[Razorfish]

The concept of an immortal race has been brought up in a number of books with some success. Anyone who has read the Lord of the Rings series remebers the Elves. An immortal race that was both wise and highly advanced. They isolated themselves from other races and thrived in doing so. Major issues came up when one of their own kind (Arawen) fell in love with a mortal (Aragorn). Understandably, Lord of the Rings is a work of complete fiction, but it does bring up some good points.

Anyway the point I'm trying to make is that an immortal race would most definitely see the need to isolate itself from the rest of humanity. They would gain great wisdom through the abilty to watch events for all time but they would also view mortals as fleeting moments in time. Mortals, including family members and friends, would constantly be passing while they lived on. I suppose this could swing both ways: one could become very bitter and contemptuous or very wise and affluent.

By living together with other immortals in a unique society there would probably be less angry and contemptuous immortals and more wise and learned immortals. When you have forever to work on a problem you know it will be solved eventually (not to mention the unique view on life immortality gives you). Maybe the immortals wouldn't be more technologically advanced then mortals but they sure would rule in thought and philosophy.

The idea that they would see a death among their own kind as a big deal is interesting but not probable. The immortals may see everything but themselves as decaying but the wisdom gained through hudreds of years of life would probably teach them that nothing is immune to destruction.

In summery, I believe that immortals living among us would do the same thing that mortals do: Seek out those like them, live together, and make a unique community.