Longevity
The oldest man I’ve personally known lived to one hundred five years. During his lifetime he had met Thomas Edison, he served in World War I and retired longer than he worked. He lived in three centuries, 1800’s, 1900’s and 2000’s. When he was asked his secret to longevity, he replied, “I hate to tell you, but there is no secret”. However, there were certain things disclosed at his funeral which voided his “no secret” explanation. There actually are a few secrets to longevity. I’m certainly not old enough to have lived all of these secrets. Nor am I disciplined enough to follow them. Nevertheless, most of us would like to think that we might have at least some control over our lifespan by how we act.
First, my friend avoided sweets. If dessert was offered, he’d politely decline, saying, “I never touch the stuff”. He managed to be moderate in many aspects of his life. He didn’t smoke. He didn’t overdo food, alcohol, fat, sugar or salt. He retained interest in other people, always seeming to find the time to inquire about them. He kept informed about current events. He rarely complained. He was complimentary about good things that happened to others or to himself. He didn’t sweat much over things about which he had no control. Walking was pretty much the extent of his exercise. No pushups, running or super-strenuous workouts…just normal everyday activity. He avoided doctors for as long as possible.
A nonagenarian, my Aunt Ruby lived to ninety-nine. She was my grandfather’s sister. She had no desire to reach the “goal” of one hundred even if her family might have wanted her to have a centennial birthday. Nevertheless, she too had a keen interest in other people. Even though she was blind toward the end of her life, she would take the time to identify who was in the room with her and ask what was going on in their lives. As was the case with my centenarian friend, she kept informed about current events and had an active mind right up until her body gave out and she died.
Just a few days ago I had the good fortune to interact with another special nonagenarian. He is a medical doctor nearing the century mark who still sees patients. He is a fine gentleman, scholar and musician. As much as anyone I have ever known, except perhaps my father, he is, and always has been, engaged in living. Even now as he nears his hundredth birthday he studies the medical journals and keeps current in his specialty. Last summer, I had the good fortune to privately ask him about his field. He was able with a strong voice and clear head to describe the latest medical developments in a nearly half-hour soliloquy. Recently he was honored at a special event and he shared some of his secrets with the group. I’d like to paraphrase some of the high points of his exposition, which was delivered with a certain humor in the form of a top ten list. Hidden in the humor was some truth.
1. First of all, he said you must choose your parents wisely. Genetics plays an important part of your success in reaching a ripe age.
2. Exercise is over-rated. No heavy-duty gym workouts. Walk if you must. (He just had his driver’s license renewed. The next renewal is scheduled for when he is 105 years old.)
3. Marry well. Choice of a spouse is critical in being happy which in turn leads to wanting to get up in the morning. Good and frequent sex with your spouse is an important aspect of life.
4. Choose your profession carefully. Like what you do. If you don’t like it, don’t do it.
5. Retirement is a lousy plan. If you like what you do, why would you ever want to quit?
6. Keep current. Know what is going on around you in the world. Stay engaged.
7. Have purpose in life. Plan to make a difference by doing, not just watching.
8. Don’t worry too much about what you eat. Just don’t eat or drink too much.
9. Smoking shortens life for sure. If you want to live a long time, don’t do it. If you are already smoking, quit.
10. Don’t fall. This is a leading cause of death among older folks.
Another friend of mine made it to 99. When he was 97 he got his driver’s license renewal. He celebrated by buying a new car. Well, not just any new car…a pink Mercedes convertible! Several weeks later, he was at a wine-tasting event. Now he never was one to drink much, but an acquaintance sitting across from him noticed that he had had more than his usual share of wine. So the question was politely asked, “How are your getting home tonight?” The answer came back, “Oh, I’m going to drive.” “Hmm,” the inquiry continued, “that’s over thirty miles in the dark. Do you think that’s a good idea with all you’ve had to drink? What if you get stopped by the police and they ask you to walk the line?” Back came his retort, “That’s okay. I’ll ask them to get my walker out of the trunk for me!”
It seems from reports around the world that 115 years is about the longevity limit for human beings. Of course, we celebrate and are both amazed by and curious about the rare exceptions to longevity averages. In America, even though we talk about long life being possible, the actuarial tables still hover around 77 years as life expectancy at birth. An interesting thing happens when you reach maturity, however. Life expectancy, which is an average (and no individual is average), gets longer as you live longer. So if you reach 77, you might have ten years left on average. If you live to ninety, you still have seven or so actuarial years. At one hundred, the vast majority of folks don’t have even one more year left to live more, but there are some of course who will beat those odds and live another two, three, or even fifteen years in rare cases.
When I started in the insurance business, the life insurance illustrations stopped at 95. Now projections out to 110 are made, even though it is expected that few will actually reach that age. Such tables play into our optimism more than the reality for most people. Optimism by itself does not guarantee a long life. Today I attended the funeral of a person who was as optimistic as could be and yet succumbed in her sixties. Sometimes the cards we are dealt cannot overcome the desire to live a full productive life. In such cases, we say that life is cut short. Indeed if you don’t live to 115, you might say your life is not as long as it could be. So what should you do if you want to live a long life? Enjoy. Engage. Stay active in what you love to do. And beat the average odds with a bit of luck.
©Frank Bliss 2010 All rights reserved
April, 2010
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