As I wrote the other day, one of the purposes of this joggling blog is to help people learn to live for a long time. But in truth, when I tell people that I want to live until 107, most people don’t understand. I’ve not met many people who want to live that long. And they ask me why I would want to live that long. 
Well here are my reasons. Perhaps they might inspire you to want to live longer.
Accomplish more
I derive a huge amount of satisfaction from accomplishing things. Joggling marathons, joggling 50 miles, keeping up the joggling streak are all things that make me happy. And other things like running experiments, building businesses, reading all the greatest books of all time make me equally happy. The longer I live the more accomplishments I can achieve.
Create more things
Another thing that makes me happy is creating things. Since the time I was in high school I have often thought about death and the reason for my existence. One of the things that I frequently concluded is that I want to be remembered. I want my existence to have mattered. And when I think about all the people on the planet who existed before me, the ones that everyone remembers, of at least the ones I think are worth remembering, they invariably had created something that lasted. Famous scientists or philosophers of artists, have all left something behind. They’ve created things that were memorable. Since its impossible to know what will be significant and memorable, your only chance is to create a lot of things. Living longer lets you have more time to create more things.
Help more people
Another thing that brings me pleasure is helping other people accomplish things. Maybe I’m just a natural teacher or just like to see other people smile, but it does make me happy. And if I live longer I can help more people.
Generate more ideas
I believe that people are smart and our brains are uniquely capable of solving all of the problems that humanity faces. However, it takes time to come up with ideas and time to make them happen. Living longer allows you to spend more time thinking up more ideas and making them happen.
Answer more questions
As a scientist I derive pleasure in learning about things and how the world works. I’m ok with not having answers to things and having partial answers to others, but learning more makes me happy. And I never want to stop. Living longer will allow me to learn more. The nice thing about learning is that even when your body starts to degenerate, your mind will always be ready to learn more.
Experience more things
More time also means more opportunity to have new and interesting experiences. I suppose some will be dull too but everything is as exciting as you make it. I want to experience all that life has to offer. I want to travel, to eat, the drink, to climb, to swim, to take pictures, to write, to have adventures…to live. And the longer I have on this planet, the more I can do that.
Enjoy life more
I love life. I love being alive. I appreciate being alive. The odds against me existing are astronomical and yet I have the opportunity to do it. Life is enjoyable for me. Indeed I’ve had my share of troubles and angst, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the idea of not existing. Living longer gives me more time to enjoy life.
Do more good in the world
Helping people individually makes me feel good but spreading good in the world is also extremely satisfying. I want to have an influence on the planet in the future and after I’m gone. I want it to be a positive one which leads to a better existence for people around the planet. Indeed this is a bit grandiose but someone has to do it. Why can’t it be a joggler from Chicago? Anyway, having more time on this planet will give me more chance to do good things in the world.
Afterlife is unknown
Finally, one of the most significant reasons that I want to live for a long time is that we do not know what happens after this life. The most likely explanation is that there is nothing after this. This planet, this life, this existence is all we know for sure. So, I don’t want to give it up for anything. I want to continue to exist here, as I am for as long as I can. If in the highly unlikely event that there is something after this life, that will just be a bonus. But I’m not going to spend my time here pining for a better world after this one. It’s better for me to live with the notion that this one life is all I have and I better get the most out of it.
So, that’s why I want to live a really long time. At the moment the number is 107 years. Specifically, living until November 11, 2076. If I’m lucky enough to still be existing on November 12, 2076 then that’s all the better. I just want to live.
Joggle on.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a purely hypothetical question for you, Perry, to ponder that I thought of.
And, I don’t espouse any belief or non-belief so I am not pushing any agenda and personal religious belief with asking it, it’s purely for fun and for the sake of thought.
Here it is: If there was scientific evidence and a high probability of likelihood that “believing in some higher power or God” helped you say, add 10 years to your lifespan due to its health benefits/mental/social benefits, etc. would you believe in God to expand your life 10 years? I know there’s been some studies on health and mental health correlations with religious/spiritual beliefs or support from churchs, etc. so I was just wondering if there was good evidence to support this connection then would you change your views on it to gain more days of living?
I know you are interested in living to 107, so if you could live to 117 just based on believing in a higher power would you?
On a side note, not that I am really wanting to discuss the research on whether this is really possible or not, but I believe most of the understanding of religion and health is that social support from religious involvement and chruch attendance seems to correlate with improved well-being and some mental health benefits. It’s the support you get from being around others who support you and coming together to worship that gives you benefits. I would like to look this up again and see what the research is on longevity and religious involvement or beliefs.
Well, you pose an interesting hypothetical which on some level I have already incorporated something similar into my life. Let’s turn your hypothetical into the more general question…If there was proof that believing X (whether it is true or not) will increase your life expectancy, would you begin believing X?
A few years ago I learned that daily flossing was equivalent to increasing your life expectancy by 5 years. Now, I’m a bit skeptical of that conclusion as it seems like things are much more complicated than that, however, I’ve started to floss my teeth every day. I’m not sure that I believe it’s true but since it is an action I can take, I’ll do it.
Now, as far as a belief in God leading to longer life, I’m not sure that I can make myself do it because while I can change an action, changing a belief is much more difficult. I’m not even sure how you can do this. I’m super skeptical of everything so I’m not sure I would ever get to the point of being able to believe anything for certain. But if participating in the rituals of religion could increase life expectancy, then I think it would be worth doing whether you believe in it or not. I don’t think the research shows it’s the religion per say as much as it is the social support system.
Thanks for the response. Yeah, I guess changing a belief would be pretty difficult to do, just in the sake of living longer. I do think we are both correct that the social support system and communal values/support is definitely a buffer against stress and other age and health debilitating factors.
Optimism is correlated with well-being, so maybe that’s another thing the actively religious folks get from it too. Not that optimism and non-religious are opposing variables, but cerain religious people may benefit more from their faith since it gives them an overall positive outlook. Yet, that’s not even true across certain religious sects and even within Christianity, because many seem to focus on fear/judgment and future “hell-fire” tactics. It’s complicated, I guess. But, one definite underlying factor is the social support that ones gets from formal religious participation. Another benefit might be giving up the idea that you are in full control of your life. Which secularists or non-religious probably benefit from too. You have alluded to many times, the fact in which science shows us that we don’t have as much control over our behaviors and brains as we’d like to think. So, many giving up trying to be in full control is an underlying approach to life that may allow you to relax more, and thus reduce the cortisol and stress hormones that shorten lifespans and are maladaptive to overall health.
I floss every night, too, and have heard of it’s benefits.