So which is it for you?

I'm sure most, if not all, would say "somewhere in-between" but that's a cop-out answer ;) It certainly is somewhere in-between for me, but it's still more one than the other.

For me, life is certainly really, really long. Just look at how much time we waste! I'm not talking about semi-wasting activities like reading message boards and watching sitcoms, but I'm sure we all waste time doing things that are completely unproductive and unneccessary that, if completely removed from our lives, would not only be not missed, but we'd feel all the better for not wasting our time with them.

So yes, I'm saying that life is awfully long.

I think life is too short. Probably because im afraid of dying and i dont want it to end. I agree with you when you say we waste alot of time. But i think everyone should live life to the fullest because there may not be a tomorrow.

When I think about getting married, it seems really long. When I think about all the things I want to accomplish and see in life (including human history), it seems to short.

I voted that life is generally too long, but I don't believe this very strongly.

Questions like this usually just highlight the responder's general attitude about life - a subjective response. For me it is more interesting to view life objectively.

I said that life is too long because nowadays, humans are predominantly free from predation. Major causes of death today are fatal disease, old age and accidents, but people generally live very long. So long in fact that in the last few years of life, quality of life can be severely diminished. I would never wish upon anyone an untimely death - there just isn't anything we can do except try to improve quality of life.

If it was an option, I would vote that life is as long as it should be.

Humans have a long life span because there is so much important information and assistance that needs to be imparted and given to the young people. Older adults pass on valuable information and assistance to their children and grand children in many ways (material resources, emotional support, learning, socializing, etc.). After all, humans are very social and that starts with having a close-knit family and its older members have traditionally been the bedrock of the family unit.

Today we live in a youth culture which doesn't value the experience of its older citizens. There is probably good reason for this - with so much change in the way we conduct our life (even within the last few decades), it is harder to relate to the life experiences of the old. But, there are many things in life that don't change!! In these matters, the opinions, experience and assistance of someone older is, and will probably always be, important.

If my mind and body hold out as I get older and I can still independently function, I say let me live past 100. But, if I loose memory or knowledge of how to do basic things like tie by shoes, button my jacket, or if I have to be on a ton of meds to regulate my organs so that I don't die, then I say let me go when I'm still at 100%. If that's at 65 or 70 then so be it. I'm not afraid of getting old; I'm afraid of the side effects.

I'd say life is too long if a person doesn't make good choices, and it's too short if there are still people to show compassion and mercy to.

And I didn't vote. I mean, how can I really pick just ONE?!

I voted for "too short," but I'm not necessarily an optimistic person. Hopeful, but typically pretty cynical and pessimistic.

I'm with luckiecharms in that I am terrified of death and the process of dying, not knowing if today is the day I'll die, etc. I mean, I actually sit and wonder sometimes about how long I'll live and how I will die. You know, will I die in a car accident? In my sleep? Next week? Eeeps, I know that sounds grim, but I can't keep myself from thinking like that. I could keep myself awake at night thinking about those kinds of things...so I generally avoid thinking about it.

One of my old professors with which I was very close once told me that the people who are afraid of death are afraid of change, with death being the ultimate change. I'm definitely not slow to change or purposely avoid change, but I think what he said makes a lot of sense.

I mean, there are so many people in my life that I genuinely, whole-heartedly LOVE. A lot. To not be with them (not necessarily physically with them, but among the living) is a scary thing for me. Death seems so lonely. And perhaps it wouldn't if I had some sort of strong religious or spiritual background... *shrugs* I dunno...

So there you go.

And Stem is so correct when saying that we, as a culture, do not value the experiences of our old people. I work primarily with the elderly, and they are an incredibly undervalued and quite often overlooked population. Most people tell me that they're afraid of old people or don't really like to be around old people. I think I was that way before I started my job, but I adore most of the elderly people I've met. I really do.

I'm not sure what we can do as a society to garner more appreciation and respect for our old people...

I'm old.....:D death doesn't worry me, I see it as an adventure. Being ill, dependent, or in an old folks home worries me a great deal.

Originally posted by FemmeDemonica
And Stem is so correct when saying that we, as a culture, do not value the experiences of our old people. I work primarily with the elderly, and they are an incredibly undervalued and quite often overlooked population. Most people tell me that they're afraid of old people or don't really like to be around old people. I think I was that way before I started my job, but I adore most of the elderly people I've met. I really do.

I'm not sure what we can do as a society to garner more appreciation and respect for our old people...


I so, completely, totally agree, FD. Perhaps we need to shut down our existing Hollywood that promotes this ideal young image, or maybe the problem is deeper...

I've always said I have every intention of jumping off a cliff on my 180th birthday... :D

not kidding...

And Stem is so correct when saying that we, as a culture, do not value the experiences of our old people. I work primarily with the elderly, and they are an incredibly undervalued and quite often overlooked population. Most people tell me that they're afraid of old people or don't really like to be around old people. I think I was that way before I started my job, but I adore most of the elderly people I've met. I really do.

I'm not sure what we can do as a society to garner more appreciation and respect for our old people...

To some extent I think it's natural, even though that doesn't necessarily make it right. People don't want to face the fact that some day they will become "less" than what they are now. I think the way we treat our elderly is a form of subconscious denial, it's easier not to have to see it then it is to deal with it and accept it.

