What would you do if you had Eternal Life?

I was at brunch after church with a few of my friends. When the weather is nice, we usually see who is around to head to the local pancake place. It’s a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

As we sat down and ordered our food, I asked my friends, “What would you do if you had eternal life?”

Actually…you know what…let’s stop the story here for a moment. I want you to answer for yourself, “What would you do if you had eternal life?”

I know, I know, I know. You’re asking, “Will I be old?” or “Will I be sick?” Here’s my answer: Anything you want. You can be at any age you want forever, you’ll have eternal youth and health as well. Now go. I want you to ponder your answer before reading below.

You answer yet?

Okay.

After we got the details out of the way of age, disease, and other “caveats” that may come with eternal life, I got the most shocking answer that I never expected:

“I don’t want it.”

I explored this more. There were elements of not wanting to see all their family die, understanding that life has a limit, not being interested after several decades. I was most shocked because according to the Christian ideal, we are supposed to want “eternal life” with Jesus and all that jazz. It seems the issue is more nuanced than I originally believed.

My friends asked for my answer. I replied, “Compound Interest.” We continued with other parts of our conversation after.

Although I was joking about “Compound Interest,” I really wasn’t. It wasn’t just about finance either. I was talking about infinite and eternal growth in literally any field I could ever dream of. I was talking about making the world a better place through greater knowledge and wisdom of how to make the world a better place. I was talking about expanding my human limitations of inevitable death through the form of eternal life and making the most of it through “Compound Interest.” That if you’re growing on top of your own personal growth, you’ll be growing exponentially, and anything is possible.

Then again, I might be naïve. Just curious, what was your answer?