LIFE IN ALL ITS GLORIES!

L'Chaim!

A la vida!

Para a vida!

Don bheatha!

To Life!

I just got through cleansing my soul with the music of Herr Mozart. In his early thirties, he said: "I must confess that when I lay down to sleep, I know that I may not be here in the morning."

He did live fully in the few years left to him.  He even took the time to write several operas, including my favorite: "The Marriage of Figaro," a paean to love, forgiveness and life.

(paean = expression of praise)

Would you like to live forever?

Recently, a 117-year-old lady passed.  The Social Security files showed a gentleman who lived to 120, but whose birth date was in question.  (This, of course did not cause any problems with his monthly benefits.) 

In a 2013 This Week article titled:  "The Quest for Immortality," a number of questions were listed:

How long can humans live?

Scientists think that the maximum human life span is 125 years.   Gerontologist Aubrey de Gray believes that that there is a 50-50 chance that aging may come under control by 2038.  

What is aging exactly?

Entropy or oxidation.  We may just "run down" or "rust out," take your pick.

Are there ways of avoiding this decline?

Consume less calories.  Near-starving people live longer, supposedly.

 Is there a better alternative?

Replacement of failing organs. Stem-cell usage?

How could aging be cured?

Manipulate our genes to prevent telomeres from degenerating.

So, is immortality a possibility?

Noted computer guru, author and inventor Ray Kurzweil (The Age of Spiritual Machines - 1999) says by 2045 we will merge with computers and become immortal  

Should we want to live forever?

Would you like to have thousands of 150-year-olds roaming the streets?

"Ethicist Leon Kass argues that finite life spans are necessary 'for treasuring and appreciating all that life brings.'"   (HUH?)

There is a tiny sea creature called Turritopsis dohrnii which is a form of jellyfish that grows younger and younger until it becomes a polyp, and then proceeds to cycle back to live again.

It is nicknamed "The Benjamin Button Jellyfish" after the F. Scott Fitzgerald character which ages in reverse.  Scientists are studying how the jellyfish's magic could be applied to humans.

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