That's just my theory though, I could be way off.

Michael,
But not every culture does that with the elderly. Japanese culture venerates the aged. Botswanans (as my Botswanan friend Karabo tells me) respect the elderly and wouldn't dream of putting them in nursing homes. Hispanic culture celebrates death, rejoices in those who have gone on before.

i don't really feel that any of my time is "wasted", even if i'm doing something that is considered "unproductive" or that i wouldn't neccessarily miss if i stopped doing it altogether.

i believe we are the sum-total of our lives' experiences. no moment in time is more valuable than another; no action you take is more valuable than another. all are of equal value. just different.

life is never too long or too short. it just is.

Originally posted by Kreeli
life is never too long or too short. it just is.

ain't that the truth, so might as well make the most of it and make every day count (and when you're having a **** day, there's always another day which may be better around the corner, well, I live in hope anyway)

and if someone has trouble with the way I live my life (like a monk actually), my view is who's life am I living, mine or theirs, and to be honest I'm quite enjoying it these days :D

The only 'but' I have is ;) ... but there is not enough time or space or peace and quiet to do my Yoga for hours on end, yet I make every minute count, and I'm quite happy/content with that :D


just my 5 cents, as we don't have 2 cent pieces in this country anymore :D

uh....

Life is hard.
Life is unfair.
Life can be such a joy.

I wish for everbody that the good times make up for the bad times. (why do I remember the bad times better than the good times ??)

In the end: I hope that it' like : "that car is coming to me in slow-motion - black"

Michael wrote:
===================
I think the way we treat our elderly is a form of subconscious denial.
===================

I agree wholeheartedly!

skylark wrote:
===================
Michael,
But not every culture does that with the elderly...Hispanic culture celebrates death, rejoices in those who have gone on before.
====================

That is exactly the difference. Western culture is fearful of death and offers no means of, or approach to, dealing with it (both the fealings of fear of death and death itself). Some of this repressed fear is displaced upon the elderly - we literally abandon them as we have abandoned our feelings.

Another point worth mentioning is that the longer people live, the greater of an issue overpopulation/the effect of limited resources becomes.

But the longer people live, the more experience and wisdom they tend to have, and thus having a large amount of elderly among us is an even greater resource to the younger crowd. If life at all stages were valued, would we have overpopulation problems? Should we intentionally neglect people in the name of over-population control?

This IS the debate forum, so I am allowed to discuss overpopulation here. :)

Originally posted by skylark
But the longer people live, the more experience and wisdom they tend to have, and thus having a large amount of elderly among us is an even greater resource to the younger crowd.

But would the younger crowd listen? Probably not. Do they now? Not really. I appreciate older people and their wisdom and experience. And not to discount them in any way, but I'm thinking what can they relate to (technologically speaking) to be of a resource to the younger generation. We live in such an electronic, digital, whatever technologically advanced world that I believe the majority of the elderly are at a loss. My mother, although I wouldn't consider her elderly at 63, doesn't even know how to power up a PC. Our way of doing things from communicating to banking are totally different from anything they've ever known therefore creating a larger generation gap. Maybe that's why society tends to not appreciate the elderly to a greater extent because they simply can't relate to them in today's world. On the otherhand, I love to sit a talk to elderly people and hear about the old days...there is a world of wealth there we can use in hopes of avoiding repeating history.

Oh, I'm not sure if I'm making sense....

MRB,
I agree that our technology is changing, but the basic makeup of people isn't. There's a good deal that remains the same that older folks can offer insight to.

skylark wrote:
=================
If life at all stages were valued, would we have overpopulation problems? Should we intentionally neglect people in the name of over-population control?
=================

1) Yes, we would just have a lot of very valued people.

2) No!!!! It is just a simple fact, the longer each person lives the more people will be around at any given time. Period. Neglecting the elderly is never right!

I don't know how to answer this question. Right now I'm leaning toward too long but I know some day I'll deeply regret that and wish it were longer. :(

I think that for people that dont want to live anymore life is too long. And for those who die before they get to do everything and see everything in the world they wanted or had dreams and things they still wanted to accomplish in life then life is too short.

Originally posted by luckiecharms
I think that for people that dont want to live anymore life is too long. And for those who die before they get to do everything and see everything in the world they wanted or had dreams and things they still wanted to accomplish in life then life is too short.
So you think I'm a suicidal perssemist? It makes sense that someone who is would feel that life is too long, but surely you can think life is too long without being suicidal.

So I renew my objection: Why is there so much time-waste if life is "too short" ?

Also, an observation that has recently come to me on this topic: I'm 21(5) - or "26" to the snores in the audience :) - and when I look back at all the things that have happened to me, and all the things I have done couple with all the time I wasted, it's simply amazing that I still have (I assume) 50-some years left!

And for those who talk of looking back in an old age thinking about all the things they should have done, that just proves to me that life tends to be percieved as long: Were we to honestly believe life to be short, at the end of it, we would not look back and think of all the things that we did not fill the time with. Seeing life as long, I will argue, is a result of the feeling that life cannot be "fulfilled" no matter how much we do with our life. We can never have a completely fulfilled life, so it seems as though it was too short to do all we think we needed to do to fulfill it because we just can't (especially near our death) admit that life cannot be fulfilling.