| by Dr. Jeffrey Lant Fact: one in 6,000 people lives to be at least 100. Who are these people? A new study by a team of scientists headed by Dr. Thomas Perls, director, New England Centenarian Study at Boston Medical Center offers new insights which are worth noting. Using cutting-edge genomics techniques on a group of 1,055 people born at the turn of the last century, researchers have identified a genetic signature for longevity. In other words, they have a good grasp of who will live a long time...and who won't. However, for those of you who want to drop into the local pharmacy and take a quick test for how long you've got, the scientists are most cautious: the subject, they say, is "bewilderingly complex"; (in the way of clever scientists seeking further grants) much more study is needed before practical results can be drawn and the insurance companies step in with new policies. Translation: don't expect practical benefits any time soon. So... I'll Help Science Out Science may be cautious... but I'm not. I'll share a few observations that make it clear who is getting elderly and who isn't. Here's the real question: why are some people clearly "elderly" at 40... while others are look like they bathe in the Fountain of Youth, chipper and "with it" at 97? The key is attitude and the way you approach the business of living. Backward looking? Makes you older! The elderly of years and attitude look back. They are denizens of what has gone before. They cannot think of the future... because they are immersed in the past, the past (they insist) that is always better than the present and which of necessity puts the (alarming) future to shame. Have you lost your capacity for wonder, joy, excitement? Young-minded folks have not. We (for I include myself in this ebullient band) remain capable of awe and delight. We do not think everything of note has been... we are confirmed in our belief that "the best is yet to be." You spend your time griping, groaning, grumping. Listen to the elderly of any age. Life is just a bowl of cherry -- pits, the cherries themselves being long gone. The elderly of mind and body cannot let an opportunity go by without a complaint. Job of the Bible seems a wild- eyes optimist compared to these folks. It is painful, so very painful, to sit and listen for you already know the refrain: everything is bad, everyone is bad, and on and on. To the elderly there is only one subject: health, or rather the lack of it Sit around with anyone of an elderly disposition for any length of time with a pencil and paper. Write down the subjects discussed: 100% of them will focus on health. What's bad now is sure to be worse tomorrow. What little hope there may be is sure soon to be gone. It's all withered roses and despair. WHOA! That's not how the youthful-minded see things. For them the glass is definitely half full, even if there are aches and pains in places never known before. Such people have health sufficient for growth, learning, and new vistas. Dwindling health is not the first order of business. Vibrant living is. The capacity for earthly love endures The elderly are waiting for God and eternity. The young-at-heart (be they 103 or more) have more constructive ways to use their time: meaningful work and comforting love. The elderly retire, moan, and carp at their mates. Those who are youthful of mind and outlook, continue to work, not just for financial necessity but because they wish to grow and serve. They can still adore, admire, cherish and be glad for it. The youthful of outlook, remain open to life and sharing... no matter what the calendar says. Which Camp Are You In? Let's be very clear: to get old in years does not necessarily mean getting old in mind. The goal is to be rich in years but not elderly in outlook. Instead make it a point today, this very day, to "face the music and dance." Add something new to your repertoire, eschew something that retards you. You see, right up to and including your last day on Spaceship Earth, you retain the power of choice. That ensures you need never be "elderly", no matter how old you become! |
