here is an excerpt I've pulled out of my computer's dustiest and most cobweb-filled archives:

‘So, what is immortality like?’ you might ask. Foremost, I’ve learned over the centuries to be amused by the fools who practice alchemy and wizardry to seek immortality, as well as those who pay them to “find” it. I have no doubt that, if they did happen to discover some magic elixir, there would be no end to those who would take it without question, as long as it gave them everlasting life. The highest king to the grubbiest peasant would gulp a gallon at once without forethought of the consequences. In the end they would all regret it, for I have come to believe that human beings were never meant to live as long as I have, let alone forever.

I can barely begin to describe the boredom of immortality. Utter, complete, total, final, and absolute are words that come to mind, but despite the abundance of such adjectives, it’s still difficult to describe. Over the centuries this boredom pushed me to ever stranger, more deviant, and sordid ways of finding stimulus; anything to relieve the crushing monotony of immortality.

Thoughts?