Talkback 85 June
2007
Talkback is a
regular feature in laterlife.com run by
journalist and author Helen Franks.
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The Unmentionable Subject
I once worked for a magazine for the
elderly, and I was told not to mention the subjects of death
or dying. We are all going to die at some time, and we need
preparation for it.
Those with religious beliefs can gain
comfort from thoughts of going to heaven and meeting loved
ones again, but for those without that comfort, life is
preferable to death.
I would like to quote Chris Patten, ex-cabinet minister and last
British Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong. He says: “Part of
having a happy life as you get older is trying to reach a state
of mind in which you’re not frightened of dying. I don’t know
any way of doing it except by thinking about it.”
The fact that we are all living longer
is irrelevant. When do we want to die? Never! We want to
stay fit and well; we want to remain unhampered by the diseases
of old age.
Life is always preferable to death (except when you are in
intense pain or unbearably depressed).
I read somewhere that the first sentence
the Puritans taught their children was “learn to die”. But
nowadays, dying in the first weeks or months or years of life is
rare. Human lifespan has been extending for the past 200 years:
in the past 100 years, life expectancy has seen an increase of
30 years.
Many doctors are interested in extending
life; but they don’t want to do so for themselves, if it
means extending their own lives when they have Alzheimer’s or
painful diseases. They will want out.
Says Dr David Wikenheiser, Canadian
expert on ageing: “Ageing is accelerated by chemical,
electrical and emotional insults to our bodies… We’re on the
verge of a new era of optimal ageing…” He recommends flax seed,
fish oil, mango and cottage cheese, which apparently speeds
uptake of fish oils.
The word ‘insults’ strikes me as having
echoes of narcissism. And ‘optimal ageing’ sounds similar.
It is narcississistic to expect to live forever. ‘Medically
immortal’ is a phrase some scientists use. Brian Appleyard,
author of How to Live Forever or Die Trying: On the
New Immortality, comes to the conclusion that “there is no
inbuilt mechanism of ageing and dying…we gradually succomb to
various cellullar deteriorations and environmental insults”.
That word again. He concludes that, all things being equal, we
do not die. We get killed.
All I can say is that when we are over
65, we are unlikely to experience the effects of climate
change – and that must be a good thing. Mass immigration, loss
of life in floods and tsunamis.
Life must go on; but not our lifetime.
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Don`t forget to take a look at Helen`s
healthwise column
too
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