Longetivity

Longevity means to have a long life span, simply putting it, living into a ripe old age. As more and more people are living longer lives due to advancement in medicine, the world is facing a “Silver Tsunami” where the elderly make up a large proportion of the population. Of course, everyone wants to age beautifully. However, reality is stark. It is almost inevitable that one will be plagued with health problems as one age. Common old age problems include dementia, diabetes and osteoporosis that lead to immobility. Many people wish to live longer as it is a blessing to witness their children’s wedding, to see their grandchildren graduate and to be able to hold their great grandchildren. However, on the whole, I believe that more often than not, living to a ripe old age, brings about more drawbacks than advantages. Hence, I agree to a large extent that longevity is a curse, and not a blessing.

Longevity can come with old age problems. These problems can be classified into the physical, mental and emotional aspect. Firstly, some common physical illnesses that can plague the elderly are rheumatism, arthritis and osteoporosis. These conditions surface mainly due to the wear and tear on the joints as well as the weakening of bones in our skeleton due to old age. A recent article in Singapore’s The Straits Times Mind Your Body section mentioned that chronic pain hits one in five people aged 65 and above, making them the biggest group of people suffering from pain. Sometimes, these can also eventually lead to immobility. Living old age in pain and being confined on the bed, not being able to move about freely is definitely something unpleasant.