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So you really want to live forever? Immortality is something humanity has chased through history—without much success so far.
Several feelings push that desire. First is fear of the unknown: we do not truly know what, if anything, follows death, and religion does not always dissolve that fear. Second is egoism—the sense that we are too valuable to this world simply to vanish. Finally there is curiosity about the future: we want to inhabit the world we have only seen in science fiction.
Humans have not solved the equation of immortality. Across centuries, scientists hunted a formula for eternal life and failed. Even so, there is a real chance that our generation will be the first able to stretch lifespan toward something that looks open-ended.
In the year 2000, at the turn of the century, I was a young teenager asking myself those questions. Against strong counter-arguments, I believed I would not die of old age. The way science is advancing now makes me think that teenage instinct may have been right.
According to the site futuretimeline.net, we may reach a point where ageing can be stopped around 2065. Taking Spain’s average life expectancy around 2018 at about 82 years, that horizon still leaves room—if health holds—to be alive when those tools arrive, and to bet on much longer life.
The practical challenge, then, is to arrive at 2065 in good shape. That means a healthy lifestyle and fewer unnecessary risks, including:
- Following a Mediterranean-style diet
- Exercise that builds muscle and cardiovascular fitness
- Avoiding toxic products and toxic environments
- Regular health checks
- Building enough wealth to afford advanced treatment if and when it becomes available in 2065
Live well, in other words, and the odds of an indefinitely longer life improve—if the science delivers.
Hard political and ethical questions follow. Can the planet sustain a population that only grows and rarely dies of age? How will people with lower incomes react when wealthier neighbours stop ageing while they cannot pay for treatment? What should governments do, and how will pension funds and public pension systems adapt?
I still think it is inevitable that humans will learn how to live far longer—perhaps indefinitely. The effort poured into longevity research, plus the tools we now have, points toward eventual success.
So do not waste the interval. Find a gym, build a sensible low-carb or Mediterranean-leaning diet, and think seriously about how you will be able to pay for care in 2065. And enjoy the life you already have.
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