Why do we grow old and die?

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   iceangelposted 14 years ago

   I think because we inherited imperfection from our first parents........
   What are your opinions?

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      saleheensblogposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I am only getting younger.
      
      Aging and death is a biological process. I could explain you in detail but I am so sleepy now. 6.30 AM here and will go to bed.

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         jantamayaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Your telomeres are getting longer :-)

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            cathylynn99posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            as aging occurs, telomeres shorten.

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               jantamayaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Yes! You're right.

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      china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      YOu are kind of right here I would say - we inherited it from our first parents, the single cell critters from the start of the evolutionary tree that we are part of with every other living thing.  Death is a necessary part of the process of life, without individual death there would be no evolution or change or diversity - and the whole tree of life that we re part of would die in total, or be in a static state which is death in itself.

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      melporposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Iceangel, you will find the answer in my hub on this subject.

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      simeonvisserposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      And God decided not to do anything about it.

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      Shahid Bukhariposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It depends ... on whats your Concept of Life ... Anyway, if you want a Scientific explanation ...
      
      Biologically, we are composed of small Organic Structures, which our Parents give us in the Form of Chromosomes. These structures, take a start at Conception, then grow into a child, till the mother gives Birth to the child.
      
      Physically, the Child, then grows to a point, called adulthood, and then, the downward trend of growing follows, and we grow Old ... there is a point, when the Physical cannot outgrow the ageing, necessary to maintain the minimum level of body, essential for life ... then we die.

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      joshuawooposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Because this is the law of the nature. Every end of life is the starting of a new life.
      http://sobelabs.net/

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   camloposted 14 years ago

   My opinion: It's a natural, biological process. How each of us deals with it is another matter.
   We all have to get older, but I'm certainly never going to BE old.

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   coolbreezeposted 14 years ago

   Because we want to ;-) I cant imagine being a teenager for 50 years Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

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   truebluewriterposted 14 years ago

   I remember one professor from college say "life is a temporary suspension of entropy."
   
   like what the other two posters said, Its just a biological process. I cant explain it though hehe but for some reason the body just tends to slow down as we grow older...

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   secularist10posted 14 years ago

   This is a great question that science still has not adequately answered. Aging has to do with chemical processes in the cells of the body over time.
   
   It's interesting to note that originally (thousands of years ago) the expected age of a person was only in the 30s. So around age 15, you were middle-aged!
   
   Humans have since managed to more than double their expected life span, up to the 80s in the most advanced countries.
   
   Scientific fields such as genetics, biology and health sciences are achieving significant progress in understanding the forces of aging. In historical terms, it will be soon--perhaps decades, maybe even years--that we'll be able to extend the average human's life span far beyond 100 years through medicine, drugs and health advances.

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      qwarkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Secularist:
      The world is "shrinking" everyday.
      
      There is only so much one can do on this planet.
      
      I've already done so much in my life.
      
      It's becoming so dangerous to travel anymore, that it may be that we'll die of boredom.
      
      Even the fabulously wealthy in terms of $, are not happy.
      When one can have everything, what happens after everything has been had and there's no more joy to be found and experienced?
      
      This world can provide only so much. It is limited in ref to things to satisfy ones curiosity.
      
      I have come very close to death on 3 occasions in my life.
      I survived, but 2 of the the experiences made me aware that there comes a time when death is acceptable and preferable to life at that moment.
      
      There was one time that I couldn't accept it and fought! I was determined to live and managed to save myself.
      
      I think living too long is a reality.
      
      Qwark

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         melporposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Quark, I wrote a hub on why we get old and die. There is simply no advantage to living longer, especially after your reproductive years are over. Read my post just above yours to understand why we cannot live too long. This is the scientific answer to the question posted.

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            IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Pardon? Did you really write that there is no advantage to living once your reproductive year are over??
            
            Merry Christmas to you too! Grow up!

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            qwarkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Melpor:
            I read your comment.
            It is quite true. We become victims of our telemere life.
            Geriatric Research is being done to understand telemeres and how thier dissipation can be slowed.
            There will come a day when the causes of death will be understood and remedied...if we continue to exist and evolve.
            Did you read my response to Secularist?
            200 - 300 yrs of life on this planet may be too boring to experience.
            Death for an "intelligent," conscious creature may be the way of "Gaia." 
            Weltschmertz caused by boredom, may be just too painful for unevolved, contemporary man to bear.
            Qwark   :

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               IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Quark you always were a ....
               
