this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2024
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But do humans really need to be living longer lives?
I posit not. 120 years is a perfectly acceptable upper limit to the human lifespan. Plenty of time to achieve goals, while still making room for the next person without monopolizing too much time or space.
What we could use is a more functional life time up until that upper limit. A raising of the average lifespan to that limit, and a way to make everyone that much healthier and functional - mentally and physically - right up until the final few days. Because I see far too many older people linger on in suffering with currently-incurable ailments such as Alzheimer’s or other neurological issues that radically decrease quality of life.
But yes. Dogs do need longer lives. No way in hell is 10-16 years adequate for such fine creatures who have such boundless and unconditional love for us.
Nobody wants to die.
Death is the ultimate form of oppression, the removal of existence itself.
You can also think about this in another way:
Death is the great equalizer.
No matter how rich, corrupt, brutal, or powerful you are. You will eventually die, and your power will die with you, providing equalization for everyone else.
Imagine the dystopian hell scape we would live in if dictators, aristocrats, and the massively wealthy never died due to age-related illness over the last 200 years...
Rockefeller being alive today, and with wealth and power equaling that of the largest countries in the world. That's not a headache I'd want to live in.
It's quite an interesting dissidence. Everyone wants to live longer (in good health ), the longer people live the more wealth they can acquire, which means that long lives disproportionately favor those who are already wealthy.
I'd argue that pooping is the great equalizer. Getting equalized when you're dead isn't helpful to anybody; but everybody poops. Doesn't matter how rich or attractive you are, there are days where it's going to stinky liquid coming out that end.
Rich people have the money to spend on those frivolous tablets that (supposedly) make your shit smell like salted caramel and underpants that capture farts and spray a fresh pine scent instead.