30 Years old Today (July 26th, 2006)
By Michael F Dickey

I've hit one of the big milestones in aging as I am turning 30 today. I have lived 10,950 days and 262,800 hours. I have probably spent 100,000 of those hours sleeping, and another 100,000 working. Leaving a mere 60,000 hours to spend time with my family and friends, and to do the things I enjoy, which amounts to only about 2,000 days. As I experience each new day I am ever more grateful to be alive and continue to find more and more joy in living. As it is I have so many interests today, in philosophy, in science, mechanics, physics, ethics, music, film (I could go on) That often I cant decide which interest I want to pursue and feel bad at having to ignore other interests because there just isnt enough time. How a person can ever be bored from lack of interest in times like these is hard for me to wrap my head around. I want more and more time.

As I reflect on where I am in life today I think things are going well. Most of my primary goals have been achieved, I have my health and well being and that of my loved ones in a good place. I have a house for my parents and one for myself, and I am currently working very hard toward my long term goals. Though I thought I would be farther along in them, I am still making progress, which is always good. Though I lack a particular special and unique person to share my life with, I do not feel a hole or gap because of it, only a regret that things are not as joyous as they could be when shared intimately with someone. As I keep an eye out for a woman who truly inspires and enchants me, who would be as captivated by me as I am them, I continually develop a deeper sense of my own self, coming to know very well both what I value in myself and in other people. I wont be in a relationship for convenience or to keep from being bored or lonely, and I feel one should conquer both boredom and loneliness as an individual before seeking to find exemplary joy that can come from a fulfilling relationship with another person. That fulfilling relationship can only come from where two passionate individuals interests and desires mutually meet, and any relationship based on that is the most wonderful kind of relationship possible.

Today the current life expectancy is 75.2 years for men and 80 years for woman. Of course these are only averages, so many people will live longer, but many will die before that age.

According to this life expectancy calculator - http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/calcs/n_expect/main.asp I will live to be 81 years old. Though my fathers side of the family has a light history of heart disease, the fact that I do not drink or smoke and have good driving habits factor in to raise that number. However I also ride motorcycles, albeit responsibly, but that wasnt in the survey. If I lowered my weight and got in better shape a more significant difference could be made, but of course I dont have enough time to devote fully to it! Optimal health would come from 3 4 days of an hour long cardiovascular workout, plus the time to and from the gym, it adds up quickly!

80 years is a good life to look forward to compared to the lives most people on this planet lived, but it is a mere sliver on the time scales of the planet. I would love to live much much longer. These life span estimates are only rough guesses, and future technology could radically alter life expectancy. Futurist, inventor, and author Ray Kurzweil, who I am an admirer of, suggests that within the next 20 years, biomedical technology and nanotechnology could reverse the effects of aging and give us the ability to live indefinite life spans. Consider that every cell in your body is replaced about every nine years, and if your own stem cells had their genetic flaws corrected you could continually replenish the cells in your body with healthy young ones. In the course of nine years you could potentially take a body of any age and revert it back to a body that is physiologically 25 (usually considered to be the height of our physical potential) If it doesnt happen in 20 years, maybe it will in 40 or 60. Ill do what I can to be around for it.

As a person who loves life, and seems to love living it more every day, the idea that an indefinite life span could ever be boring is beyond me. The earth is full of natural wonders and mysteries. The mysteries surrounding human evolution, plate tectonics, geology, ancient cultures and civilizations that rose, flourished, and disappeared, could keep one busy for lifetimes. There is still so much we dont know. Human art and culture is always changing and growing, and the progress science enables is sometimes mind boggling, and no doubt will be more so in the future. There is no shortage of decent movies, music, and art and literature which will nourish your life. I would love to travel the world, and beyond. I would love to see the moon, to walk on it and explore it. Mars even more so. To explore the gaseous giant outer planets, or the billions of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. To travel to Alpha Centauri! To explore the galaxy in large self contained space stations (www.lifeboat.com which I am helping to design) With 400 billion star systems in this galaxy alone, and hundreds of billions of galaxies, I think I could stay occupied for a great long time.

A lot of people scoff at the idea of immortality, usually citing population problems. But if we could truly live indefinite life spans, birth rates would drastically plummet, as you could wait ten years or a thousand years before having a child. We will have no shortage of supplies or room to spread, with all the planets, asteroids, and star systems nearby, every human being could eventually leave the earth and turn it into a place of reverence and worship, as the origin of humanity and of the only known intelligent life yet in the galaxy, and spread out among the stars. Indeed we must, or humanity will cease to exist.

Even with biological immortality, we would still have to worry about accidents and diseases, though nanotechnology should help us route out diseases. I think in those days common clothing would become more like high tech suits of armor, as comfortable and as flexible as our clothing today, but the equivalent of bullet proof and injury proof. Some estimates suggests that life spans will be around three or four thousand years based on current accident rates, and maximum life spans could be up to 100,000 years. With such protective suits, life spans could further double or quadruple. Of course no one can really imagine what life will be like a thousand years from now, or even 100 years, but that makes the future all that more exciting.

So instead of being morose at the idea of inching closer to death, I am profoundly glad to have walked this earth for 30 years and been able to enjoy the splendors of the world and those created by people. I am glad to being that much closer to that unknown futuristic world full of new wonders and pleasures, and I am glad to be alive.

Last updated - 05-Nov-2006

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