               Sorry I'm not ready to be banned from
               the forums.
               
               hey it's Christmas! Merry Christmas!

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                  qwarkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Izzy: I'm still the ultimate pessimist.
                  Back at'cha on the Merry Xmas...:
                  Qwark

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                  Richieb799posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Aging and death is natures way of keeping the balance, if we all continued to live and reproduce the planet would be overcrowded.

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               cathylynn99posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               i could live forever and never get bored. i'm 54 and discovering new joys every day. death, for me, will be an unwelcome interruption to music and poetry.

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                  qwarkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Cathy:
                  Oh if only the music and poetry would continue.
                  I'm sure that we absurd human creatures will, in the very near future, make those subjects, just memories.
                  I listen to what this generation considers to be music i.e "rap," and yearn for the good old days when "music and poetry" was the product of "real" talent and would give me "goosebumps."
                  Those days seemt to be gone forever.
                  The best years have past.
                  Qwark  :

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         jerrylposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Qwark,  I believe there is a lot of truth in your post.  I have come to believe that after experiencing life, everything that happens to a person along the  way, eventually programs the mind to accept the innevitable.
         
         Every bump, bruise, physical malady, sorrowful experience, the loss of those most dear to one, everyday stress, along with the natural aging process, bring one to the point of eventually wishing it was over, and just giving up the fight to stay alive.

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            qwarkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Jerry:
            I'm sure of it!
            Have a great holiday!  :
            Qwark

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               jerrylposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               You have a great holiday also
               Jerry

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         secularist10posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Quark:
         
         "There is only so much one can do on this planet."
         
         Theoretically that's true, but in reality our potential is basically unlimited, because there will always be new experiences to be had and new things to do. All it takes is some imagination. In reality it is impossible to experience every single possible experience the world has to offer.
         
         And anyway, there are many things in life that--although they are not new experiences--nevertheless can be repeated an unlimited number of times anyway for continued happiness and enjoyment. Like watching your favorite movie or having sex or visiting a foreign city or reading your favorite book, etc.
         
         "Even the fabulously wealthy in terms of $, are not happy."
         
         Incorrect. Some are, some are not. Statistics have shown that, up to a point, material wealth has a strong positive correlation with happiness and life satisfaction.
         
         "When one can have everything, what happens after everything has been had and there's no more joy to be found and experienced?"
         
         There is always more joy and happiness to be found. And really, this statement does not apply to you because (I'm willing to bet) you don't have everything. So there is still plenty of potential for your life. If you are willing to seize it.

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            qwarkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Secular:
            I think I explained this, if I didn't I'll do it now.
            The world is shrinking and becoming a very dangerous place for one who likes to investigate countries and cultures.
            As one gets older and becomes a little more infirm everyday, the thought of protecting ones remaining years of life becomes, more and more, a prominent facet of life.
            With "death" approaching rapidly, the aged prefer to stay within the confines of a protective society for their remaining yrs.
            A very rich friend once told me that he had so much money, but he couldn't do with it, that which only the young can do.
            If human life is extended but the debilitating physical aspects of advancing age continue on, one might end up, in 150 yrs, like "Hawking," in a wheel chair with only the mind able to function.
            Man is, as he has always been, a very shrewd, dangerous creature who hasn't a desire to live in peace and advance in accordance to his natural, special, unlimited mental abilities.
            He is becoming more dangerous everyday he exists.
            There exist mysteries and marvels man cannot yet dream of to be found!
            A 200 -300 yr life span would be confining and exponentially more dangerous everyday of our continuing life.
            We exist as effete, protoplasmic creatures who are literal slaves to mother earth.
            If we don't exist long enuf to use genetic engineering, virtual, nano, chemical, electrical and mechanical potential to create a new species of human, which is infinitely more capable than we, our future is gloomy. I'd prefer not to experience it.
            The "Doomsday" clock is ticking!
            Qwark   :

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               secularist10posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               As I explained to melpor, the key is not simply extending human life, but doing it while maintaining energy and strength, i.e. without the negative effects of aging we all know and love. That is one of the major areas of scientific advance today.
               
