Well, if faith helps that's good. My best friend is highly religious and it seems to help her a lot. But one never knows for sure what's going to help, as far as longevity. Take my grandmother and grandfather: My grandmother was a Pentecostal and religion was probably the most important thing in her life. My grandfather was a non-believer. She developed dementia and had to be institutionalized while he stayed mentally sharp and lived to the age of 97. Off hand I'd say he lived at least 15 years longer.

A grandmother's prayers...i had a heritage like that.
I think they're very effective.

My grandmother was a good singer and liked to sing religious songs in Italian while doing housework. I think my grandfather liked it because it made him smile whenever she would start singing....:)

Gerontology, the study of aging, is a relatively new science so there might not be too much information to get excited about. Although, there have been some promising breakthroughs as I mentioned earlier. Let's give it more time; I think it's gaining momentum. ;)

That's a nice memory. It made him happy when she was happy.

In the book, "The Strange Science of Immortality" the author found some fault with Aubrey de Gray's plan to find a way to live for 1,000 years. He said a much longer life would just become incredibly boring.

If that's true, and I think it is, how does it compare with eternity? Can the human mind even comprehend what eternity must be like? Might it be too much of a good thing?

Here's something that might be of some help to grasp the concept of eternity:

If a little bird were to take a grain of sand in its
beak from the seashore and somehow manage to
fly it to the furthest quasar in the universe, and if it
returned and repeated the process until all the sand
of the oceans both from beaches and the bottoms
were gone, eternity would be just beginning.

-Anonymous, written on the wall of the
Mate' Factor Café, Ithaca Commons, NY

We are dying all the time, each moment, every night. We die to what we leave behind. Finally we die as the body gives out for one reason or another. We also live on in many ways.

I wrote this a long time ago:



Each and every moment, I die
In the twinkling of an eye
Then awakening, here and now
Never knowing, never questioning how
Eternity lives in me

Nice poem. Cells in our body are constantly dying and being born. New cells replace old cells. Every so many years we are not the same person.

When the question of why do we get old and die is on my mind, I have a couple of cookies and a cold glass of milk and take a nap.

Immortality pill marketing problems
 

Imagine the marketing problems a drug company might have in the future if they came out with an immortality pill. How would they go about getting it approved for the stated purpose? The FDA would require a never ending long term study to prove the pill effective for the stated purpose.

Would a thousand years of testing be enough? Nope! Would ten thousand years be enough? Nope! A million years? Nope!


"Immortality is a long shot, I admit; but somebody has to be first." -Bill Cosby

Why did Abel "keep the flock" when the family was vegetarian? | Creation Moments
I thought this article might be of interest to those concerned with nutrition.

Possible reasons:

1) They only used them to make clothing

2) They were cheating on their diet

3) They didn't have a nutrition textbook to guide them and they mistakenly thought that sheep and goats were vegetables. They didn't have Wikipedia.

I think I see your point but I would add something a little different. In addition to the last 2000 years, I wonder about the long period of time before the bible was written. Or maybe that was part of the point you were making.

During the many years before the bible was written, people told stories just like my grandfather did. He was a great story teller because he was born and raised in a small town in Sicily. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there was no radio, TV or newspapers in the small towns were my grandparents came from. So, for entertainment, they became great story tellers.

That's what I imagine happened long before the bible was written, although I am certainly no expert on religion. But from what little I know, I think people told stories that were passed down from generation to generation. And in most cases the stories got perfected and improved along the way. The stories were about how God created the universe, including our world. Then Adam and Eve and their children. Then the story about Noah etc.. I'm sure I left out a lot but you get my point.

Eventually, someone realized the value of all of those stories and decided to collect and document them. So now we have the bible.

LOL! Well done, and for you that is not rare.

Why do we get old and die? How long would you want to live?

I believe it has to do with a time of reckoning for our life on earth. We must account to THE ALMIGHTY for our deeds at some point or another. NOTHING-money, power, or status can change that fact. Don't worry about the cells, etc. Face REALITY & PREPARE yourself spiritually.

"Every religion on the planet, and there are so many more than you are even aware of, has the potential of absolute thriving. But when you think that you must prove that you have the only one that is right—and you use your condemnation to push against the others—your condemnation separates you from your own Connection that, before your condemnation, you were finding in your own religion."

The original question was: Why do we get old and die?

I would submit it is because we believe that is the natural progression of life on Earth. It is a group thought form held and fed by most of us on this planet, therefore, at present, it becomes our 'truth'- our reality. I would add: In our infinite diversity, we often find very creative ways to age and suffer and expire.

Hand's down, the best post you've ever written!

Those better be butter-free cookies and a cold glass of almond milk (IF you know what's good for you!) :laugh:

Just teasing you Gracie! :D

Thanks! I appreciate that. Just for being so nice I have a couple of celebrity jokes you might like.

"You know you're getting old when all the names in your black book have 'M.D.' after them." - Harrison Ford

"My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 now, and we don't know where the heck she is." -Ellen DeGeneres

"According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy." -Jerry Seinfeld

Smiling... Ok ok, yes i laughed.

A great segment you will enjoy on television.
 

Research done on people in California who are 90plus.

Here is the link,Living to 90 and beyond - CBS News

In summary, diet and vitamins didn't help people live longer, exercise, good genes and MODERATE use of alcohol did seem to be common among long livers. AND being very thin was not good,nor was being obese, but having some extra weight was BETTER than being thin as we age. WHO KNEW?

