There have been amazing advances in medical science during
past few hundred years. These improved medicines, surgical techniques,
specialty hospital, food and nutrients, health awareness, better living conditions,
control of communicable diseases, etc have lead to substantial increases in
human life expectancy especially over the past 75 years or so.
As for me, I am living on borrowed time with everyday a
bonus. Am 63 today. I have to take 11 pills daily. Feel like medicated goo.
Probably without this medication, I would not be here today at my laptop
keyboard. During my 20s, I felt living till 50 was all that I wanted. One of
the reasons was that both my Father and Grandfather passed away @ 56. Being an
existentialist, felt 50 was long enough an existence more so since I had been
expanding my consciousness into the cosmos and stretching time to infinity with
a little help of mind-blowing herbs and natural crystals.
But with the arrival of my lovely daughter, life became busy
all in giving the best one could with our incomes in terms of food, education,
clothing and exposure to life. So by the time I had reached 50, she was 20 and
in college. Hence the topmost thought was to live till she settled herself in
life. The moment she completed her masters and started working, I gave up my
job in 2005 which was I not enjoying since 2002. Now that she has a family with
an adorable kid, I feel maybe now one can safely depart.
Thanks again to the wonders of modern medical science; my lifespan
has extended beyond that of my Father. Being an existentialist and immensely
philosophical, however, one has been ready for the exit which is the ultimate
fate of mortal sentient beings for past few decades. The average lifespan in the
early 1950s was about 40 or so in India. This has now improved to 66. In some
advanced counties longevity has reached well above 80. Hence the moral and
existential dilemma of when is the right time to leave. One should not overstay
like some party goers who hang on after others have left.
Medical science has increased longevity, but at what cost.
Long lives are only for the rich who can afford the right food and medicines.
Society is bearing the cost of the medical research and facilities ultimately.
The pharmaceutical companies are not working increasing lifespan out of any pure
altruistic motive. Their major interest is profit, returns on investment and
valuations. There is a complex nexus between hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical
industry, regulators, insurance companies and governments. At the cost of
ruining all natural balances, the medical fraternity wants us to live forever.
Soon they are going to conquer cancer and through DNA engineering humans may be
able to live forever! Indeed a most frightening prospect as they will be
trampling on each other for want of space!
The basic issues which are arising out of longer life spans
are logistical in nature:
Firstly, pressure on the limited resources which mother
earth can provide like food, energy fuel, commodities and environment. It is
said that now with a population of over 7 bn, the planet is clearly overcrowded
and that we need two earths to supply the increasing demands and needs of human
kind. In our endeavour to provide food to the teeming billions, science has
introduced GMO food which has now been proved to have serious long term health
hazards including cancer.
Secondly, we have polluted the planet to stage where it has
resulted in extreme climate and irreversible changes in nature. The environment
has been impacted most adversely due to higher carbon emissions, energy
intensive life global warming, more severe winters, hotter summers, shortage of
potable water, drastic reduction in fauna and flora, decline in forest areas,
melting of polar ice, rise in sea levels, and increase in incidence of floods,
hurricanes and precipitation. The balance of nature has been destroyed by
humankind trampling upon forests and killing animals.
Thirdly, hyper competition has reared its medusa-like hydra
head. As a direct corollary of too many people and unbridled capitalism, the
number of companies producing similar products, fighting for limited consumer
mind space is increasing way beyond desired limits resulting in cut throat and
unethical competition, wafer thin profit margins or losses, stock market
manipulations, credit rater’s over-ratings for accessing debt, discounts, and
sales round the year and over capacity.
Fourth, unemployment is increasing in most economies. With
longer lifespan, humans need to work for more years because they do not have
funds for retirement and old age and they also have the physical ability. Old
and young are competing for same jobs. The old are not able to cope with the
change over to a digital workspace. Their very jobs are being cannibalized by
their children who are not only cheaper to hire, they are more IT savvy and
have better qualifications with open minds. Unless the older people
continuously reinvent themselves, their survival in the job market is at risk.
Fifth, prolonged life is often possible due to the nexus
between the insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical industry, and
high fiscal deficit based old age care which nations can ill afford being deep
in debt.
Sixth, pensions all over have become veritable time bombs,
since most of the payouts are based upon pre-defined benefits. Most
corporations and nations are not funded adequately to meet the pension
requirements in the next few decades. Bankruptcies are looming ahead for both
the private and public sectors.
Finally, the most practical problem is going to be looking after aged. There would be quantum jump in the need for old age homes, assisted living centres, hospices. As greater proportion of the population becomes physically dependent it will be a nightmare caring for their daily needs like nurses, doctors, especially for those who have alzheimer's, parkinsons with fast fading memories leading vegetable lives, requiring more than $ 20k pa for looking after, Maybe in advanced societies, they will develop robots to look after the aged! the dichotomy between the rich and the poor and similarly affluent societies and poverty stricken ones will become stark. the average ages in the rich parts will be much higher and vice versa. Gradually as we enter the age of Singularity, the robots and computers might decide kill the aged since they will be a drag on the resources!
In view of all the problems arising out of over population
and aging societies, there are several solutions for ushering in a balanced
steady state which would match the resources offered by mother earth. Solutions
might appear bit radical, but are holistic factoring in all the conflicting
constraints and work out an answer matching the requirements.
Population control measures may be practiced on a global
scale. There are countries which have relatively large natural resources with
low populations, while nations which are relatively low in per caput resources
generally have large populations. Here there is scope for transfer of people to
shrinking population ageing societies like Japan and Europe. The aspect which is to be maintained across is
the ratio of working age population to dependent population, young and old. Here
the advanced economies have twin fold needs, one of augmenting highly skilled
and qualified people and also labour in some advanced economies like US and
Germany. In fact aging economies like Japan have resorted to robots.
Then there is the issue of reducing overall population to a
sustainable steady state size from the present 7+ bn to about 5 bn. This indeed
is an onerous task. Some of the solutions are:
- Strict population control to maximum one
child per family across all nations, maybe also zero kids in some,
- Economic incentives for adoptions and having
no kids,
- Emigrations to balance out population and
per capita natural resource inequalities,
- Cap on life for terminally ill,
- Legalizing euthanasia,
- Planned euthanasia and assisted end of
life including morphine endings (or LSD end of life like Aldous Huxley),
- Celebrating death just like birth,
- Encouraging living wills stating no
hospitalization for prolonging life with support systems, assisted living
in hospitals,
- Resorts for celebrating endings with loved
ones
Some of the above may sound crazy. We need to be united
across all countries living in a world with no boundaries or religion. If we
want the present human civilization to last out longer, then along with all the
other steps for reducing carbon emissions, simpler low energy intensive lives,
reducing debt and expenditure (through equally radical measures as listed out
above), maybe we can push the inevitable climate collapse and extinction a wee bit
further. Some might quip: whether trying do all the above is really worth it?
It would be apt to adopt John Lennon’s “Imagine” as the
anthem of our world.
Imagine
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
