The Future of Medicine

When I started this blog last May, I wanted a place to write freely about my obsessions. I’ve always been curious about the big picture questions in life. Why are we here? What are we to make of this existence? What are our relationships to one another and the things we surround ourselves with? The way I phrased it on my twitter profile was “I write about the nexus of science/medicine, spirituality, & technology.”

“I can’t figure out what your theme is,” said a colleague of mine who had happened upon my posts early on. He was right. They were a bit scatter shot. I wrote about nuclear energy and transhumanism, then about meditation and bio-observant devices.

As the posts matured, however, almost everything that interests me convened around one topic. Which is why I’ve decided to land a theme and stick to it. The future of medicine.

Nikhil BarotFebruary 18, 2020future of medicine, transhumanism, extrapolation

A Date with Death

I woke up on the morning of December 3rd, 2040 with a sense of relief. Another night had passed and I was alive. I stepped outside for my morning walk. The fog was dense as steel and I could only see but a few feet in front of me. Twenty years earlier, my doctor had taken some blood tests, made me do some push ups, and checked my VO2 max on a stationary bike. She handed me a printout that late fall day. With 98% certainty, I would be dead by December 2040.

By the time I rounded the corner for the last half-mile back home, the fog had barely lifted. A car pulling out of a driveway screeched to a halt just a few feet in front of me. I leapt back. The driver shot a hand out and waved apologetically. I motioned for him to pass then clutched my arm. A shooting pain pierced the center of my chest. I felt the vessels in my neck engorge and my forehead cool. I fell to my knees as the world spun about, gasping my last breath as the end drew near, as my life left me.

Nikhil BarotSeptember 19, 2019death, extrapolation, artificial intelligence, illness