Live long and novel
The richest people in the world are pouring their money into companies that promise longevity. But a simple way to extend our life is to start enjoying it.
Now that we’ve hit the new year, I think it’s the perfect time to discuss death.
In a world of great inequality, death is the ultimate equalizer. No matter how rich, smart, or successful you are, we all die, eventually. But the ultra-wealthy are on a quest to live forever. You’ve probably heard of Bryan Johnson. He went viral for spending $2 million a year to extend his life by 200 years. There’s also entrepreneur Peter Diamandis who gets regular blood plasma exchange to live longer. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, have all invested millions of dollars into companies trying to slow down aging.
When you have everything in the world that money can buy, why not push the boundaries and try to cheat death? There has always been an obsession, especially amongst the rich and powerful, to live longer. Louis XIII of France, Pope Innocent VIII, and the French physician Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard all tried to reach eternal life and failed.
Extending human life is possible. We have already done it. In the past 100 years, from 1920 through 2020, advancements in science, public health, vaccines, medicine, and policies have doubled our lifespan. In the 1800s, people lived into their forties. Now, we live closer to our 80s. We have gained a second life.
And this life is long and short all at the same time. If we’re blessed to live into our 80s, 90s, or 100s, that’s a lot of years to experience. But life can also pass quickly when we’re doing the same thing, staying in the same place, keeping the same routine. As Albert Einstein said, “Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins. Monotony collapses time; novelty unfolds it. You can exercise daily, eat healthily, and live a long life while experiencing a short one.”
That’s why seeking the novel is more important than chasing the impossible. Activities like enjoying concerts, trying new restaurants, and visiting different places are exciting because we remember things that are different from our daily activities. So maybe the key to immortality isn’t adding more years to our timeline but making each day memorable by doing something different.
Of course, being in Italy, it’s hard not to want to know what ancient Romans thought about immortality. You’d think people who worshipped Gods like Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Apollo, would have a fond outlook on death since their Gods are immortal. But ancient Romans didn’t see the afterlife as Christians or Muslims do. For ancient Romans, there was no Heaven or Paradise. Rather, the afterlife was uncertain. Ancient Romans believed immortality was achieved through memory. It was important to do things that kept their memory alive in the minds of the living. They also honored the dead by living.
The billions of dollars going towards increasing longevity may help us gain a few more years. However, new research suggests we may have reached our life expectancy limit. If illness, accident, or homicide doesn’t kill us, our decaying bodies will.
But is that so bad?
Knowing everything comes to an end helps us appreciate the present more. The air is fresher, the water is sweeter, and the food tastes better when we know we won’t have it forever. A beautiful landscape is only beautiful the first few times you see it. If you see the same gorgeous skyline every day, it turns from extraordinary to ordinary.
So with this new year, I encourage you to seize the seconds by taking advantage of this second life we’ve gained. You can do this by stepping out of your normal routine. Take a new path to work once a week. Spend time with a different friend every other weekend. Go on trips. Read new books that differ from your thinking. Take up a hobby that challenges you to learn new skills. Step out of your comfort zone. Go where you haven’t gone before.
Ultimately, the memories we create help us live longer, more novel lives.
This has gotten me thinking about simple things that break routine without taking TOO much time out of a day. Might be an interesting idea for a future post...