What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
My first thought on reading this question was that living a long life is not up to me.
My second thought? What life span qualifies as a very long life? It depends on who you ask. If you asked someone in their 80’s or 90’s, they might say 100. If you asked a child, they might say that I’ve lived a very long life and I’m only 60! 😉
The average life expectancy in the United States is 76. I can look at my parents and grandparents to estimate my own life expectancy, but it would still be just a guess. Statistics say that a woman my age has a remaining life expectancy of 23-25 years. I expected my mother to live longer than she did; she passed at 76.
I will say that people in their 80’s seem much younger to me than they did when I was a kid. An 80 year old leads my Bible study group. Another 80 year old is the treasurer of my running club. But people in their 90’s still seem very old to me.
My final thoughts are that living a very long life is a good thing if the quality of your life is good. Living a very long life is a wonderful thing if you bless other people with your wisdom and kindness. Whatever number of years I have left, that’s the kind of life I want to live
Innermost Being 