Our obsession with longevity and health.....
Discussion
How long do you want to live for?
How old do you think you will be when you die?
What do you think you will be the actual cause of your death?
I ask, because yet again this morning I see news reports of health issues caused by 'excess' in life styles. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16869618 'a little too much will kill you etc' but I have to ask, why are we so concerned?
If I followed all the advice and lived like a monk, maybe I'd live another 3-4 years? But why? I'm not sure I want to be 98 instead of 95 for instance. Lets face it, the lives of most ordinary people beyond the age of 80 seems pretty poor, unless you're rich and living in the Playboy mansion, WTF is the point?
Should we be so obsessed with curing the disases that take us in old age? Yes, curing diseases that take people when young should be a priority, but should we be extending the lives of octogenarians? Most people of a certain age seem to accept the inevitability of their own death, and prepare themselves mentally. Its only younger people that seem to think that extended lifespans would be desirable.
Surely, we should care more about enjoying the life we have now, than worrying about how we can get a 'little bit more' than we might normally of expected?
I think many people would rather choose how long and in what circumstances they would live/die than end up mega old and wrinkly? Surely the quality and content of our lives is more important than the extra few years promised by the rigours of adhering too much to the findings of some people that have been paid to do some 'study into the effects of' research? Yes, actually I'd probably prefer to drink myself to death in my 70's than waste away in my 80's. Is that so bad?
Unless you have a pretty perfect life with access to the unlimited funds of the seriously wealthy, then whats the point of extending life span too much past the age when we can contribute and provide for ourselves? I dont really want to be looked after for years after my health has become irrepairably impaired by old age.
Do I really want to save all my money for my old age, to keep me fed and warm when I'm to old and infirm to enjoy life and look after myself? Not really. Most old people are pretty lonely, and the majority of our pensioners live in poverty (even if property rich).
Me, I'd accept dying at 70, massive heart attack after spending a night of viagra induced passion in a hot tub with 4 'professional' women in their twenties. In fact, I'd take out an investment vehicle that provides the funds for this exact scenario right now, if anyone sells/guarantees such a thing....
Seriously, who wants to live 'forever'?
How old do you think you will be when you die?
What do you think you will be the actual cause of your death?
I ask, because yet again this morning I see news reports of health issues caused by 'excess' in life styles. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16869618 'a little too much will kill you etc' but I have to ask, why are we so concerned?
If I followed all the advice and lived like a monk, maybe I'd live another 3-4 years? But why? I'm not sure I want to be 98 instead of 95 for instance. Lets face it, the lives of most ordinary people beyond the age of 80 seems pretty poor, unless you're rich and living in the Playboy mansion, WTF is the point?
Should we be so obsessed with curing the disases that take us in old age? Yes, curing diseases that take people when young should be a priority, but should we be extending the lives of octogenarians? Most people of a certain age seem to accept the inevitability of their own death, and prepare themselves mentally. Its only younger people that seem to think that extended lifespans would be desirable.
Surely, we should care more about enjoying the life we have now, than worrying about how we can get a 'little bit more' than we might normally of expected?
I think many people would rather choose how long and in what circumstances they would live/die than end up mega old and wrinkly? Surely the quality and content of our lives is more important than the extra few years promised by the rigours of adhering too much to the findings of some people that have been paid to do some 'study into the effects of' research? Yes, actually I'd probably prefer to drink myself to death in my 70's than waste away in my 80's. Is that so bad?
Unless you have a pretty perfect life with access to the unlimited funds of the seriously wealthy, then whats the point of extending life span too much past the age when we can contribute and provide for ourselves? I dont really want to be looked after for years after my health has become irrepairably impaired by old age.
Do I really want to save all my money for my old age, to keep me fed and warm when I'm to old and infirm to enjoy life and look after myself? Not really. Most old people are pretty lonely, and the majority of our pensioners live in poverty (even if property rich).
Me, I'd accept dying at 70, massive heart attack after spending a night of viagra induced passion in a hot tub with 4 'professional' women in their twenties. In fact, I'd take out an investment vehicle that provides the funds for this exact scenario right now, if anyone sells/guarantees such a thing....
Seriously, who wants to live 'forever'?
That's about the size of it. I can never be bothered to read such articles as they all seem to operate on the premise that life can be eternal.
Newsflash: Life causes death.
Therefore it is simply a question of timing and manner. I too do not see that giving myself a few extra months, weeks or so at the expense of not eating bacon for 50 years until then is a trade-off worth making.
I've got to go one way or another, might as well enjoy the life I do have until that point. Nothing adds time to life in the middle, it's just more years of being incredibly old at the end. No thanks.
Newsflash: Life causes death.
Therefore it is simply a question of timing and manner. I too do not see that giving myself a few extra months, weeks or so at the expense of not eating bacon for 50 years until then is a trade-off worth making.
I've got to go one way or another, might as well enjoy the life I do have until that point. Nothing adds time to life in the middle, it's just more years of being incredibly old at the end. No thanks.
Corsair7 said:
Marf said:
Forever? No, a thousand years sounds like a nice round number during which we might actually see humanity take some great leaps forward
This is what you would look like at 100, why would you want to live until 1000? Extending life does not defy ageing..... Read an article yesterday that said the incidence of fatal heart attacks had significently decreased over the last ten years. Attributed it to healthier lifestyles etc etc. Sounds nice but are those people actually living longer or simply dying of something else instead? Personally I would rather be nailed by a huge cardiac arrest than a prolonged bout of cancer (neither sounds great granted 
)
Didn't one of the Freakonomics books look at this in more detail previously?
)Didn't one of the Freakonomics books look at this in more detail previously?
Corsair7 said:
Marf said:
Forever? No, a thousand years sounds like a nice round number during which we might actually see humanity take some great leaps forward
This is what you would look like at 100, why would you want to live until 1000? Extending life does not defy ageing...
k it. It'll only get worse.GarryA said:
I reckon 65 would do as long as I could retire at 45.
I'd guess that comment makes you under 25.Being mid forties means putting up with creaky joints that I would have considered unacceptable in my mid twenties; doesn't seem too bad now so I'd guess that being too weak to move unaided at the age of 100 will still seem better than the alternative if I get that far.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff