The Long and the Short of It

Guest Opinion

By Greg Holmes | June 8, 2024

Do you want to live longer than expected? Would you take a pill that would make it possible for you to live forever?

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, the average life expectancy of Americans has increased from 45 years of age in 1900 to 77.5 in 2022. This dramatic increase has been attributed to two factors: an improvement in living conditions, and advancements in medical care. Some researchers believe that by 2050 reaching 100 years old will become routine.

So how can we live longer? It’s a goal that has become a national obsession. Researchers have identified five geographic areas in the world that are home to the world’s longest living people. These areas were labeled “Blue Zones” because once found, they were designated on maps with blue circles drawn around them. For example, the average life expectancy in Japan is 84.45 compared to 77.5 in the U.S. Differences in physical activity, stress level, quality of social interaction, and diet were identified in the five countries to get clues on what we could do to live longer.

“Longevity” has become a buzzword in healthcare and has spawned what some believe could be on track to become a multi-billion-dollar industry. There’s no shortage of books on longevity to read, anti-aging supplements to take, and special diets like fasting to try.

What if you could simply remain at your current age forever? In a study published in the Journal of Aging Studies, scientists at the University of Texas found that 33 percent of adults would take an immortality pill if available. When asked what age they would like to stay at forever, subjects between the ages of 18-29 picked 23, whereas subjects with an average age of 88 chose 42.

It’s easy to understand why we want to live as long as possible. Aging past a certain point is typically fraught with a decline of physical and mental functioning, less contact with friends, and a loss of independence. Even imagining that future can be depressing in and of itself. Secondly, many of us deny the inevitable fact that we will die. There’s little wonder why we want to kick that can down the road and do everything we can to extend our lives.

However, the problem with denying the reality of one’s death is that by doing so, we often deny life in the present. If we believe we have plenty of time left, we can put things off that we mistakenly believe are inconsequential compared to all the “important things” in our busy lives.

Sadly, we often end up missing experiences that make up the essence of life itself. In the rush to do more, have more, and check off items on our to-do list, we’re much too busy to fully appreciate the amazing miracles that surround us. For example, you may have hundreds of flowers in your garden, but how often do you take the time to sit among them and experience their beauty?

The childlike wonder we once had is replaced by our adult egos and identities. We’ve become further and further separated from nature, each other, and life itself. Yes, we may be able to live to 77.5 years old and beyond, but if we don’t take the time to live fully in the present, we will never fully appreciate what we have.

One of the greatest portrayals of this tragic aspect of our lives can be found in Thorton Wilder’s play Our Town. Set in the fictional small town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, the play depicts the lives of ordinary people going through the phases of life. We watch as one character, Emily, grows up, falls in love, marries, and ultimately dies while giving birth.

After her death, she joins others who have predeceased her in the afterlife, where she discovers she can go back to her past and observe what it was like. Although she is warned by others not to go back as it will cause her great pain, she decides to go back to the day of her twelfth birthday.

Initially, she is excited to revisit the day of her celebration, but this feeling quickly changes into deep grief when she realizes how much of life she and others take for granted. When she asks if anyone ever realizes the true value of life, she is told no, except the “...saints and poets, maybe...”

Living with a full awareness and gratefulness of the present is difficult, as we spend most of our lives lost in the future or the past. Carpe diem—fully seizing the present day—is a life-expanding experience that most of us do too little of. If we could just have more time, perhaps we could “stop” and seize some.

Would you prefer a longer life or a life of wonder? A bigger helping of the same, or something a bit different?

Greg Holmes lives and writes in Traverse City.