Committing to Life Extension
Devon Fowler
In my experience as a human being on this planet I’ve run into quite a bit of lazy, ignorant and apathetic people. The reasons seem to vary but it comes as no surprise that a lot of people seem to lack a focus and are afraid to take a real stand on an issue. It’s easy to not take life seriously enough; after all it’s a built in defense mechanism we all have. But the problem is not just with the individual; it stems more from a collective apathetic attitude people have in general.
When I think of humanity one idea comes to mind: our priorities…they’re all out of whack. We worship celebrities, money, sports, eat unhealthy fast food and we “enjoy” simple pointless things that keep us distracted from the really important issues; issues such as quality of one’s life and living a long full life. To me these problems/issues are more important than what the score of the game was last night or who looked best on the red carpet. In my eyes life extension is worth fighting for.
Working hard for a cause can be difficult especially if it doesn’t come to fruition right away. But I would argue that life is such a gift in itself that I really think it’s worth passionately fighting for, even when the odds are stacked against us. I want to live as long as I possibly can, but if I die from some accident or a disease it doesn’t mean working for life extension was pointless. That’s why I’m making a commitment to stay as passionate and pro-active as I can about longevity no matter what the end result may be for me personally.
I may not be a scientist but through writing I hope to reach people who feel as passionately as I do about this mission. It would make me happy if I lived to 150 years or even longer but if I don’t, I pledge not to become apathetic in the process. There’s not enough time in life right now, to be a quitter and to become despondent. Humanity has spent enough time being lazy, and destructive when it comes to taking care of ourselves, the most important thing there is one might argue. In fact humanity has taught us that death seems to be preferable to life…especially throughout history with all the wars we’ve wasted wonderful people in, people that should have lived to see today. It's as if a deathist attitude is still the norm, must be some primal instinct we have in us. But I know we also have a strong instinct to want to live as well.
Don’t look at life extension as just a “cool” thing to do as a hobby; instead look at it as a necessity, and the more I learn about it the more I feel this way. This is the goal…and this is what we are going to do about it, should be the way we think about it. I’m not going to let this flash by me as just another “interesting” thing to distract myself by. Life extension encompasses everything we do as individuals. So if you’re feeling lazy and apathetic, snap out of it and do something to continue to support this cause. Mail some letters, write a post, make donations and try to influence your friends in the most blunt way possible so there can be no question how important this should be taken.
I’m sick of the distractions…I want to look at this problem head on and say something like, “hey, there are too many people dying in this country, let alone the world. I’m angry at the fact that people who should be alive today aren’t... This is an ongoing tragedy and it deeply angers and saddens me." If anything I think the longer people live the better quality of life there will be. If people started living longer and had fewer children, overpopulation would go down not up. A country full of experienced and really intelligent elder statesmen who have lived full lives is preferable in my eyes, to the talent that is currently going to waste because of the shortness of life. This is an outrage.
People shouldn’t have to devote a whole quarter of their lives to learning a skill just to have it go to waste when they die! Wouldn’t you rather have a doctor who has had a load of experience behind him or her helping you out rather than someone just out of medical school? I’m sick of the turnovers, and I’m furious at the apathy…whoops another one gone, too bad!
Get angry…life is your right…let’s stop wasting money on coffins and tombstones and put that money where it should be in hospitals, research for longevity, and institutions of higher learning, especially in departments for genetics. Talk to your friends about this issue. Let’s get it out there into the collective conciousness of humanity.
Edited by dfowler, 02 October 2003 - 02:42 PM.
