These days, everything seems to be less. And we find ourselves wanting for more. For an average person, the needs are easily met and the wants don't seem to be getting shorter.
We want bigger houses.
We want more salary.
We want more friends.
We want more than 24 hours in a day.
We want to do more things with our life.
We want to achieve more.
Along the same lines, would you like to have more years in your life?
I am asking this question because I recently read an article in TIME that Silicon Valley is trying to hack its way to MUCH longer life. Millions are being poured. Years are being invested to find a way to increase the longevity and quality of human life. We are talking about adding atleast 100 more years to our average life span.
Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, has invested more than $330 million to research about aging and age-related diseases. Larry Page launched Calico, a research company with the objective of improving human life.
When I learned about the ways that already exist today as a step closer towards achieving this goal, I was dumb-founded.
50 people in the US have paid $8000 for a transfusion of blood from young people of ages 16 to 25. Because it is believed and being researched (by the company who does this) that young blood has a lot of factors that are important for cellular health and helps the body to rejuvenate itself.
A physical exam, called the Health Nucleus, is an 8 hour long, $25000, head-to-toe, inside-out physical exam that helps in early diagnostics of where your body is heading. It provides you a chance to prevent the diseases that are diagnosed to occur in the future.
These are just to name a few! Looking at where the world is heading and the endless possibilities and inventions, I have no doubt they will figure out something in a few years.
What then? Will you be willing to live longer? If all your friends and family lived upto 180 years, would you still be willing to die at 80? Will life still be meaningful if we knew we have a loooong way to go?
Change is good, but if the basic fundamentals of nature is being manipulated, I cant help but feel apprehensive about all this.
What do you think?
Note: The picture is not the same issue I am talking about.
I suppose, if I'm honest, I'd like to say that I wouldn't mind living long enough to sort of have experienced a reasonable life. But what's reasonable for me, may not be reasonable for someone else.
ReplyDeleteScience is progressing at such a rapid rate that the average life expectancy has risen considerably. But for most, I think it's the fear of death that makes them want to prolong life - not the love for life itself.
Wow! Thats a wonderful thought Sid! I think I agree with you - that the fear of death is stronger than the love for life. Very well said!
DeleteI agree with Sid. The definition of 'reasonable' varies from person to person. And honestly, I guess it's a matter of perspective what is considered long and short. I guess as long as one lives a rich quality of life, the length doesn't matter as much.
ReplyDeleteThe chnage that the world is seeing these days itself doesnt seem enough. Peaople are bored easliy and we want a change more frequently than ever.. NOw this pace is somehting that is frightening and I wonder if it is actually doing us any good. Somewhere it is affecting the way we value things and reducing our quality of life. Is it really worth living longer in such a world?
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell would we do for 180 years? Work, get married, make babies, watch our babies make babies, watch them make babies, and then them...
ReplyDeleteHow much of it can we take in one life?
And if everyone is living to 150+, where will they put everyone? On Mars?
Wow! It's the first time I'm visiting your blog, and you give me such food for thought! :)
Hello, by the way... I dropped over from BAR. I blog at www.mysteriouskaddu.com. Will see you around now I guess.
Wow! That sound interesting and I would like to maybe live a little longer but only when my loved ones, families and friends are alike. I know what you mean about reversing the nature's way of things. Science will continue to make advancements. What's important is a happy and fulfilled life - whether it comes at 80 or 180 :)
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