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Laoch comments on Remaining human - Less Wrong
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The overwhelming majority of humans do, in fact, want to be human, much to the annoyance of the transhumanist minority.
Putting that aside, though, I see what I think is a different problem, though perhaps I'm overgeneralizing from my own motivations. Human endeavors tend to feel worthwhile because they are a challenge. Assuming that we do develop the ability to self-modify, recursively improving our physical and mental abilities, I worry that things will seem better and better -- until suddenly they seem worse. When anyone can be as strong or as fast as they want, there will be no such thing as athletics or martial arts. When anyone can be as smart as they want, there will be no such thing as puzzles or games. Etc. When all the hard questions have been answered, what will be left, except wireheading?
I find that I don't enjoy challenges. I experience no pleasure from being frustrated with a puzzle or struggling against my physical limits. So what do I have to enjoy, devoid of this supposedly essential source of pleasure? I have humor, and stories, and art, and friends, and food, and snuggling in bed because I don't have to get up yet, and ridiculous wordplay (in the broadest sense) when I'm a little loopy and find repeating the phrase "cherry tart" amusing. Pretty sure I am not a wirehead.
The exciting thing about snowboarding isn't the challenge [edit of learning to snowboard] it's being able to do air time with little effort or at least I think so.
The appeal to me is based on engineering intuitions. Skis, seriously? Hook up a great big lever to apply torque to a single joint that is not intended to twist that way at all? Something seems wrong when I do that.
I'm not sure, but I think skis were designed for moving across mountainous terrain. I find the whole idea of "cross country snowboard" somewhat absurd, but have seen alpine troops chasing each other down on skis in WW2 documentaries.