               Actually, as some people get older, the prospect of leaving the world of the living without having experienced everything they want pushes them to become more adventurous. They figure, "hey, I'm about to die anyway. I might as well enjoy myself while I still can!"
               
               Obviously your dark predictions of the future are your personal opinion, not an inevitable conclusion based on evidence or logic. At the dawn of the nuclear age in the 1940s and 1950s, many thought it was very reasonable to expect the world to come to an end in short order.
               
               Half a century later, we're all still here pursuing happiness and fulfillment. If somebody had given up on life at that point, they would have missed out on a lot of cool stuff.
               
               Oh well. More air, money and women for the rest of us, I guess.

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   paradigmsearchposted 14 years ago

   "Why do we grow old and die?"
   
   FU! I do not want to hear it.!!!!!!

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7. 90

   melporposted 14 years ago

   We  grow old and die because our cells are programmed to divide a limited number of times. This program is control by the length of a portion of the chromosomes called telomeres located on the end of each chromosome. That limit is reached once the telomeres become too short and our cells die by a process called apoptosis or cell programmed death, basically cell suicide. This process of cell death is very well understood in biology. The other reason we grow old and die because our body does not spend all of it energy repairing damaged cells, the vast majority  of the energy is used for maintaining healthy reproductive cells because our cells continue to live on in future generations.

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      cathylynn99posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      exercise lengthens telomeres. you better believe i exercise. i'm going to go do it now.

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   IzzyMposted 14 years ago

   From the day we are born, we start dying. I don't especially want this discussion because I don't think death is far way, even though I'm only 52.
   I've already lost my two brothers - one to a heart attack at 49 and the other to the sea when he was only 18.
   I'd rather death wasn't discussed at all, but I do understand the younger generations have an interest.
   It's part of life. We get used to losing people we know and love.
   
   Merry Christmas to you too!

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9. 90

   melporposted 14 years ago

   That is correct. I said there is no advantage of living a very long life especially pass your reproductive years. After your reproductive years are up your energy level continue to decline slowly after those years and  your health does the same thing. As I said in the previous post, your body does not devote a lot of its energy repairing itself, most of that energy goes to repairing the cells in the reproductive system to make sure your genes are passed to the next generation.

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      IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      And what do you suggest? All women past the menopause die! Wow I feel really great now, I'm still living.
      
      Wait till I go into the kitchen and get that sharp knife!

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         melporposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Izzy, you are not seeing this from the right perspective. Take a look at some of these people who are fortunate to live to 100 years or more in age. What do you see? You see an old person with very limited mobility, poor eyesight, poor hearing, and is most likely unable to take care of themselves. I personally do not want to see myself in that condition. That is the disadvantage of living too long.

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      secularist10posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Melpor,
      
      Firstly, your statement that health and energy declines after the reproductive years is incorrect. For the average person, maybe, because they assume that as they get older they have to become tired and ugly and useless all the time. So that psychological effect might have an effect on the body.
      
      But there are countless men and women who have more energy and more happiness in their 50s and 60s than they did in their teens and 20s.
      
      Secondly, your statement does not mean that old age is inherently a bad thing. You are saying that it is a bad thing because of the decline in energy and health and mobility, etc. Well, this will not be a problem for much longer as I said because science is uncovering new ways to reverse or minimize these negative effects of aging. Thus people will be able to live extremely long lives with relatively high amounts of energy and strength.

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10. 82

    IzzyMposted 14 years ago

    Look. I WORKED with these elderly people for years, and yeah its so sad when Alzheimer's or senile dementia robbed them of their final years.
    
    But let's think for a minute, how much value has the life's experience of a centenian?
    
    Living 100 years on this Earth used to be rare, now its almost common. The things these people have learned in this life make them double the value you could possibly place on a 20 year old.
    
    So cut the crap.
    
    Old people have their place here as much if not more than youngsters.

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       melporposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Izzy, I do not  joke when I post comments.  I am very serious with my comments. I am not downing the elders. I respect them a lot. All I am saying is why would anyone want to live for more than a 100 years or more when their health deteriorates as they get older. The average life expectancy is approximately 83 years for a women and about 78 years for a man in the United States. Yes, we are living longer, but not by much since the last 30 years and less than 1 percent of the world population is living to the age of 100 years or more. We are already reaching our biological limit of about 120 years set by a french woman who lived to the ripe old age of 122 years. She is the only known person on record who has lived two decades passed the century mark.

