The short answer is that living a long life sure beats the alternative, right?
I suppose the missing piece of this question is how do you define a long life? Is 70 years long? When I was 20 I would have said yes. Now that I’m 52? No, no, and no. What about 80 years? My father is in his 80’s and that no longer feels long enough. 90 years? Maybe. 100 years? Probably. 200 years? No we’re talking.
Heads up, readers, things are about to get a little dark here… You’ve been warned.
The other question here is not about length of life but quality of life. My mother made it into her 80’s before we lost her last year. She made it into her 80’s. On paper that sounds like success, but the reality was that her final few years were a nightmare of dementia and memory loss and constant physical agony. My father’s mind is still sharp as ever, but physically he’s in pain and barely able to walk. He’s also suffering from the passage of time in that his wife and all of his family that he grew up with and most of his friends are gone. Is that the quality of life you want in your later years? As stated at the start of this philosophical masterpiece, it’s better than the alternative. It’s also so sad and depressing.
Okay, that was way more sharing than I’m currently feeling comfortable with. Let’s put this post to bed now.
Inside the Red Head's Head 