Age is a belief, not a reality?

Bella said:
Some people might not look their age, but they are aging in other ways that, at first, might not be as apparent as a wrinkle-lined face. They're wracked with pain and suffering from arthritis or nerve damage. They have back pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, hand pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, etc. So, for all outward appearances, on the surface, they might look younger than their contemporaries, but in reality, they are suffering from old age.
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I forgot to mention those with the genetic disorder progeria whose bodies age about eight years for every year of life. This boy with progeria lived in my area but I never met him. He died at seventeen just before high school graduation. He had hoped to further his education at M.I.T. but died before he was able to go. So this is a case where genetics wins out over will and belief, sadly.
 

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fuzzybuddy said:
A long, active life depends on genetics, rather than "good thoughts". Aging is a process ruled by your DNA. "Good thoughts" won't stop a major heart defect from killing you when you're 51. Granted exercise, a good diet, and free from depression may increase the quality and sometimes lengthen life. But none of that matters if genetics are against you. For every long living fitness guru, there's an old geezer, who smoked 5 unfiltered Pall Mall packs a day and also drank a gallon of rot gut.
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Where I was born, there were plenty of stories about old geezers who had a "shot" of home brew every morning and lived to their 90s. Then there were stories about guys who never drank and never smoked and dropped in their 50s. Go Figure!
 
I believe that smoking nicotine destroys the breathing organs and alcohol destroys the digestive organs. I believe both cause cancer. I neither smoke nor drink. I've made it to age 88 so far and never suffered from cancer or heart disease.

At one time in the USA in the 1920's all alcoholic beverages were banned. The death rate from cancer of the digestive system plunged. In 1934 the alcohol industry successfully got alcoholic beverages legalized again and millions die from alcohol beverages again.
 
My grandfather smoked until his last few years. My mother used to roll his cigarettes for him when she was a teenager. He lived to 98 y/o. Yes, genes play a big part. But if I have his genes, I'm going to make the most of it and practice good health habits.
 
Mitch86 said:
I believe that smoking nicotine destroys the breathing organs and alcohol destroys the digestive organs. I believe both cause cancer. I neither smoke nor drink. I've made it to age 88 so far and never suffered from cancer or heart disease.

At one time in the USA in the 1920's all alcoholic beverages were banned. The death rate from cancer of the digestive system plunged. In 1934 the alcohol industry successfully got alcoholic beverages legalized again and millions die from alcohol beverages again.
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Your belief is well founded. Alcohol increases rates of gut cancer, including the pancreas and the liver. It's not good for the brain either, and tobacco smoke is very carcinogenic over time.
 
chic said:
Some is believed to be quantum physics also. When you are happy time seems to pass very quickly. When you are stressed, sick or or otherwise unhappy times drags. It is believed "by some" that people who seem to defy their age only age for the amount of time they have spent in happiness which seems like minutes because happiness seems to pass so quickly. So they have only aged minutes. Those who do look and feel their age or older, age in their unhappiness which is so much longer because unhappiness seems to last years. So they look and feel years older. It's an interesting point of view even if I don't explain it very well.
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Well, according to Einstein, the faster you go, the slower time passes. If you were traveling in a rocket about the speed of light for five years, when you returned to Earth, everyone else would have aged 36 years. So forget about all these anti-aging creams and just learn how to move fast......very fast!
 

I expect that I have long telomeres on my chromosome DNA. So yeah I'll have a few more youthful years than others but in the end eventually, we all are just dust in the wind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere

Telomere shortening is associated with aging, mortality, and aging-related diseases. Based upon comparison between individuals of different ages, telomere length is negatively associated with the number of cell divisions in germ and tumor cells. This leads to the link between age and telomere length, as one might expect, the older an individual is the more times their cells have replicated their genome and divide... Despite the resiliency of these eukaryotes, a decrease in telomerase function in humans resulted in multiple threatening complications after only a few generations. This carries implications on the importance of preserving telomeres in human health... The cloning of the catalytic component of telomerase enabled experiments to test whether the expression of telomerase at levels sufficient to prevent telomere shortening was capable of immortalizing human cells. Telomerase was demonstrated in a 1998 publication in Science to be capable of extending cell lifespan, and now is well-recognized as capable of immortalizing human somatic cells.
 
