DO YOU WANT TO LIVE TO BE 120 AND SEE 20/20?

DO YOU WANT TO LIVE TO BE 120 AND SEE 20/20?

I was 14 years old when I left with my parents from the USSR, so I still remember the Soviet myths about the Kavkaz long-lifers that lived to be 150-160. If we do not take into account these great elders (a myth, just like “Soviet champagne” being the best in the world), the real world record belongs to a French woman, already deceased for 20 years, who lived to be 122, exceeding the well-known Jewish blessing.

So where do all these outstanding medical achievements disappear to that we read about every day? We could compare it to the conquest of space: although man hasn’t been on the moon in half a century, there have been far more stunning successes. And Mars isn’t that far off.

But what’s the use of going to Mars, if in 20 years we haven’t beaten this record on Earth?

There’s no doubt that we are on the cusp of a gerontological revolution, and there will soon be treatment to push back the diseases associated with aging. There are even thoughts that people will live to be hundreds of years old, although it’s true that it won’t happen right away.

There are now venture capitalists who have invested hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions, into studying the aging process. No one in the world wants to end their days on Earth with Alzheimer’s, or a bunch of other age-related diseases.

They not only want to live longer, but also have a healthy life. Not all scientists trust this, though, and argue that dying “on schedule” is one of the great inventions of evolution. Otherwise, how will the current generation give way to future ones? Nevertheless, the largest number of “believers” are concentrated in Silicon Valley. One of the companies founded by Google, is one of the rare cases where the word “life” is not followed by the word “insurance”. It isn’t known what kind of research the company does, and they say it doesn’t even have a sign on the building. I don’t get this, though – even if they put a sign on their door, they won’t get a crowd of poor people wishing to live longer, unless it’s for a Hollywood movie.

What are the arguments that supporters of 120+ years are using? It is already possible to increase the lifespan of simple organism by up to 5 times – some fungi, fruit flies, and worms. But the more complex the creature, the more difficult it is to do, and there is hardly anything more difficult than creatures like you and me.

Has there been any progress with things more solid and multicellular than flies? Yes. Experimental mice have increased life expectancy by 20-30%. Achievements like this are always objected to by skeptics, though – man does not come from white mice.

Others put forward another argument: all these promises to live hundreds of years only distract us from more pressing issues. After all, not everyone on the planet even makes it to 60 years.

So what do we do? Wait? The fact is that you, without any help from sign-less companies, can make your own life healthier and prolonged. How exactly? Everyone knows the answer, and it can be summed up in two words: physical exercise. Almost all long-lifers, even including the Okinawans, have one thing in common – an active way of life.

It could be dancing, yoga, swimming, daily walks, or hiking. There are a lot of options and they’re all completely free.

But if you want to see the beauty of the world (even perfectly), then you have us. Our signs are not hidden, and the walls of the Laser Center are mostly glass. No secrets here!

Arthur Benjamin