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I think growing old in 1900 is diff from growing old in 2020. I don’t think these are experiences that translate well over time and place. ‘What advice would I

I think growing old in 1900 is diff from growing old in 2020. I don’t think these are experiences that translate well over time and place. ‘What advice would I give my younger self’ also doesn’t compute. Because that would mean that I would end up with entirely different life experience and the person giving the advice would not exist as they would have changed. In sci fi, this would be the classic causal loop/temporal paradox time travel dilemma. If this is about health, you are better off obtaining a DNA report and go through the high risk illnesses you have inherited with your physician. I did this and was able to identify a few things missed by my previous maternal units. Some of them probably died because one mutation was undiagnosed. From a dietary perspective, follow the grandmother diet. Eat what your longest living ancestors lived. It helps if you haven’t migrated far off. P.S: Don’t rely on dna ancestry reports migrations. I am South East Asian and ancestry report suggested that I had a Finnish ancestor. I doubt if I can follow the Sami diet. In California. So there is that... My suggestion is to draw a family tree for upto 4-7 generations. 7 is ideal but would be tough for most.

PaulHoule 6y ago
Yep, people completely get confused about "cohort" vs "age". "Cohort" is the year you are born. This might make you a Baby Boomer, X, Y, Z, ... You keep your cohort throughout your life. The cohort who got physics PhD's prior to 1968 got jobs in the field easily (e.g. most were good at physics, it didn't matter how good you were at musical chairs); after 1968 the job situation changed (you certainly were good at music chairs.) This is a function of when you were born.
tobib 6y ago
Does anyone know how to learn more about one's DNA for the purpose OP suggested, in a way that respects privacy?
- noodlesUK 6y ago
  “In a way that respects privacy” is very difficult. There are companies (Dante Labs for instance), which will do comprehensive genetic testing (full genome sequencing), but privacy is complex. Once the data exists, it’s very hard to un-exist it.
  - schmatz 6y ago
    I would highly recommend avoiding Dante Labs. I had a terrible experience with them. There were extreme delays, lasting many months. When I requested the full genome be sent to me, they insisted the only way to do it was a hard drive. This hard drive was sent from Italy to California. On its way, it was seized by customs in Mumbai, who opened it and re-sealed it. The package arrived in tatters, and based on my analysis of the genome with the appropriate reference, it appeared to be someone else's genome. Many of the SNPs disagreed with a later 23andme report I got, which I assume is more accurate.
c22 6y ago
> ‘What advice would I give my younger self’ also doesn’t compute. Because that would mean that I would end up with entirely different life experience and the person giving the advice would not exist as they would have changed. In sci fi, this would be the classic causal loop/temporal paradox time travel dilemma. Are you actually worried that speculating about your younger self might accidentally erase you from the sands of time? We don't actually have a way of delivering our advice to our past selves, so the activity seems mostly harmless.
- mrfusion 6y ago
  When asking this question, I assume the many worlds theory and giving advice to my past self would simply break off into a new branch. I’d still exist the same but his life might be different.
  - jelliclesfarm 6y ago
    i am reminded again for the second time this week of Robert Heinlein's By His Bootstraps. This and All you Zombies tackle time travel paradoxes in a satisfactory way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_His_Bootstraps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_His_Bootstraps + PKD's The Skull...: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skull_(short_story) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skull_(short_story)
- jelliclesfarm 6y ago
  actually, if time travel exists..you wouldn't be aware of it. especially if one of your descendants visited you.
juliend2 6y ago
It is called a thought experiment[0]. It's useful because it doesn't have to create such a time paradox because the thing only happens in your head. It's pretty powerful to help people think outside the box. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_experiment

PaulHoule 6y ago

Yep, people completely get confused about "cohort" vs "age". "Cohort" is the year you are born. This might make you a Baby Boomer, X, Y, Z, ... You keep your cohort throughout your life. The cohort who got physics PhD's prior to 1968 got jobs in the field easily (e.g. most were good at physics, it didn't matter how good you were at musical chairs); after 1968 the job situation changed (you certainly were good at music chairs.) This is a function of when you were born.

tobib 6y ago

Does anyone know how to learn more about one's DNA for the purpose OP suggested, in a way that respects privacy?

noodlesUK 6y ago
“In a way that respects privacy” is very difficult. There are companies (Dante Labs for instance), which will do comprehensive genetic testing (full genome sequencing), but privacy is complex. Once the data exists, it’s very hard to un-exist it.
- schmatz 6y ago
  I would highly recommend avoiding Dante Labs. I had a terrible experience with them. There were extreme delays, lasting many months. When I requested the full genome be sent to me, they insisted the only way to do it was a hard drive. This hard drive was sent from Italy to California. On its way, it was seized by customs in Mumbai, who opened it and re-sealed it. The package arrived in tatters, and based on my analysis of the genome with the appropriate reference, it appeared to be someone else's genome. Many of the SNPs disagreed with a later 23andme report I got, which I assume is more accurate.

c22 6y ago

> ‘What advice would I give my younger self’ also doesn’t compute. Because that would mean that I would end up with entirely different life experience and the person giving the advice would not exist as they would have changed. In sci fi, this would be the classic causal loop/temporal paradox time travel dilemma. Are you actually worried that speculating about your younger self might accidentally erase you from the sands of time? We don't actually have a way of delivering our advice to our past selves, so the activity seems mostly harmless.

mrfusion 6y ago
When asking this question, I assume the many worlds theory and giving advice to my past self would simply break off into a new branch. I’d still exist the same but his life might be different.
- jelliclesfarm 6y ago
  i am reminded again for the second time this week of Robert Heinlein's By His Bootstraps. This and All you Zombies tackle time travel paradoxes in a satisfactory way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_His_Bootstraps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_His_Bootstraps + PKD's The Skull...: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skull_(short_story) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skull_(short_story)
jelliclesfarm 6y ago
actually, if time travel exists..you wouldn't be aware of it. especially if one of your descendants visited you.

juliend2 6y ago

It is called a thought experiment[0]. It's useful because it doesn't have to create such a time paradox because the thing only happens in your head. It's pretty powerful to help people think outside the box. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_experiment