I'm afraid it's a reality. I am amazed at the sheer deterioration in energy and strength after 60. There is good reason that retirement is generally set at 65.
Most of us no matter what we do, are at greater risk of major diseases after 60 or so.
The reality is unpalatable because today's society worships youth. That is why we all marvel at those who hold on to youthfulness but it will be due to exceptional fitness regimes, strict diets and very lucky genes. Yes there are those who are so strong and able into old age but I think they are the exception.
I think it is better to accept aging, increase your self-care and adapt. We are creatures of habit, unlikely to change. So we pay for our habits and how we treat ourselves.

I don't drink much, never smoked but I am sedentary by nature. I am not now going to suddenly start jogging or going to the gym. I like my armchair and huge collection of books. I do walk my dog, do gardening and gentle pursuits.
 
Rose65 said:
I'm afraid it's a reality. I am amazed at the sheer deterioration in energy and strength after 60. There is good reason that retirement is generally set at 65.
Most of us no matter what we do, are at greater risk of major diseases after 60 or so.
The reality is unpalatable because today's society worships youth. That is why we all marvel at those who hold on to youthfulness but it will be due to exceptional fitness regimes, strict diets and very lucky genes. Yes there are those who are so strong and able into old age but I think they are the exception.
I think it is better to accept aging, increase your self-care and adapt. We are creatures of habit, unlikely to change. So we pay for our habits and how we treat ourselves.

I don't drink much, never smoked but I am sedentary by nature. I am not now going to suddenly start jogging or going to the gym. I like my armchair and huge collection of books. I do walk my dog, do gardening and gentle pursuits.
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A very sensible attitude. Something that is available to people with a lot of miles on the clock would be to think about becoming a writer. It doesn't matter whether or not our stories are published. Like flowers in the garden they begin as a seed of thought, and if we nurture the seed, it may grow into something very beautiful, and lasting.
 
Mitch86 said:
I believe that smoking nicotine destroys the breathing organs and alcohol destroys the digestive organs. I believe both cause cancer. I neither smoke nor drink. I've made it to age 88 so far and never suffered from cancer or heart disease.

At one time in the USA in the 1920's all alcoholic beverages were banned. The death rate from cancer of the digestive system plunged. In 1934 the alcohol industry successfully got alcoholic beverages legalized again and millions die from alcohol beverages again.
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You got to hand it to the government folks. They sure are smart! They sell you a bottle of booze for $25 or $30 so you can drink yourself to death. The result is that the government saves money by not having to pay your pension. After all dead people don't get a pension. The government folks may not be popular and they might not always be right but they sure worked out a good system to get rid of potential pensioners which cost them money.
 
Bella said:
Aging is a reality. How you age is rather subjective. It depends on how well you take care of yourself and your genetic predisposition. Do you exercise, eat right, watch out for too much sun exposure, have healthy sleep habits, manage stress, and have enough social interactions? In the long run, it all adds up to maintaining your health and mental well-being.
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It's good to stay active and feel young, or at least youngish at heart. And some are very good at it, but age also has an undeniable factor in reality. What we can do without denying reality is age gracefully, and that's one of my goals.
 
Time waits for no one, but medical advances have thankfully allowed preventive measures to be taken that extend the duration and quality of life. I can well remember my father coming home and mentioning over the dinner table that so-and-so at work had died of a heart attack in their 50’s. Back then, both smoking and drinking were commonplace, however, and meat and potatoes dinners were the norm. Blood pressure was not controlled, and neither of my parents ever had a colonoscopy.

So we’re living longer and possibly better these days. Your personal results may vary depending on the complex dance of your heredity and environment, coupled with life choices made over time. I only wish that western society would get over its youth orientation and the notion that getting older is vaguely shameful…
 
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Fyrefox said:
Time waits for no one, but medical advances have thankfully allowed preventive measures to be taken that extend the duration and quality of life. I can well remember my father coming home and mentioning over the dinner table that so-and-so at work had died of a heart attack in their 50’s. Back then, both smoking and drinking were commonplace, however, and meat and potatoes dinners were the norm. Blood pressure was not controlled, and neither of my parents ever had a colonoscopy.

So we’re living longer and possibly better these day. Your personal results may vary depending on the complex dance of your heredity and environment, coupled with life choices made over time. I only wish that western society would get over its youth orientation and the notion that getting older is vaguely shameful…
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I know, why are we made to feel ashamed to become physically feebler? We have masses to offer in terms of wisdom and experience.
 
Old age is the luck of the throw of the dice for many, and there is nothing a person can do about it. In respect of over fifty forums and I have been on many, mental old age seems obligatory at 55 years of age on most, I will exclude folk on here as I am not familiar with the membership, and it does not seem to have the old age clique membership mentality others have.
 

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