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Post by Patrick on Dec 15, 2010 13:52:01 GMT
TV entertainer Cilla Black told a magazine that 75 would suit her. After watching her mother survive to 80 while suffering health problems and having to be fed through a tube, the 67-year-old has revised her opinion about how long she wants to carry on living.
According to the Bible, we can expect to reach 70 ("threescore years and 10"), or 80 if we're strong, though when those words were first written, the average lifespan would have been much shorter.
Many of us are now living beyond 75, but there's no guarantee, of course, that our final years will be spent independently, in sound mind, and without discomfort.
It's something of a taboo to speak as honestly as Cilla Black about when one would like to die, but it's a question that many of us think about. When do you think is a good time to go?
Most of my relatives have gone at around 93 or 94. Though mainly the women! My Dad's Dad went at 67 after a series of strokes and Mum's Dad went around a similar age. So it doesn't bode well for me really.
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Post by riotgrrl on Dec 15, 2010 16:39:27 GMT
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Post by jean on Dec 15, 2010 17:30:01 GMT
For as long as you retain all your mental faculties, and a reasonable degree of physical health.
I've got a lot of reminders of mortality around me at the moment.
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Post by everso on Dec 15, 2010 17:48:05 GMT
I'm with Jean on this one. I'd ideally like to reach my 100th birthday so I could bore everyone rigid about how I saw The Kinks at the Romford ABC in 1965 or was it 1966 (cue listeners rolling their eyes). So long as I'm in reasonable health and have my faculties that is. Provided of course that my son and daughter are still around. I'd not like to outlive them.
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Post by swl on Dec 16, 2010 21:50:43 GMT
The ideal lifespan is one the same length as me. First dribble (at either end) and I'm taking a header aff the Salisbury Crags.
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Post by everso on Dec 17, 2010 17:54:55 GMT
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Post by everso on Dec 17, 2010 17:55:23 GMT
Maybe we could invite her to become a Stubbie.  |
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Post by Weyland on Dec 17, 2010 18:06:13 GMT
Maybe we could invite her to become a Stubbie. Do you really think we're ready for a visit from an intelligent life-form? |
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Post by everso on Dec 17, 2010 18:12:26 GMT
Perhaps not.
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Dec 17, 2010 19:16:17 GMT
Depends...if they invent ways to extend a happy healthy life, I'm going for the max...I want to be here in the year 3875, but still able to do normal things with my cool new clone/modified body and stuff.  I like the idea of uploading ones consciousness into a VR type machine once your body is knackered as well...it would be like "World of Warcraft"...but real (sort of). AH |
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Post by Weyland on Dec 17, 2010 19:44:17 GMT
I like the idea of uploading ones consciousness into a VR type machine once your body is knackered as well...it would be like "World of Warcraft"...but real (sort of). AH Alph: You've gorragorra read Iain M. Banks's Surface Detail, right now! . . . From your faithful Welsh/Geordie Correspondent, somewhere under a snowdrift in Mid-Wales. |
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Dec 17, 2010 20:25:34 GMT
I like the idea of uploading ones consciousness into a VR type machine once your body is knackered as well...it would be like "World of Warcraft"...but real (sort of). AH Alph: You've gorragorra read Iain M. Banks's Surface Detail, right now! . . . From your faithful Welsh/Geordie Correspondent, somewhere under a snowdrift in Mid-Wales.Ah, do you talk of "subliming"? Surface Detail is his latest isn't it? Like I said in another thread, his "Culture" novels are pretty much next on my "hard SF" hit list...although some of his stand alone novels sound interesting ("Feersum endjin", "Against a Dark Background" etc). Actually, it's possible that life extending technology may be vital for me in order to read everything that I'd like to! ;D AH |
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Post by Weyland on Dec 17, 2010 20:30:26 GMT
Alph: You've gorragorra read Iain M. Banks's Surface Detail, right now! . . . From your faithful Welsh/Geordie Correspondent, somewhere under a snowdrift in Mid-Wales.Ah, do you talk of "subliming"? Surface Detail is his latest isn't it? Like I said in another thread, his "Culture" novels are pretty much next on my "hard SF" hit list...although some of his stand alone novels sound interesting ("Feersum endjin", "Against a Dark Background" etc). Actually, it's possible that life extending technology may be vital for me in order to read everything that I'd like to! ;D AH Yes. Yes. And  SD is a Culture story. Excellent. |
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Post by revisedartlily on Dec 18, 2010 22:08:50 GMT
Where we used to live, the neighbour was 92 and still going up ladders onto the roof ( ok it was a one story house, but STILL) ... He had all his marbles and was always going out enjoying life. I guess that answers it for me. It has to be about quality of life, doesn't it? After watching my mil die this year I feel very strongly about that. She suffered horribly.  |
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