[Villages PL]

How long should life be in order to consider it long enough? And, if it is too short, shouldn't we try to lengthen it? Why practice the behaviors that will shorten it if it's already too short? And how short is short?

Do teenagers think life is too short? At what age do people start thinking that life is too short? And if you live to 100 can you still complain that life is too short? Is there an upper age limit at which one should stop complaining?

How can someone know that life is too short if it hasn't ended yet?

Share your perspective.

[pooh]

To someone suffering from an incurable disease, life is too short. For a parent who has endured the horrific pain of losing a child, life is too short.

Whether life seems too short or terribly long is a matter of perspective. Human nature opts for survival....at least most of the time, however we all view "risks" differently.

[OurHappyHome]

But one thing I notice, it goes fast.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by pooh

To someone suffering from an incurable disease, life is too short. For a parent who has endured the horrific pain of losing a child, life is too short.

Whether life seems too short or terribly long is a matter of perspective. Human nature opts for survival....at least most of the time, however we all view "risks" differently.

So how about your perspective?

[pooh]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

So how about your perspective?

Actually, I don't often think about time passing....it just does, no matter what. Every once and a while, I look around, notice that my son is now in his 40's, my grand babies are far from being babies and I don't recognize my age. I remember my mother once telling me that even though she was in her 80's, in her mind, she was much younger. Dad was the same way....maybe it's a gene thing for me..... We can worry about the past, the present and the future....the past is done, nothing will change it, we just have to learn from it. We must live in the present...it's where we are each day. The future will arrive, whether we worry about it or not. It will arrive, good or bad...hopefully what we've done in the past, what we are doing in the present, will help make our future a good one. We make our future, though what is considered good, varies from one individual to another. Guess I don't really think about life being too long or too short, it's more like, it just is.

[Down Sized]

You realize life is short when all your family members has died. The oldest one living to age 62 and siblings going at 58. That will wake you up.
What I did was retired 7 years early, changed my life style, and lost about 70 pounds. Now at 63 I do one day at a time see where it goes.

[lightworker888]

I'm with you Pooh. I appreciate the past, good, bad and ugly, and I look forward to the future by doing all that I can to enjoy the gift or the present and to make the most of it. I was once asked if I believed in reincarnation and I said that I didn't know, but I intended to live as fully as possible and I hoped that if there was reincarnation I hoped it wasn't chronological as I wasn't interested in have to do the Middle Ages.

Whether it is long or short, in my belief system it is all relative in the much larger scheme of things, like a blip on the screen, so I don't spend much time thinking about it.

LW888

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by Down Sized

You realize life is short when all your family members has died. The oldest one living to age 62 and siblings going at 58. That will wake you up.
What I did was retired 7 years early, changed my life style, and lost about 70 pounds. Now at 63 I do one day at a time see where it goes.

Good for you! May you set new family records for longevity.

Most of my relatives have lived to the mid 80's (with one to 102) but then my younger 1st cousin dropped dead from a heart attack last year at age 61. Then there is one set of grandparents who died at ages 26 and 43 of natural causes, so one wonders. Just spend the remaining time living as good as possible. Isn't that what TV is all about?

[2BNTV]

Life is too short to be too little.

I agree it feels shorter when your immediate family has passed on, (only one brother left and he had a heart attack two years ago).

As long as I have quality of life, I don't care what my age is. People who don't have their health might feel life is too long. Aunt 96 has health issues and feels life it too long for her.She has no quality of life.

I subscribe to the adage, "use it or lose it".

[asianthree]

if my mind and health fail then life is too long

[CMANN]

I have had a good life. It has been a long life, 70+ years. I have done most of what I wanted to do. There are some things that I would like to do in this lifetime that are unrealistic for me to believe that I will be able to do. Had I started some of my ventures earlier perhaps I would have gotten more out of them. Generally I'm very happy with this life and if it ends tomorrow I will be sad to go but I will not be disappointed. I am ready.

