Can aging be cured?

 

 Can aging be cured?

We live in an older community where white hair is more common than any other color. I see it as a blessing but being older is not popular in our culture. The “market” likes young people who produce, use, and throw away to do it all over again. It grows the economy, we say.

I was four years old and my parents took me to visit a family of Kurdish people. They were a prominent family in the mountain village because they had the oldest person. He was old and wrinkled and folks came with their horses and carts to seek his advice. In their culture, they respected old people for their knowledge and wisdom. I sat on his lap, noticing his bony knees and he shared wisdom with me. Pointing at his wrinkled face he said, Avner, if you don’t want to look like this, stay away from that, pointing at a jar. What is it I asked? Opium, he said. I need it for my pain. I was injured at the war and started using it, but found out that I couldn’t stop. It’s best not to start something that you can’t stop. Now I am as old as he was and I still remember. I look at Putin on TV and see that the words were true.

Years later, now in Canada, I was using an outdoor bathroom on a Native reserve. On the walls, there was a lot of writing. One “message,” said “Indians have so many kids to get more welfare.” Under it, another said, “white people don’t take care of their elders. They put them in jails called care homes and visit them once a year. We look after our grandparents.” Another with an arrow said, “white people just take things and never say thank you and cheat on paying.” Another “Whites don’t respect their mothers and wish they died.” Oh God, I thought, probably some of us do.

Years later, just a little while ago, a pandemic hit the world and a lot of media reporting came from Ontario. Seniors were dying of starvation in understaffed care homes, some in their own filth. The army was called in and verified that it wasn’t fake news. Regulations protecting seniors were removed and there were no inspections. It was a horror show in real life. It reminded me of the writings on the walls of the outhouse. The Indigenous people placed check stops on roads to protect their vulnerable populations and were first to get vaccinated.

Now some scientists are taking a fresh approach to aging. We realize that the human body is built for self-repair and that life fights to stay alive. Much of “old age” is simply humans choosing a lifestyle that brings us closer to death. Piled on body weight, slowing down on physical activity, and playing cards instead of physical activity, all send us closer to the grave.

Medical science improved tremendously in my lifetime, adding years to life. Vaccines, medical implants, and modern medications keep us alive longer, but our minds kill us. The added years are not enjoyable. God knows what’s in our hearts and accommodates.

People set up the limits for life, and the body obeys. Birth to school, six years, graduation in 12 years, working to 65, retirement for about ten years, and then care leading to death at about 80 if there is no pandemic. I remember working after my retirement age and people were waiting for me to clear the way for a few promotions. Now some people are waiting for me to sell my home. There is always pressure to move to the next stage and then the government tries to save money on senior care.

My generation took humanity from the horse and buggy age to what you see today. I refuse to go through the steps. I do what my health allows and try my best to be useful in whatever way I can. I can’t play professional sports, so I write and contribute to the discussion of how we wish to be governed. Spirituality is very important to me as well. There is much more to life than what the eyes can see. I think God keeps us alive as long as we can stay happy with our lives. We can stay happy if we live modestly and enjoy a simple life. Overindulging or wanting too much is the road to the end. Wanting life, making no effort, is the same. A human must have a way to contribute. Some are looking for more ways to entertain themselves, but life is not meant for enjoyment on credit.

The old mountain man in my youth lived on opium and shared wisdom. People drove over from other towns to hear his wisdom, which provided value to them. He ate very little and had never been to another country or on a cruise. He lived to be over a hundred years old. I met others like him.

Now we are witnessing the loss of many elders, who are victims of following the expected steps in life. God often gives us what we expect. (Not what we say we expect.) My feeling is that we must maintain faith in something greater than ourselves and know that it gives but also takes.

We will find ways to beat the disease called old age, the selfish people who are destroying the world for personal gain, and viruses spread because of malicious fake news. Humankind will be changed when humans will become concerned with the well-being of each other. All will be freed.

If you can, check the video “Island where people live longer than anyone on Earth.” You will not be sorry.