Comment by samus
6 months ago
I don't get the contradiction? A healthy body will make it possible to enjoy all these things in moderation, be the company of your loved ones, and generally enjoy life for far longer. Making life just about the things that damage the body the most will have quite predictable consequences, no surprise there.
'bregma put the contradiction into words in a parallel comment:
> If you want to live forever don't do any of the things that would make it worthwhile.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44395426
I still don't get it - do people think live is about smoking, drinking, taking drugs, burning in the sun, eating unhealthy, and sitting in a chair the whole day?
No, but it's also not the opposite - spending most time doing physical labor, hitting a gym, doing sports, running or hiking, while eating only the healthy, natural food - i.e. most bland and worst tasting food available, sleeping 8+ hours a day, and staying away from most technology.
(Oh, and walking covered in sunscreen all the time - except not, because that's technology and chemicals; though surely there's some perfectly natural, organic, non-GMO ointment known from ancient times that works even better...)
That's how the other extreme looks like - but unlike the "bad habits" extreme, this one is actually what's needed to make a noticeable improvement your QALY lifespan. It's also a kind of life I wouldn't personally find rewarding - hence the question, what's the point of living longer if you have to live like this[0]?
Between this and the fact that approximately no one can afford living like that today, I say the whole idea of living longer by "just" living healthier is a lie.
--
[0] - This lifestyle is basically the Edo people[1] from the infamous Star Trek: TNG episode "Justice"[2]. Chilling out in a paradise, keeping fit bodies, and basically running around all day in between of making art and having sex with others, sure sounds like an alluring lifestyle to us (and to the protagonists on the show). Still, this episode lets the viewer ask themselves - would they rather be with the Edo, or on the Enterprise? I'd take the latter, thank you - pretty sure I'd go bored shitless after a year in that place. And while United Federation of Planets isn't an available option, even the regular life in the real world seems much more interesting and rewarding to me, if you look past the immediate appeal[3].
[1] - https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Edo
[2] - https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Justice_(episode)
[3] - See also: heaven in Christianity, which if you think more about it, is basically a place of infinite boredom - but it does look alluring to sustenance farmers of the middle ages, as it offered reprieve from the endless toil and oppressive lords.
1 reply →