Gokul Pokhrel
All human beings aspire to live longer, healthy and active as long as possible. But what is the optimum limit of longevity? There are records of persons living up to 120 years, or even beyond. But the question here is not living longer but living with full senses, working, leading an active and normal life. Is it possible? Is longevity a divine blessing or you can attain it through optimum improvement in your lifestyles such as diets, medication, physical activities, etc?
Living longer than average is dependent on several variables: some you can condition, some you cannot because you are born with a genetic blueprint that ultimately decides the quality of your life including your life span.
The Vedic scriptures mention that a person when born should expect an optimum life of 100 years {Satayu). But in reality, living longer beyond a certain age becomes a liability than reward.
A person may live longer but not necessarily be physically active. He/she may develop organ failures with the advancement of his/her age. Among the 10 vital sensory organs (Indriyas), if anyone or more than one get damaged or dysfunctional, the quality of life is impaired. The more organ disabilities developed, the more a person has to compromise with his quality of life.
To offset such a scenario, modern scientific advancements have developed many support gadgets that, partially or in full, makes a person lead an average life. But some of the impairments may devolve on a person by birth and hence irreparable.
Voluntary Termination of Life: Its Rationale
In 2018, Australian scientist Dr John Godall at 102yrs. surprised the world when he, seated on a self-driven wheelchair, boarded a flight to Switzerland just to terminate his life comfortably at a medically assisted clinic. At that time, Australia had no legal provisions allowing for self-termination at a person’s choice but now many of the States have made legal provision for termination of life at free will. Dr Godall’s decision to terminate life at his will was a big jolt to conventionalists who harp the virtues of living longer despite the agonies and helplessness caused by limb impairments, memory loss, loneliness, etc.
The Enigma
The divine theory is that a person’s birth, life and death are pre-ordained by God, which is moreover a supernatural and man-made entity. But such a divine theory does not properly explain why someone dies early while some live longer beyond 100 years. The fate/divine theory does not question nor explains the variations of longevity from person to person except for God’s wish.
Theory of Genetics
By the turn of the 20th century, scientists conducted researches on genetics. Researches made it possible for human birth through artificial insemination without requiring the union between male and females. Further researches on genetics have thrown enough light on why some lead a healthy life over 100 years and why some die earlier at various age levels, including the devolution of disease patterns.
The Genetic research has proved that many of the diseases of forefathers are devolved on the descendants in varied proportion including the probability of life span. It means, if a person’s father and mother have led a long life without any ailments, their children should expect a relatively longer period of living.
If a person’s forefathers on the fathers or mothers side had inherited chronic diseases of various types, these diseases are probably devolved on the descendants conditioning the span of their life including inheritance of the forebear’s disease. If we study the disease pattern and life cycle of a person’s father and mother’s side up to ten generations, it will help understand the health and longevity patterns of the descendants with higher accuracy.
To state it more precisely, I inherited some of the diseases which were prevalent in my predecessors. For example, my maternal grandfather died at a young age apparently because he had diabetes. My paternal grandfather suffered from asthma. In earlier times, some of the forebears had cancer and so on. So if one calculates the longevity and disease patterns of forebears back to seven generations, it gives a good picture to understand the inheritance of the disease or the genes of longevity, in varying proportions by the descendants, reflecting thereupon the life span, quality of life and disease pattern.
In a family of six descendants, some may have diabetes, some asthma and some heart disease and dementia while some may not have any of them. Life expectancy may also vary from person to person. All of them in proportion carry the genes of their ancestors and so also the variants in life expectancy.
The Role of Karma (Actions)
Human life is such a complex creation that it does not carry only the genetic prints of their ancestors but it can influence the quality of life through his/her behavioural responses. A person by birth carries the brain with unique discretional qualities than other animals, which can play a major determinant of a healthy and long life.
With the proper use of discretional power combined with the right medications and care, chances are that a person can shape his longevity by a fair margin of 40 years. It means if a person with a mixed genetic code has a normal survival of 60 years, with the help of modern medicines and proper health management, chances are he/she can have a life span of about 100 years or beyond.
The hypothesis is that persons born with defective genes and inheriting chronic diseases that could limit a person’s life span around 60 years, his/her karma enhances the chance of survival up to 40 years or more. The intervening variables are- access to medical support, diagnosis and treatment, changes in personal behavioural norms, changes in food habits and ease of lifestyle.
Conclusion
The purpose of the article is to enhance a better understanding of the delicate art of living a long life vis-à-vis many of the serious challenges posed by various life-threatening diseases persons are confronted with when they grow up.
Human beings, as distinct from other species, have a very well developed brain with the capacity to discern right from wrong, good from bad and predict about the choices that are beneficial for their healthy living for beyond 85-100 years.
But as one grows elderly past 60 years, it is equally important that with longevity, the functionality of limbs and sensory organs also should function normally as far as possible even with the help of modern support devices. If such a reasonably livable environment gets scarce due to organ failures, the same life that could be a source of joy becomes a liability and burden on oneself.
This factor weighed so heavy on developed societies that it led to the development of euthanasia (voluntary termination of life). Many governments have made legal arrangement for voluntary termination of life with clear specification of circumstances and conditions. In the Asian context, where euthanasia is not legally accepted, the states should develop elaborate seniors support systems for the care of physically handicapped seniors who are bereft of family support.
(Pokhrel is a senior journalist of Nepal contributing articles on various issues of public concern)
