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 Humankind has been trying to live for increasingly
longer periods of time since the early struggles for survival
thousands of years ago. On a primal level, we try to live longer on a daily basis
by simply avoiding
direct harm. Obviously living longer entails more than that. Once our basic
needs of shelter, safety food, love and belonging are met, there is
the constant push to the next level: The extension of our life spans.
Is there something we can do to live longer? Will our genetic make-up
kills us off before our time?
Centenarians
Live Longer Lives
In the year 1900, the life expectancy was
47.3 years meaning that the average person was expected to die at
quite an early age by today's standards. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2002 that number had risen to
77.3 years.
People who live to be 100 and beyond are called
centenarians. The number of centenarians is increasing yearly and
there is currently 1 centenarian for every 10,000 people in
industrialized countries.
Do Women
or Men Live Longer?
While it is
well-documented that women live a few years longer than men (on
average), medical science has yet to find distinct reasons behind this
trend. The mixed and plentiful ideas are beyond the scope of
this article. However, it is worth noting that the average age
of dying for men is catching up to that of women's.
If we
eliminated the major diseases that are killing us "before our
time" such as cancer, our life spans would only increase by about
10 years. That just doesn't seem like a lot. Don't get me wrong,
there are serious diseases out there and just looking at the age of
death ignores the suffering of those dying off. However, the point is
that living for an extra decade or so isn't such a big deal in the
grand scheme of things.
The
Pitfalls of Living Longer
It's peculiar that we are so caught up in trying to live longer that
we don't take into account what we would or wouldn't have to look forward
to. Personally, I'd love to see
what happens with the space program and I'm sure everyone reading this
article
has their ideas of what they would want to experience in their own extended
lifespan.
Perhaps
living longer lives is not that great an option. For one thing, the age of retirement
would probably increase. If government pensions dry up, many people
will be living in poverty that much longer. Also, just because you're
still alive at 95, it doesn't necessarily mean you'd be fully healthy at that age.
You would likely still need special care at least some of the time.
Tips for
a Longer Life
There are currently a few centenarian studies going on around the
world, all which are trying to find the secrets to successful aging.
As more people are living longer lives, it's becoming easier to study
these unique individuals.
Two popular projects include the New England Centenarian Study and the
Okinawa Centenarian Study in Japan. The studies have yielded some
interesting findings. Remember that these are general findings and
variations do exist.
People who live to be 100...
- Tend to
be healthier to begin with, meaning that as you get older, you
aren't getting sicker, you just keep on living with more of the
same level of general health.
- Come from
a range of backgrounds. The number of years spent in school,
how rich or poor they are, or what they eat (from fatty food-aholics
to vegetarians) are not important factors.
- Are lean
and fit. Few overweight people live to be 100.
- Don't
smoke.
- Are good
at handling stress. Centenarians may have gone through difficult
times just like everyone else but they seem to be able to let go,
adapt, and move on more easily.
- Report being less tense and higher in
self-confidence, as well having optimistic attitudes and an easy-going approach to life.
- Have
longevity in their genes meaning that family members are more
likely to live longer as well.
- Still
have normal thinking abilities and do not suffer from degradation
brought about by illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease.
Of course,
these results have tremendous implications. The obvious ones are the
stopping smoking and losing weight could help increase your life but
what about the indirect consequences? For example, would you go to a
therapist to de-stress, knowing that it could help you live
longer?
Why the
Elderly are Ignored
Our species is dependent on procreation. On the whole, we grow up, have
kids, get old and pass on, paving the way for the next generation to
do the same. So when the idea of living decades beyond the time of
raising children and work arises, what happens then?
While some cultures respect the oldest members of their society as
being able to offer wisdom and support, many people growing up in
first world countries, especially a "melting-pot" type
of country such as the US, tend to leave the older generations
out.
I'm sure
there are many reasons but I'll touch on what I think is one of the
most significant. I believe that you must look at it from a
technological perspective. Our lives are being overtaken by
technology. That technology is rapidly expanding and branching off
into new parts of our lives. The younger generations embrace the
changes while older generations are slow to catch on. After all, only a
younger generation can really keep abreast of the constant changes and even
then it's overwhelming.
The older
people get, the less they can keep up and offer advice to the young.
If this still isn't clear, think of the opposite side. Many cultures
living as tribes in isolated regions of the planet would be lost
without the elder members to pass on tradition and guide them. Do you
think your grandparents can teach you how to use a computer program or
discuss the latest reality TV show?
While it
seems that the faster the society, the less there is a need for the
elderly, I'd say that as our society speeds up, the
less there is a perceived need for them. As long as they are able to
retain their faculties, they probably have a lot to offer by way of
advice, story-telling, passing on family history, and what-not.
In The
End
In the end, we are all going to die anyways, right?! Remember
that for everything good, there is an equal and opposite bad thing. A
longer life does not necessarily equate with a richer, more fulfilling
one but fighting off the grim reaper that much longer does sound
tempting, doesn't it?
"Live long and prosper"
says Spock. I think the Vulcans on Star Trek
had the right idea. As a side
note, isn't it interesting that medical science and not religion is finding
ways to live longer? But I digress.
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