Survival of the Fittest?

Poor Darwin, little did his know…

For how long? For how long will the fittest survive?

Does it matter? Shall we live long enough to contract the dozens of diseases which seem to be the predominantly the domain of the old?

BBC News reports that “In 2010, 1.3 million of over 65s had cancer. The figure is predicted to reach 4.1m within 30 years.” Add to it Alzheimer’s, dementia, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, angina pectoris, hypertension, strokes, various other heart diseases, and start thinking. Isn’t nature trying to tell us something?

What?

Think about it. It seems that Nature (capital N, if you will) is telling us that we are doing something wrong.

It used to be that some claimed to be World War II survivors. Then came survivals of massive earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and some other major natural disasters. Now we take a few pills and we call ourselves “cancer survivors”, “liver transplant survivors”, I heard of “car-accident survivors”. Soon we shall hear of “headache or stomach-ache survivors”. Then the name will apply to Asian flue and Syphilis.

Give me a break!

However, with the exception of fairy stories propagated by the Vatican, no one ever was declared a “life survivor”. Not one. There may be a reason for it. If the illustrious scientists extend our death throes for a few extra years, will that really make us happy? Is that what we want from what most call “life”? Our body matures, stops developing by the age somewhere between 18 and 25. After that? Well, after that for a little while we maintain our equilibrium then, first slowly, then faster and faster we advance towards death. It’s a long, often painful, process.

No matter how many trillions of dollars of our money the scientists spend trying to extend the dying process of our bodies—we shall die.

Guaranteed.

It’s not a question of if only of—when.

Isn’t it time for people to begin thinking of a “different type” of survival? Something that does not involve our slowly dilapidating, gradually incapacitating bodies; our waning memories, our shrinking sight, hearing, muscle tone…

When will people accept that they are immortal? Not their bodies, which are subject to the laws of the physical universe that the scientists are not even beginning to understand, but their real Selves. 

If you'd like to know what might lie in our future try one of my novels from the Winston's Trilogy. It is called Winston's Kingdom.