[WackySam]

No one should ever focus their energies solely on living as long as they can. Instead, they should be doing everything they can to be in the best shape possible for the age that they are.

[Mr. K]

Gulliver's Travels always seemed to me to be an incredible satire on government and bureaucracies.

[tubebender]

They were still subject to aging and disease, so that by 80, they were "opinionative, peevish, covetous, morose, vain, talkative," as well as "incapable of friendship, and dead to all natural affection, which never descended below their grandchildren." At 90, they lost their teeth and hair and couldn't carry on conversations.

Welcome to the minions of FRee Republic Master Swift..

[Jack Hammer]

“...they were ‘opinionative, peevish, covetous, morose, vain, talkative,’ as well as ‘incapable of friendship, and dead to all natural affection...’”

Oh, oh - he had me pegged, and I’m only sixty...

[OrangeHoof]

I don’t want to live to 100. Hell, 60 is plenty for me. As soon as I’m done voting Obama out of office, I’m pretty much out of reasons to hang around any longer.

[Quiller]

I generally believe that people who accept their own mortality want to extend the remembrence of their lives through legacy and heritage -- to become part of building onto, and passing along, traditions and resources which are of lasting value.

Some do so through construction, some through family, and some through service to others.

On the other hand, there are many people who are wrapped up in themselves, and for them extending their lives is little more than an exercise in clinging to a world in which they have little importance beyond themselves, and realize that their presence will be dismissed as quickly as dust driven by a strong wind.

[bert]

Last year my class, the Class of 1960 had our 50th reunion. We know about our class members in detail. All but 11 are known.

We know that 60 of the 300 are dead.

That means that at 68 years old, 80 % are still kicking around.When gathered we saw that although there are weaknesses and problems, most of that 80 % are in fairly good health.

[TASMANIANRED]

Living to be extremely old doesn’t appeal to me unless you could be vital and productive.