So how about a simple breakdown of the average life:

1. We’re born.
2. We go to school.
3. We get a job.
4. We have a family.
5. We die.

Granted, one could argue that I have the “middle steps” out of order, but that’s not the point. Either way you cut it, our lives are pretty pointless. We frown upon materialism, but isn’t that exactly what a typical upbringing is trying to promote? We don’t go to school for “the heck of it.” Education gives us an inlet to attain a stable and worthwhile job. Why do we need this? Well, obviously, we need to make a living. What does that mean? We need a place to live, some means of transportation, nourishment, etc. Just think about it… as a society composed of “intelligent” individuals, we have very little to show for it.

Now don’t get me wrong. There have been noteworthy individuals out there who genuinely lived a meaningful life, but as a whole, humanity just sucks. We’re too caught up in our lives to care for the greater good of our race as a whole.

Am I the only one troubled by this? How do we go about doing something which isn’t a part of this repetitive cycle of life? Yes, I’m going to be a doctor and hopefully have the privilege of healing countless patients, but that will be my “profession”. It’s what I’ll be trained to do on a day-to-day basis. But how do I do something which isn’t tied to work or my self-betterment? Something which is outside of this world, but still universally important. Something which matters.

In his infinite wisdom, Socrates once said “all I know is that I know nothing.” This premise applies perfectly to the question at hand. If we attempt to define “life” by the observations we have made in our own lives, the definition would be biased and ultimately incorrect. Therefore, we must accept the fact that we indeed “know nothing” to provide an objective opinion.

Enough philosophy. Since I fall under the subset of all humans, my definition is going to be biased and incorrect anyways, but this is what I came up with.

“Life refers to any entity which utilizes an energy source to fuel the relevant biochemical processes needed to sustain the entity till it successfully produces fertile offspring.”

Under this definition, yes, I consider an egg which has been recently fertilized to be a form of “life.” It meets all the aforementioned requirements.

• The embryo obtains “energy” in the form of nutrients from the biological mother.
• The embryo undergoes the “biochemical processes” of growth and adaptation as it progresses from newborn to adult.
• The adult “produces fertile offspring” (in this case, through sexual reproduction) and ensures the survival of its kind.

Notice how this definition of life also excludes terms like “carbon-based” or “water.”  As humans, we have to start investigating the unknown by utilizing what we supposedly “already know.” We know that all life forms on earth are carbon-based and require (directly or indirectly) water as a nutrient, so we search the cosmos looking for these two symbols of life. For all we know, E.T. and his friends may be silicon-based creatures requiring ammonia to survive (just like the Dems ).

So now, I ask my readership – what do you think constitutes “life?”

I personally would not want to know when I will die. I find the true beauty in life to lie within its spontaneity. Waking up each day not knowing what the next minute will offer is something that everyone takes for granted. Imagine if the mystery of one’s future was no longer so elusive. If we knew we had exactly thirty years and twelve days to live. If we had a mental countdown as we sought to use each day to live life to the fullest. This is complete nonsense. Time doesn’t change just because you know you will die in fifty years. The only difference, I think, is that man seems to appreciate the “simple things” when they are reminded of their mortality. This is where I’m a hypocrite. I rather not know the full extent of my timeline. I’m far more comfortable clinging onto my preconceived notions about my future. Just because I want to be a doctor, a father, and distinguished member of society doesn’t mean that death will conveniently wait for me to accomplish the aforementioned before it knocks on my door. Life is too short to think we have time to do everything we want; however, there’s  a profound sense of relief in telling ourselves that. Laziness consumes us. We no longer value the significance of the moment. We fear death but drown ourselves in enough distractions to remain oblivious. I am guilty of this cowardice.

Yes, I will acknowledge there are those out there who would want to know how much time they have left. My only comment is that of those individuals, only a handful are genuine on this stance. No matter how noble your cause may be (ie, I want to know how long I have to work with so I can decide how to raise a family and accomplish my goals), there’s nothing stopping you from carrying out the same tasks you would have done. In other words, knowing one’s lifespan does not affect their daily actions as long as they follow one excessively used but rarely understood premise – “live life to the fullest.”

The fact that our aging mechanisms are highly dependent on programmed cell death (apoptosis), what’s to say that we can’t manipulate this “programming?” With medicine advancing into previously unknown frontiers, researchers may one day simply have a “pill” to prolong life. In conjunction with other pharmaceutical breakthroughs like better vitamins and diets, the limits of longevity are already being pushed. In a crudely stated sense, once telomerase and the cell cycle markers can be regulated by some therapeutic manner, we’ll routinely see individuals surpassing the status of supercentenarian. (Yes, it’s more complicated than that, but by no means impossible).

So imagine a world in which this was a reality… where you could run over to your pharmacy of choice and purchase your weekly supply of “Stay-Alive-For-Another-Week” pills. Aside from the religious and ethical issues that may arise from such a society, imagine the enormous amounts of money that would be generated by this business. Pretty mind boggling when you compare it to how expensive modern healthcare is. 

And now I ask… how many would actually purchase such a pill? I for one would adamantly reply “no.” If you ask me, it’s so much easier to die than to live. Living entails having to deal with society’s materialistic pursuits, ignorance, lack of respect, and well, ignorance (yes, it was worth mentioning twice). This is something I don’t want to worry about when I’m *supposed* to be dying. I rather die and rest in peace. Sure, I can see why people would want to live for extended periods of time. They could get more done. They could see their great-great-great-grandchildren grow up and become successful. Whatever. But by the same token, an aging body is cancer’s best friend (unless we develop a “cure” for that too).

In my humble opinion, I hope this futuristic Elixir of Life is forever banned from the hands of humanity. We have a population crisis. There are just too many depressed people in the world. Gas prices suck. Perhaps a timely death would be a peaceful reprieve from worldly pressures for all of us (no, I’m not endorsing suicide). I just want to die after teaching the next generation something they would have otherwise not known, saving lives as a physician, and having my life bring joy to others. No elixir or pill will guarantee this for me. Only I will.