One man's Singularity is another man's e-pocalypse

The most recent issue of Wired Magazine has a profile on Ray Kurzweil. Or, to be more specific, a profile on his current activities to-- how do I put this without sounding like I'm trying to ridicule Kurzweil?-- live long enough to reach the Singularity, and thus live forever.

I think Kurzweil is a genius. He's obviously a smarter man and has accomplished more than I have. I don't know if he is right about the inevitability of the Singularity. But, even if he is, I have to wonder-- why does he, or anyone, want to live forever?

I look at my life-- present and past-- and it's not a bad life, I suppose-- but I sure don't want to live forever if this is as good as it is going to get. I seem to spend so much time and energy trying to take care of/help the people in my life that I care about-- and yet, no one really understands me or, even worse, they completely MISunderstand me. I've made several concerted efforts to try to change and improve my life, and sometimes it seems like the people around me almost deliberately conspire to maintain the status quo. "What's that? You have to work on Sunday? Well then, I absolutely need for you to do something for me on Sunday right before then-- even though I've done this exact thing by myself without any problems before hundreds of times."

Don't get me wrong-- I've got absolutely no intentions of prematurely ending my life. I want to outlive all the people who've pissed me off over the years. Plus, it is sort of cool to watch the technological advances make paradigm leaps from one decade to the next. But, if the Singularity should come in my lifetime, and I have a chance at "immortality*"-- unless something in the quality of my life is going to drastically change with it, like being able to find mates who think and live and believe in the things I do-- I just don't see taking the option as something in which I'd have any interest.

Matter of fact, it sounds hellish. I can't even get someone to give me an estimate on renovating my bathroom. I want to give people my money, and they can't be bothered to do the first little bit towards keeping their end of the bargain?! Why would I want to keep living with people like that around me?