If You Could Live Forever...
Would you even want to? Please answer my one-question poll on immortality.
Welcome back to Age Wise, exploring the science of improving physical health and mental wellness at every stage of life. This week, something different. I have a simple question for you about mortality vs. immortality:
Feel free to elaborate on your reasoning in the comments section. I mean, what the heck would you do with all that time?
Here’s why I’m asking:
I’m working on a feature story about longevity research—the billions of dollars poured into it and the practical chances that life can actually be extended more than a few years beyond current known human lifespan (Jeanne Calment of France holds the record, dying at age 122 in 1997). The premise, as I posted this week on Mastodon*:
Harvard longevity researcher David Sinclair says the first person who'll live to be 150 has already been born, because we'll soon be able to stop and even reverse aging. Me: pure hype.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk promises to build a colony on Mars. Me: Pure hype (unless maybe if he lives to be 150).
If I live long enough to see either of these things happen, I'll write these words down on paper, if there is still such a medium, and eat them.
My story will, of course, explore the possibilities and get beyond my opinion of the matter, and I’m eager to hear yours. Thanks!
Totally unrelated…
Well, actually, this is related: My latest article on Medium reveals that more than 50% of the calories consumed in the U.S. and U.K. are from ultra-processed junk, contributing to obesity, heart disease, cancer, dementia and—wait for it—early death.
And the kicker: Manufacturers create this stuff to be addictive, and a new poll finds 13% of American adults are, indeed, hooked. I look into the vague definition of ultra-processed food, how to know what you’re really eating, and then offer practical advice for making modest improvements in your diet.
As I wrote: “I’m not here to suggest you never have another cookie or avoid pizza forever. Life’s too short for that sort of rigidity.”
*Mastodon is like Twitter but with no ads, more thoughtful contributions, and less vitriol. It’s a “federated” social media platform in which people join on different internet locations, called “instances,” but everyone can see everyone. You can find me at an instance set up by Medium: me.dm/@robertroybritt.
Take care of yourself, now and again.
—Rob
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I think death is what gives life a sense of urgency and meaning. If I can live a fulfilling life that leaves the world in some small way better than I found it and be able to stay active right up until the end around 90-95 that feels like success to me.
Not forever - but my goal is to make to a healthy happy 141. I want to live in three different centuries. I was born in 1961. Only 80 more years to go!