“Did you catch all those studies of longevity?”
“No, what were they?”
“Confusing and contradictory, to say the least?”
“What do you mean?”
“Okay, just look at the following headlines from Phys.org.*
October 5, 2016: ‘Maximum human lifespan has already been reached, researchers conclude.’
July 21, 2016: ‘Living past 90 doesn’t doom you to disease, disability.’
June 28, 2017: ‘No detectable limit to how long people can live: study.’
June 28, 2018: ‘Does human life span really have a limit.’
Now, what am I supposed to believe? What if no one resolves the issue until after I’m dead?”
“Well, out of the estimated 100 billion or so humans who have ever walked the planet, only about 7 billion of them, including the two of us, are currently walking around, and those pushing walkers don’t have the actuarial tables on their side.”
“True, but what with all the modern medicine and specialists, don’t you think that some group down the road is going to live into their 120s or 130s?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. For everyone, the focus is very personal. And for everyone, there’s a chance that the fastest 100-meter centenarian sprinter might trip at the finish line, fall headfirst into a curb, and end that 100-year lifespan in very good health.”
“Yeah. I see what you mean. I could make living longer an obsession and get hit by a runaway truck.”
“Right. And here’s a personal tale. My parents lived into their mid and late 90s. They lived through the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II (he was a marine who fought in Okinawa). They became part of the postwar economy and the postwar proliferation of processed foods. They both smoked—unfiltered cigs for decades and didn’t quit until they hit their 60s. They ate salami, baloney, and had an occasional alcoholic drink. She didn’t drink water except in coffee. He did walk a mile to work and back, but his job was sedentary. Upon retirement, he played golf and walked the golf course, carrying his own clubs. No real change in diet over those last 35 years or so, but maybe a little less food. His diet included an apple every evening—you know what ‘they’ say about apples and doctors. Go figure. Into their mid and late 90s. So, what am I supposed to conclude? Good genetic makeup? No physical predisposition to cancer except for some removable precancerous skin lesions. Maybe a bit of hypertension but not too much except for her when she was in her 90s? Oh! I forgot, he had a pacemaker inserted when he was about 88, and his eyes and ears needed help doing what they do.”
“So, they were exceptions? How many of their contemporaries could they call when they were in their 90s?”
“Actually, more than a few. In fact, a surprising number. Just remembered. I saw a black-and-white TV program, maybe a Twilight Zone episode, I can’t remember, in which a guy who looked very old says, ‘I’m an old man. I’m 63.’”
“Yup. That sounds about right for the 1950s and early 1960s. So, what are you implying? That we all can live longer, and many people are living longer, than people in mid-twentieth century?”
“Yes. But that has nothing to do with the two of us though the proportion of people who are living into their 80s and 90s seems to be increasing. As far as you and I are concerned, someone else’s living nine or more decades is irrelevant unless it’s someone we care about.”
“What’s the point of this discussion?”
“You can read those articles on longevity and follow the instructions of those who claim to have found the secret to living longer, but there are no guarantees. Jack Lalanne was a fitness and diet guru for most of his adult life; he lived long and he prospered until he caught pneumonia and died. I guess there are actually several points: 1) There are no guarantees, 2) Everyone lives until he or she dies, and 3) This is no one’s practice life. Live long and prosper—while you can.”
* https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-06-human-life-span-limit.html#nRlv
“No, what were they?”
“Confusing and contradictory, to say the least?”
“What do you mean?”
“Okay, just look at the following headlines from Phys.org.*
October 5, 2016: ‘Maximum human lifespan has already been reached, researchers conclude.’
July 21, 2016: ‘Living past 90 doesn’t doom you to disease, disability.’
June 28, 2017: ‘No detectable limit to how long people can live: study.’
June 28, 2018: ‘Does human life span really have a limit.’
Now, what am I supposed to believe? What if no one resolves the issue until after I’m dead?”
“Well, out of the estimated 100 billion or so humans who have ever walked the planet, only about 7 billion of them, including the two of us, are currently walking around, and those pushing walkers don’t have the actuarial tables on their side.”
“True, but what with all the modern medicine and specialists, don’t you think that some group down the road is going to live into their 120s or 130s?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. For everyone, the focus is very personal. And for everyone, there’s a chance that the fastest 100-meter centenarian sprinter might trip at the finish line, fall headfirst into a curb, and end that 100-year lifespan in very good health.”
“Yeah. I see what you mean. I could make living longer an obsession and get hit by a runaway truck.”
“Right. And here’s a personal tale. My parents lived into their mid and late 90s. They lived through the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II (he was a marine who fought in Okinawa). They became part of the postwar economy and the postwar proliferation of processed foods. They both smoked—unfiltered cigs for decades and didn’t quit until they hit their 60s. They ate salami, baloney, and had an occasional alcoholic drink. She didn’t drink water except in coffee. He did walk a mile to work and back, but his job was sedentary. Upon retirement, he played golf and walked the golf course, carrying his own clubs. No real change in diet over those last 35 years or so, but maybe a little less food. His diet included an apple every evening—you know what ‘they’ say about apples and doctors. Go figure. Into their mid and late 90s. So, what am I supposed to conclude? Good genetic makeup? No physical predisposition to cancer except for some removable precancerous skin lesions. Maybe a bit of hypertension but not too much except for her when she was in her 90s? Oh! I forgot, he had a pacemaker inserted when he was about 88, and his eyes and ears needed help doing what they do.”
“So, they were exceptions? How many of their contemporaries could they call when they were in their 90s?”
“Actually, more than a few. In fact, a surprising number. Just remembered. I saw a black-and-white TV program, maybe a Twilight Zone episode, I can’t remember, in which a guy who looked very old says, ‘I’m an old man. I’m 63.’”
“Yup. That sounds about right for the 1950s and early 1960s. So, what are you implying? That we all can live longer, and many people are living longer, than people in mid-twentieth century?”
“Yes. But that has nothing to do with the two of us though the proportion of people who are living into their 80s and 90s seems to be increasing. As far as you and I are concerned, someone else’s living nine or more decades is irrelevant unless it’s someone we care about.”
“What’s the point of this discussion?”
“You can read those articles on longevity and follow the instructions of those who claim to have found the secret to living longer, but there are no guarantees. Jack Lalanne was a fitness and diet guru for most of his adult life; he lived long and he prospered until he caught pneumonia and died. I guess there are actually several points: 1) There are no guarantees, 2) Everyone lives until he or she dies, and 3) This is no one’s practice life. Live long and prosper—while you can.”
* https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-06-human-life-span-limit.html#nRlv
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