Post: #1

Here's an article about a Greek island with a large amount of people over 90 years old who even remain active into old age.

The Island Where People Forget to Die

The author writes a lot about the lifestyle that contributes to such long lives. Basically they eat a healthy diet, drink wine, sleep well, and have strong bonds with family and community. Nothing shocking here (although it is news to the typical ). Here the author compares and contrasts life on Ikaria and life in 'Murka.

Quote:If you pay careful attention to the way Ikarians have lived their lives, it appears that a dozen subtly powerful, mutually enhancing and pervasive factors are at work. It’s easy to get enough rest if no one else wakes up early and the village goes dead during afternoon naptime. It helps that the cheapest, most accessible foods are also the most healthful — and that your ancestors have spent centuries developing ways to make them taste good. It’s hard to get through the day in Ikaria without walking up 20 hills. You’re not likely to ever feel the existential pain of not belonging or even the simple stress of arriving late. Your community makes sure you’ll always have something to eat, but peer pressure will get you to contribute something too. You’re going to grow a garden, because that’s what your parents did, and that’s what your neighbors are doing. You’re less likely to be a victim of crime because everyone at once is a busybody and feels as if he’s being watched. At day’s end, you’ll share a cup of the seasonal herbal tea with your neighbor because that’s what he’s serving. Several glasses of wine may follow the tea, but you’ll drink them in the company of good friends. On Sunday, you’ll attend church, and you’ll fast on Orthodox feast days. Even if you’re antisocial, you’ll never be entirely alone. Your neighbors will cajole you out of your house for the village festival to eat your portion of goat meat.

Every one of these factors can be tied to longevity. That’s what the $70 billion diet industry and $20 billion health-club industry do in their efforts to persuade us that if we eat the right food or do the right workout, we’ll be healthier, lose weight and live longer. But these strategies rarely work. Not because they’re wrong-minded: it’s a good idea for people to do any of these healthful activities. The problem is, it’s difficult to change individual behaviors when community behaviors stay the same. In the United States, you can’t go to a movie, walk through the airport or buy cough medicine without being routed through a gantlet of candy bars, salty snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages. The processed-food industry spends more than $4 billion a year tempting us to eat. How do you combat that? Discipline is a good thing, but discipline is a muscle that fatigues. Sooner or later, most people cave in to relentless temptation.

Long life doesn't rank too highly on my list of priorities, but it is interesting how a simple life, like that of the Ikarians, can promote happiness and fulfillment. The shame is that the 21st century is doing its best to move people away from this simplicity.

Then there's this quote, which, although about longevity, could easily apply to other features, say traditional gender roles, obesity, or delusional entitlement.

Quote:The big aha for me, having studied populations of the long-lived for nearly a decade, is how the factors that encourage longevity reinforce one another over the long term. For people to adopt a healthful lifestyle, I have become convinced, they need to live in an ecosystem, so to speak, that makes it possible. As soon as you take culture, belonging, purpose or religion out of the picture, the foundation for long healthy lives collapses. The power of such an environment lies in the mutually reinforcing relationships among lots of small nudges and default choices. There’s no silver bullet to keep death and the diseases of old age at bay. If there’s anything close to a secret, it’s silver buckshot.

Post: #2

This was a great article. Ya know, we live in a culture that is so materialistic, that bombards us constantly with the message that we need more stuff to be happy, that it helps a lot to see reminders like this on the kinds of things which actually can help us lead a good life.

Post: #3

Another contributing factor is the lack of stress.

At least, that's what my friend tells me (they've got a house there.)