It’s my birthday tomorrow. I’ll be 27. Not exactly old, but I can still remember times in the past when I could remember easier or run longer. That running thing could probably be overcome with exercise. Regardless, it puts into mind the notion that aging is pretty lame.
I’m sure it serves some useful purposes. Like, uh… I dunno. No, can’t really think of any. We should do away with it.
Aging isn’t necessary. I know because some animals don’t really do it, like tortoises. Aging is a problem not recognized by biology, (at least in our case) and therefore one that hasn’t been solved. Any issues you see with it are only issues because we’ve built our notions of reality and society around the idea that people age and die. Aging should be classified as a disease, a cure funded by government money, walks should be walked and a ribbon color should be worn.
A world without aging would be a different place, but it would be way better. Pretty much all other disease is really just being old, so if we cured old, we’d wipe out a lot of other diseases with it. I could wax hypothetical about other possible ways curing aging would be nice, but I’m getting too old for this. I’m gonna go lie down for a while.
Side note: I watched Star Trek: Insurrection yesterday. That’s the one *minor spoiler alert* with the planet bathed in magical radiation that magically rebuilds DNA making you young forever and magically has no negative side effects or magic. In like 2 days on the planet Worf unaged from mid 40’s to puberty. If such a place existed, I see no reason to destroy the planet or move the local population. Just get everyone to take a weekend holiday there once every 20 years or so and you’re golden. Maybe the effect goes away once one leaves the radiation or something, although, from the magical mechanism they give for eternal youth, I don’t see why it would.