Is greater life expectancy always desirable? Essay

The quest for the elixir of keep has been going on throughout account. In every civilisation, there be myths which depict heroes and heroines who go bad long a get laid(p)s, some even always. at that place is also recorded history of men and women, c eithered alchemists, who experimented to discover means by which tidy sum could live forever or at least for very long times. Modem medicine as well aims to prolong lives often even of very mordant persons with no hope of recovery from their ailments. In fact, one of the signs of a liberalist dry land is when its statistics show that its populations has a high look anticipation that is that they stinkpot live protracted than their forefathers. The protracted the life expectancy of a nation the better that nation. All these show that it is in the human consciousness to fate to live for a long period of time. The question now is whether this is always desirable.Seen in the light of the individual, interminable life expect ancy certainly seems desirable. near everyone would like to live and enjoy life longer. Humans do generally shown a reluctance to die and leave this beautiful world and their loved ones. This is in the survival spirit with which every someone seems to be born. Almost all of us want to prolong our lives and live as long as we can. However, there is a condition to this. We also want to live well. If we are in dire economic consequences or incurably ill or in great suffering, we would not want to live too long, as doing so willing prolong the difficulty and pain. If with greater life expectancy comes greater health, it would be a good thing. Suppose a person can be made healthy till the day he dies, then he will not be dependent on anyone and greater life expectancy would be most welcome.Usually, we say that life expectancy has increased, in a society, with reference to statistics. These are likely to be simple and just show that over a number of years, people are now living longer . There is usually no reflectance about the quality of life that has been lived by the people who now live longer. The statistics show an average without saying which of the people who bind lived longer have lived disease-free lives and which have lived lives of comfort and happiness. It is possible that some of the people who have lived longer lives have actually lived miserably in retirement homes where the doctors have act their best to make sure that the retireeslive as long as possible. If by longer life foreboding we mean that people live longer, but with no improvement in the quality of their lives, then it would be much better if we do not have a longer life expectancy. In such cases, longer life expectancy would be undesirable. It would be better to live shorter but happier lives than have ones life prolonged, to suffer and die slow, lingering and painful deaths.Another retainer about greater life expectancy is about the effect it would have on society. Unless longer li fe expectancy also brings about with it greater health, there is going to be chaos. If people live longer, it could mean that it would organise them longer to live out their old age. This means dependence on the younger population. The younger and healthier generation, or indirectly the state, has to comport the older. In fact, there have been forecasts that as time goes on there will be more old people in proportion to the younger. If this is a consequence of greater life expectancy, it will place a pipeline on the younger people as they would have to look subsequently their parents and grandparents while they themselves struggle to make a living.The final thing to learn is whether there will be overpopulation if there is greater life expectancy. It is well to see that the earths resources are not limitless. There may come a time when there are too many people in the world to be able to survive. On the other hand we cannot rule out the accident of earth colonies on the moon and perhaps even other planets. This seems to be a possibility in a century.In conclusion, though it is apparent that greater life expectancy is a good thing, there are certain conditions that should go with it. The most important thing is the ability of the people to live longer lives independently. There is also the consideration of the earth being able to support the larger number of people living on it.ReferencesCoale, A.J. 2003. Increases in expectation of life and population growth. Population and culture Review, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 113-20.Riley, J.C. 2001. Rising life story Expectancy A Global History. Cambridge Cambridge University Press..White, K.M. 2002. Longevity advances in high-income countries, 1955-96. Population and Development Review, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 59-76.Wilmoth, J.R. 1998. The future of human longevity A demographers perspective. Science, No. 280, pp. 395-97.