However my complacency over the end-of-life is not without reason. I know that life is eternal. I believe that I knew how the system works. You may or may not agree with me but I know that life is eternal. Perhaps will not be exactly the same as it has been on this plane. It will be a new experience.

So, is life too short, too long? I think it's too short but not so short that I would bitch about it.

Much depends upon your health. I so far have been lucky.

Just the ramblings of an old man.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by pooh

Actually, I don't often think about time passing....it just does, no matter what. Every once and a while, I look around, notice that my son is now in his 40's, my grand babies are far from being babies and I don't recognize my age. I remember my mother once telling me that even though she was in her 80's, in her mind, she was much younger. Dad was the same way....maybe it's a gene thing for me..... We can worry about the past, the present and the future....the past is done, nothing will change it, we just have to learn from it. We must live in the present...it's where we are each day. The future will arrive, whether we worry about it or not. It will arrive, good or bad...hopefully what we've done in the past, what we are doing in the present, will help make our future a good one. We make our future, though what is considered good, varies from one individual to another. Guess I don't really think about life being too long or too short, it's more like, it just is.

EXCELLENT POST AND OBSERVATIONS.....ditto for your first post.

My husband and I often say "where did the past twenty years" or "where did the past thirty years" go.

When we were children, summer vacation seemed to go on forever.
A single day lasted forever........in our minds anyway.....playing outside with our friends.

Now that we are married "pushing" 50 years and like you Pooh, our son is 41 and our daughter is 44...........the grandchildren growing up and more new ones on the way..........it seems that LIFE HAS FLOWN BY.

I wouldn't exactly say we are worried about how "short" it is.......
But we do comment to each other very often on how FAST IT HAS GONE BY. All our parents and elders are now deceased and we tease each other that we are now "them".

My mom always said that "Life seems to pass by more quickly the older I get". I now know exactly what she meant. The months fly by and it's the holiday season again.

She also would say things like, "I worried about things that never happened".

I think we should all do the same........in other words, stop worrying about how long you will live and just enjoy life with your partner, your children and your grandchildren......family, friends and neighbors..........and strangers alike.

Our younger friends always have told us that we are "young at heart" and to us that is more important than worrying about how long or short our own personal life will be.

I do agree that mentally we both feel YOUNGER than our chronological age.

[Yorio]

My brother passed away when he was 58. His life was too short. Anyone passing away between 60 to 70 might be considered short by current standard. For those with medical condition such as myself, any life after 70 should be considered a bonus. I retired at 60 to enjoy life besides work and I am glad I was able to do this as it was another enjoyable different life style. I am on a 5 year plan and next year, I'll be 75. If or when I pass that threshold, I'll plan my life from 75 to 80. Having to buy a cemetery plot is one. To move permanently to TV is another. My only desire to live longer is to see my grandkids grow. I am satisfied with life I led both the ups and the downs. I would consider 85 to 90 too long though my father was quite active until his passing just short of 90. I am hoping I'll have a smile on my face whenever the time comes. As I said, after 70 was a bonus years for me.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by CMANN

However my complacency over the end-of-life is not without reason. I know that life is eternal. I believe that I knew how the system works. You may or may not agree with me but I know that life is eternal. Perhaps will not be exactly the same as it has been on this plane. It will be a new experience.

It seems that yesterday I was 25! Time seems to be going by faster every year.

I don't fear the end of this life experience as I once did. I truly believe that when our "human suits" turn to dust, our spirit lives on. Our loved ones are in another dimension, and we will be reunited with them. Because of my beliefs, while I will regret leaving this planet, I look forward to new experiences. I don't think this thread is intended to be a discussion of spiritual beliefs, so I'll leave it at that.

[2BNTV]

My uncle who is 99 and still has one sister at 101. Some of his family members passed at 104, 102 and 99.

I asked him what happened to his other six siblings, He replied, "they all died young, they were in their seventies". His perspective was 70's was too young.

My mom who passed in her nineties considered a seventy something person to be "just a kid".

My perspective is "it's all about quality of life".

I've seen several family members who don't have quality of life and they wake up in the morning with nothing to look forward to as they are too sick.

IMHO