Uptown girl
 

I love your response. I am just rereading The physics of Miracles by Dr. Richard Bartlett wwho developed Matrix Energetics. His ideas are grounded in quantum physics and scalar understanding and he talks about The morphic fields that surround every aspect of life. You are talking about the morphic field that surrounds our perception/belief about life and death and I had never thought of it that way. Thanks for putting that idea into different perspective. Now the goal could be to stay open to all possibilities for healthy longevity and easy living! I think I could buy into that! Bon Appetit to all.

LW888

This was a study promoted by a commercial entity. TV can be considered an extension of the food industry. So of course it would likely be biased in favor of finding other reasons for longevity other than a healthy diet.

About being very thin: Being very thin in old age can be, and often is, a sign of some disease state. For example, people who are overweight are at higher risk for cancer. If they get cancer, guess what, they lose a lot of weight and die thin. The point is that thinness in and of itself is not necessarily the cause of death. You have to look at what caused the person to be thin.

Studies have shown that a BMI of about 18 is the most ideal for health and longevity. Under 17 can be a problem though. So, don't go too low!!!

(snipped) Okay, I'll bite. The current study (called 90+) is continuing, funded by grants from NIA and is being conducted by UC Irvine. The initial study back in the '80s was also funded by NIH, the Errol Carrol Trust Fund and Wyeth, but Wyeth was trying to find out about strokes.

Will you please cite your reference to the commercial entity that's promoting it, and exactly how they are promoting it--$? (I don't consider NIH/NIA or UCI commercial entities).

And please explain what you mean by TV being an extension of the food industry.

The commercial entity I was referring to is the television station itself because they are in the advertising business. I haven't watched TV for a long time but I seem to remember that they advertise food. And it's usually not fresh fruit and vegetables.

If it wasn't for the 60 minutes TV presentation that played up the aspect of diet not being important, I don't think that study would be memorable in the science of nutrition. Although, it may be memorable to the average TV watching person who is overweight and eats a poor diet. It lets those people off the hook so they no longer have to worry about improving their diet or losing weight. I think the study therefore does a disservice to public health.

Okay. I thought by TV you meant The Villages!

The two studies--Leisure World and the follow-up 90+ were not trying to emphasize or de-emphasize healthy diet, so the science of nutrition was not really involved. They were looking for any reasons that people lived past 90, and not necessarily diet or no diet. The studies were going on before 60 Minutes did the story.

For that matter, most studies wouldn't be memorable to the public unless they were reported on via TV or internet, or talked about in a book. Most lay people don't subscribe to medical journals and might not otherwise hear about the studies.

I often edit my posts after I post them. In this case I realized that I hadn't made a clear statement as far as being memorable. So the statement now reads: "I don't think that study would be memorable to the science of nutrition."

If the science of nutrition wasn't involved then it was de-emphasized, in my opinion.

I like the Seventh Day Adventist study better because it was less ambiguous. The people are vegetarians or vegans (so most likely they are health minded) and they have an average life expectancy of 88. That's 10 years longer than the average for other Americans.

If the people in the "90 plus" study are eating the standard American diet then they must be included in those who live 10 years less on average. So why are people getting excited about the "90 plus" diet? Is it because they see it as giving permission to eat lots of animal protein and all kinds of processed junk foods?

I saw it more as encouragement to exercise every day and try to lead a active social life more than giving permission to eat and drink what you want. I get from this that there seems to be more than one way to live longer.

Why do we get old and die?
 

We need to die to provide food for the young? LOL

In that case, I don't mind dying as long as it's for a good cause. :thumbup:

I don't think there are a lot of people getting excited about the "90 plus" diet or rushing to change their eating habits!
The 60 Minutes Segment was merely an interesting look at the lifestyles of a group of people over the age of 90.

An 80 year old man went to the doctor for a check-up and the doctor was amazed at what good shape the guy was in. The doctor asked, "To what do you attribute your good health?" The old timer said, "I'm a turkey hunter and that's why I'm in such good shape. I'm up well before daylight and out chasing turkeys up and down the mountains."

The doctor said, "Well, I'm sure that helps, but there's got to be more to it. How old was your dad when he died?"

The old timer said, "Who said my dad's dead?"

The doctor said, "You mean you're 80 years old and your dad's still alive? How old is he?"

The old timer said, "He's 100 yrs old and, in fact, he hunted turkey with me this morning, and that's why he's still alive... he's a turkey hunter."

The doctor said, "Well, that's great, but I'm sure there's more to it. How about your dad's dad? How old was he when he died?"

The old timer said, "Who said my grandpa's dead?"

The doctor said, "You mean you're 80 years old and your grandfather's still living! How old is he?"

The old timer said, "He's 118 yrs old." The doctor was getting frustrated at this point and said, "I guess he went turkey hunting with you this morning too?"

The old timer said, "No... Grandpa couldn't go this morning because he got married."

The Doctor said in amazement, "Got married!! Why would a 118-year-old guy want to get married?" The old timer said, "Who said he wanted to?"

First, THERE IS NO 90+ diet. None. It was mentioned they don't do anything out of the ordinary. They eat what most people eat.

I don't think anyone is getting excited about this segment either. I thought it was an interesting segment, showing some very alive and charming people who are over 90, in good health and very "with it". I didn't see that anyone was trying to get anyone to change, or was promoting anything. These people who are in pretty good shape were being studied, and after they die their brains will be analyzed.

We have dozens of 90 plus folks who live right here in TV and I am so grateful to know three of them personally. May they and us live long-er and prosper.

:clap2::thumbup: