3 ms·

This is for the most part, incorrect. Please see this video of Aubrey de Grey, where he explains that those lifestyle choices you describe, while very helpful,

• lm28469 7y ago
  > while very helpful, can only increase your chances for your regular long life, and have a relatively small effect at that. > Poor lifestyle can severely diminish base lifespan, but a good one cannot increase lifespan by a lot. Depends on your definition of "living", being obese/out of shape and on constant medication for diabetes/heart issues, not being able to do the most basic exercises, &c. isn't life by my standards. I don't care if I die at 40, at least I would have reached my peak physical and mental shape. To me fighting to increase lifespan is complete non sense, look around, we don't need more time, we just need less work, mindless activities and gadgets. We spend our lives slaving away until we're literally too old to do it anymore to buy shit we don't need. I notice it all the time around me, most people are miserable, they live in the constant hope of a better day by thinking about their next weekend or vacation, some people in their 20s already talk about what they'll do when they retire (at fucking 67 years old). Increasing our lifespan won't do anything meaningful besides putting more strain on the world, both economically and ecologically. Like most things, it was figured out a long time ago by people who had way way way more time to spend on thinking and less time to spend on mindless information consumption. Take Seneca for example: > A person like him has not lived; he has merely tarried awhile in life. Nor has he died late in life; he has simply been a long time dying. He has lived eighty years, has he? That depends upon the date from which you reckon his death! ... [He] has lived eighty years, has he? Nay, he has existed eighty years, unless perchance you mean by "he has lived" what we mean when we say that a tree "lives." > No man can have a peaceful life who thinks too much about lengthening it, or believes that living through many consulships is a great blessing. Rehearse this thought every day, that you may be able to depart from life contentedly; for many men clutch and cling to life, even as those who are carried down a rushing stream clutch and cling to briars and sharp rocks. > Show me that the good in life does not depend upon life's length, but upon the use we make of it; also, that it is possible, or rather usual, for a man who has lived long to have lived too little. > We should strive, not to live long, but to live rightly; for to achieve long life you have need of Fate only, but for right living you need the soul.
  • thom 7y ago
    There are probably people who think running around all the time and not being able to eat whatever they like isn't life by their standards. It takes all sorts.
  • Erlich_Bachman 7y ago
    People who reason like that sound to me as though they have built all these mind structures, thought patterns and beliefs, just in order to "deal with" and get around the (certainly horrendous) fact that they have little time, that they will die really soon, that people they love will die, and they can do nothing about it. This is a reasonable thing to do. When there was no practical way to actually extend life (not by 2 years by excercising all the time) - yes, people had to deal with that. These facts were hard to process emotionally, and people needed these reasons and made up stories about the obviously preposterous presupposition that "we don't really want to live longer, that's not what life is about". Basically those people gave up all hope and made their internal emotional world support that, support them in this hard position. It was needed. But I think it is time to let go of that. The times are changing and it looks like we can actually extend the lifespan. Maybe not this year, maybe not even this decade - sure. But soon. Don't let old beliefs stand in the way of progress. It has never worked and only creates unnecessary strain on the people holding those beliefs. The world is moving in that direction and there is little you can do to stop it. And for a good reason. Saying "we don't need/want to live longer" is neither rational nor truthful.
    • lm28469 7y ago
      > Don't let old beliefs stand in the way of progress. That's a very dangerous thing though. Humans are very good at destroying things, not so much as replacing them with good alternatives. Religion is the prime example, "God is dead", and what do people have left ? Pure individualism, narcissism, egotism, lack of communities, lack of purpose; these are the new building blocks of our societies. And it's very well documented; loneliness epidemic, depression epidemic, people literally dying of sins, gluttony, sloth, ... What good is it to live longer if it's still in the same degenerate ways ? Work more ? Consume more ? If you can't live a fulfilling life in ~80 years you won't do better with 120. The analogy of a kid always wanting more, no matter the consequences, really holds up. Life is a really fucking long time if you throw away the bs we all take part in. And again, Seneca sounds on point to me. No matter how long you live, if you're not able to enjoy this gift, 50, 150, 250 years won't be enough. > What man can you show me who places any value on his time, who reckons the worth of each day, who understands that he is dying daily? For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years lie behind us are in death's hands.
• Nuzzerino 7y ago
  For a long time, I thought that my relatively poor health was mostly caused by my shitty lifestyle choices. It turns out that I have multiple genetic diseases, and the lifestyle choices made them worse. YMMV.