Amy at Texas Faith: Would you want to live to 120 years old?
TEXAS FAITH:
Would you want to live to 120 years old?
question by:Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist
Would you want to live forever?
Okay, maybe not forever. But what do you think about what’s called “radical life extension?”
The Pew Research Religion and Public Life Project recently polled Americans about how they feel about efforts to keep people living well past 100. Not so surprisingly, the answers broke down into different categories when the researchers looked at this question by religious group.
For example, more than 50 percent of white evangelicals, white mainline Protestants and white Catholics thought “radical life extension” was a bad thing. But more than 50 percent of black Protestants thought it was a good thing. And 49 percent of those who believe in an after-life also thought this was good.
To me, that latter finding was the most interesting part of the survey. More people who believe in an after-life liked the concept than those who don’t believe in an after-life. (Fifty-eight percent of the latter thought extending life up to 120 years or so is not a good thing.)
So, what do you think of “radical life extension?”
Are we “cheating death” as the title of an Atlantic piece suggests? Or are we merely availing ourselves of all the advancements in science and medical technology?
AMY MARTIN, Director Emeritus of Earth Rhythms and Writer/editor Moonlady News Newsletter
Before we go extending life, let’s focus first on cherishing the one we have. What is the use of extending life when our culture is so eager to snuff it out? Television and films display weapons like emblems, the blood of murder flows like water. Even superhero movies have scenes where tens of thousands die in seconds. Our military budget, which equals those of the next dozen countries combined, is slated not for defense, but wars of aggression. Besides, what’s the use of life extension when we’re rapidly trashing the planet upon which our lives depend?
