Longevity

LIFE can be an endless adventure as long as one has the desire to
seek it.

A large part of our lives is determined by our genes but also by the
stuff we're exposed to. One of my brothers died of cancer. My father
died of a heart attack. Many of the men of his side of the family die
of heart attacks.

I suspect there are natural limits in the body that will allow us to
maximize the years we have but in the end our bodies will wear out
and we get to meet our maker to account for what we have done during
our lives.

We can eat well. Not indulge in behaviors that are unhealthy.
(Somehow I suspect mentioning these things will cause some to call me
a 'bigot'). We can exorcise though I suppose some would say telling
people to exorcise is judgemental.

Problem is our tolerant society is not exactly being critical of a
lot of these unhealthy things other than smoking.

The closest thing to a national program of promoting and encouraging
health and healthy practices was Nazi Germany but the results
achieved are spectacular. Their anti-smkoing campaign and youth
physical fitness programs are peticularly well worth examining.

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Robert" wrote:
>
> in Logans Run, the ppl were told that if they were successfull in a
> game called renew, they would have another 21 year (book) or 30
years
> (movie), but it was a lie.
>
> immortality would be very boring after a while, esp if there was no
> way to end it.
>
> the problems your grandmother (and mine too by the way) faced were
> due to defeats created by our genes and diseases. they have also
> found that there is a link to the food you eat from childhood on is
> connected to them, but they still dont have all the particulars.
let
> me ask you this. if you could have choisen to let your
grandmother
> die at the age she did under the condition she was in, or have her
> for another decade as she was when she was 40 which would you
choise.
> no brainer, huh? would you say that that was the natural order of
> things and say that she had to be like she was or go against
> the "natural order" and feel younger for a few more year.
>
> i know which i would have given my grandmother.
>
> --- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "terrierkeeper"
> wrote:
> >
> > If memory serves me correctly, the people who lived in Zardoz had
> > made themselves immortal and having lived long waistful lives
they
> > all wanted to die.
> >
> > A more disturbing vision would be Logan's Run in which the state
> > kills everyone over Thirty in great cerimony (if memory serves me
> > correctly) if that is somebody's idea of natural cycles I'm
against
> > it.
> >
> > Anyway, my grandmother lived well into her nineties. Her final
> years
> > were as a semi-imbecile under constant supervision of nurses who
> had
> > to wear diapers and a bib who could not remember what the time of
> day
> > was or recognize her relatives. My great grandmother lived just
as
> > long and spent her remaining years that way but also in a
> wheelchair.
> >
> > I don't believe in assisted suicide but I don't believe in the
> > overmedicated way we do things with the elderly either. It is a
> waste
> > of money and of lives. Maybe I'm too old fashioned for
the 'modern'