Should Enhancing Longevity Alone Be A Human Goal?
From time immemorial, man has been striving to enhance his longevity – to live longer than ever before. He has been remarkably successful so far despite setbacks caused by modern life diseases like cancer, AIDs and a host of other life-threatening ailments. Even though longevity has been on the rise, the self-goal of crossing the 100-year milestone still eludes him barring instances of individuals occasionally attaining such distinction.
The world may not boast today of having many centenarians. But with advanced genetic research, medical breakthroughs and improved healthcare, the 21st century is likely to attain an average longevity crossing the magic 100-year mark for the human race. Life is already not so smooth going for those in the age group of 60 and above. Those, who happen to watch today the aged struggle with their lives, may be appalled by the prospect of the world being swamped soon by centenarians. Such a scenario is likely to raise the basic question: Should efforts be merely to enhance longevity or improve quality of life? Who knows the question itself would someday become redundant – scientific and medical advances might have then mitigated the misery of old age living and centenarians would rule the roost.