myTopic...Part I

Death - noun
-the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.

There is only one fact of life. One day you are going to die and there is absolutely not a thing you can do about it. Death is the only thing in this world that we are certain to experience following our first gasps of air (taxes are optional). However, we are never told when that last gasp will be, and thus the cycle of uncertainty, instability, and fear begins. Collectively and personally, our physical beings are measured by increments of time. When a child is born, age is defined by days, then weeks, months, followed by years. As children, we often can’t wait to grow “old” and experience the freedoms and responsibilities of adult. As adults, we lament the naiveté of childhood. Currently, a child born in the United States today has a life expectancy of 79 years as a female, and 74 years as a male (I will save the jokes on gender differential for later).

There are many factors by which an individual may be judged in our current society. The most prevalent factors include:

Age
Artistic Ability
Athletic Ability
Family Achievement
Financial Achievements
Humanity
Intelligence
Physical Beauty
Physical Health
Professional Achievements
Sexual Prowess

To judge an individual’s talent or ability, we must define them.

For example:

To say "Bob" is 80 years old means nothing. It is only when we compare Bob’s age to the average life expectancy of other humans in terms of gender and generation, do we begin to evaluate his achievement. Other factors can contribute to our analysis…Negative factors such as drug and alcohol abuse, bad eating habits, or poor physical fitness cause us to marvel at the age achievement, while clean living, proper conditioning, and genetics tend to make us rationalize the results as more justifiable.

However, judgments ultimately boil down to one final comparison...

"Me versus You"

1. Bob is 80 years old. (Can I imagine myself at 80?)

At this point your mind creates a sliding scale (From exceptionally above average to horribly below average) for other factors you believe contribute to the life expectancy of an individual.

2. How does Bob’s genetics compare to my own?
3. How did Bob’s lifestyle at my age compare to my own (drugs, food, family, job, fitness, etc.)?
4. Any other factors you believe effects life expectancy?
5. Weigh the pros and cons of all the variables.
6. Come to a personal conclusion regarding Bob’s age and your potential age.
7. Rationalize it.

It is worth noting that rationalizing your personal conclusion is always the final step because you have no way to prove your conclusion. Probabilities may be in your favor, but as many of us have seen at the poker table, the river can suck the life out of you. And since the only 100% probability in life is that you are going to die, all other analyses have a river card.