How do people measure that something can ‘increase a lifespan’?
What makes it so people expect that they will live to be a certain age? Why do people say ‘she died too young’? or ‘it wasn’t his time’ if somebody dies while they are young? Lots of people die while they are young.
Their life ended. It was over. It finished.
Did this death cut their life short, somehow?
I don’t think so. I think their death came at the exact time it meant to. Their life did end. It wasn’t interrupted.
So why do they say, “such and such will increase your lifespan” or, “if you do this, you will live longer.”
Well, you won’t. You will die exactly when you were expected to. You might be hit by a ship one day as you kayak the sea on a spontaneous whim. Or you might have your leg chewed off by a crocodile, and die from the infection. You might even die when you are ninety six and three days old, peacefully in your sleep.
You might die after two weeks of heart failure, your organs slowly deteriorating as each hour passes. Your daughter next to you, nodding off to the gentle labour of your slowing breaths.
You might die one day, far away from all those you love, because you didn’t spend enough time with them.
You might die when you are a child, shattering the hearts of your protectors.
How will something ‘increase your lifespan’, then?
It won’t.
You might try to live a stress-free life, to be happier, healthier, live longer, but ultimately you will die exactly when you are destined to.
And that is why they should say ‘decreases risk of disease’, rather than ‘increases lifespan’. Because that is what it does, isn’t it? It lowers the risk of you dying of a disease. That is what they really mean. Nobody wants to die from a disease, so if you eliminate disease, what do you get?
You get death from another cause.
Ocean Bream 