THE BIGGER PICTURE Shalini SinhaDo you think you can live forever? Most people see this as a fanciful question, a fiction from the delusional "I'm invincible" school of thought. Then there's the cynical response, "Why would you want to?" and we are instantly reminded of the depth of hopelessness pervading the world.
But, consider it earnestly for a moment. Do you think you can live forever? You must admit, it's an interesting question. What causes a cell to maintain and repair itself one moment, and begin to die the next? Why would we suddenly turn from regeneration to ending the whole process of life?
Conventional western medicine would have us believe that the agents of disease are foreign invaders and in all cases where this culprit cannot be found, the causes of ill health are mysteriously unknown. Even worse, we are expected to accept that physical breakdown over time is inevitable. And we do believe it.
We complain, fear ageing, even tolerate great pain, but we rarely question if this is normal or necessary. Instead, we remain committed to the idea that our bodies will cease to function properly the longer we live, and that total systemic failure is prescribed.
I still ask, why? If a cell's job is to maintain and repair itself, and our body continuously gives us a fresh supply of cells to do this job, why would we breakdown so dramatically? Why do we believe this is a prerequisite for being human? With all that has already been imagined in human philosophy, observed in human experience, created by human technologies and developed with human resources, why would we not be more hopeful about our future?
After all, it is not true that science has confirmed we must die, nor that there is a predictable limit to our existence. Rather, the average expectancy of human beings has continued to increase for generations. Once upon a time, 35 years old was nearing the end of life. Then 50 became the marker, and then 65. Now 85 is common, but the possibilities still grow.
Expecting to live 100 years seems as mind boggling as running the four-minute mile once did - no one thought it was possible, most still believe it's unattainable, yet it's done all the time and is well within the capabilities of humans.
Even within the small population of Ireland - a country without a diet or lifestyle that has traditionally attracted attention from 'longevity' scientists - 254 of our people living today have reached or passed the 100-year milestone (2002 census) - enough to remind us that living to 100 is neither a fluke nor an exceptional occurrence, but a real possibility.
Given that we produce new cells each day, it's not even true to say that our bodies are as old as we have existed as an organism. Furthermore, there is no established date for us to start degenerating. So, why do we fall apart?
Our bodies are actually incredibly resilient. Our cells work hard everyday to try to re-establish a balance of life. They have an awe-inspiring ability to rise to any occasion and address even the most difficult challenges - and we are challenged.
In order to function efficiently and perfectly, our cells require good nutrition, freedom from stress, and a lack of excess molecular waste. The latter sounds odd - 'molecular waste' is not something we normally think about. Still, it makes quite a difference to our cells if they have a lot of extra, useless material to process, manage and get rid of.
When we attack our bodies on a cellular level, we start to consider the breakdown of the whole system. Most of us who live and grow up in modern society unwittingly do just this on a daily basis. Even the predominance of processed foods with their numerous chemicals and preservatives combined with lower levels of quality nutrients, cause us to over work and wear down our basic mechanisms for life.
If our cells weren't so ingenious - able to take on, address and work not only within imperfect conditions but also fairly antagonistic ones - we would actually die a lot earlier and much more immediately. However, as a result of their brilliance to keep finding ways to function even under the most hostile of circumstances, we instead experience long-term, chronic ailments and die quite slowly over a very long period of time.
The fact is that most of our degenerating diseases are preventable by simple but consistent changes in lifestyle. These changes not only elude us as individuals, but also our policymakers who encourage and facilitate the manufacture and sale of products that cause us long-term harm.
It is wonderful to imagine living forever, for our being is that perfect as to allow for the possibility. While much thought and planning is needed to make this a reality, eternal youth is something genuine we can aim for.
ssinha@irish-times.ie
Shalini Sinha has worked as a life coach and counsellor and presents the intercultural programme, Mono, on RTÉ Television. She has a BA in comparative religion and anthropology and an MA in women's studies.