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          IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          All I'm asking for is a little respect for the elderly.
          Yeah biologically they are dying, but come on, these people aren't finished when their bodies start packing up.

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    IzzyMposted 14 years ago

    Before anyone jumps in, I think I'd like to explain my position.
    I'm 52 years old, and I hurt as much as the next person to a harsh word.
    I find I've much the same head on me as I had when I was 20, I think the same way.
    Difference is, I have a life's experience behind me. I can pick things from my life and use a little bit of that experience to deal with situations.
    This is what our elderly have.
    The elderly in any society have never been given the respect they should be offered.
    These people have a wealth of knowledge that they may not even realise they have...they don't realise they could write it online and maybe make a fortune!
    No offence to the younger generation, but you didn't invent sex!
    
    Thing is, your 100 year old great gran could probably tell you everything you need to know, if only you'd thought to ask her.
    
    So your boyfriend/husband is cheating, you think granny doesn't know what to say, or how to make things right?
    It didn't happen in her day? No??

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    arbposted 14 years ago

    If you grow old before you die, count your blessings!

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    jantamayaposted 14 years ago

    Because our chromosomes do have the endings named telomeres. When we’re young the telomeres are long, when we age the telomeres are getting shorter… When they are VERY short we are old :-)and than we have to die. :-|

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    thisismylife9123posted 14 years ago

    I think that we grow old and pass on because we have done all that we possibly could have for this world and God decides that we have done it all well. I am a christian so please don't judge me for my beliefs.

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    Midnight Oilposted 14 years ago

    I was told by a wise native American Indian that i was in an 80 year plus dream, and that one day I will wake up. 
    
    I am just relaxing and enjoying this dream...

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    mrpopoposted 14 years ago

    Without death, there cannot be life.
    
    Can you imagine trying to fit in every organism in existence if death didn't exist? We'd easily become overcrowded.

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       Midnight Oilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       ...and the government doesn't like us living too long either  - cost them a fortune in care

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    IzzyMposted 14 years ago

    I'd like to publicly apologise to qwark for almost 'having a go' at him last night when I stupidly went online after having a few at a Christmas Eve party.
    Too much to drink yet not quite enough to be unable to type...sorry.

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    Sophia Angeliqueposted 14 years ago

    I have a category in my life. It is called, "The questions I cannot answer and nobody else can either."
    
    This is one of those categories.
    
    Now, the more important question is, "What am I making for supper tonight."

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       Midnight Oilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       "Now, the more important question is, "What am I making for supper tonight."
       
       Left over turkey perchance ? 

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          Sophia Angeliqueposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Don't celebrate Christmas.
          
          Had Hopple Popple for lunch (eggs, sausage, pototoes and peppers) and a nice cup of cinnamon tea (and ice cream in it) afterwards.
          
          I think there might be some bananas and apples somewhere but that's about all the food I have in the house right now. Oh, yes, a couple of bags of lentils but I really don't feel like making lentil soup...
          
          I think a nice fruit salad, a little cottage cheese (if there is any left over), a dash of spice, and a cup of English tea.
          
          Supper taken care of!

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             Midnight Oilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Sounds good to me...
             
             I would prefer not to celebrate Christmas either, but it's easier to just go with the flow, grin and bear it.  Just for the kids and family.  It will soon be the 4th January and back to normality.
             
             I have Christmas Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - it's kind of my Vietnam. It's a long story, but I had a real Christmas from hell 12 years ago, and only now I am starting to recover.   
             
             Enjoy your supper...

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                Sophia Angeliqueposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                "I have Christmas Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'
                
                That brought forth a burst of laughter from me...

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    NP.QUEENposted 14 years ago

    Aging and death is a biological process for keeping the balance of nature.Try to eat more fruits and do exercise regularly can keep your body more attractive.

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       canadawest99posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       If we truly lived in unison with this planet, we would have purpose at any age and not be bored and a waste of skin.  Young people would be respected for their vigour to improve the world and older people would be tapped for their extensive experience and our entire race would improve.
       
       But no, instead we are just a bunch of fanatic retard consumers buying up junk to dump in a land fill.   No wonder life has no meaning for so many.

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