Running: A Fever

Longevity is a key aspect of what we try to do on this show. I can't tell you a whole lot about how to live a good life. But I assume we will find a way to do that, and that life will be so good that we'll want it to last as long as possible. We do that, by loving our lives and taking care of them. Longevity, as an average, generally increases over time, at least in recent times. One way you can see this is to go to the actuarial tables of the social security administration in the U.S. Currently, on the website only the data from 2004 to 2017 are available in an easy to digest table, and there is more if you dig deeper and know something about statistics, going back to 1900. At birth, someone born in 2017 is expected to live 80.96 years. Someone born in 1900 was likely to live only into his or her late 40's. When I was born in 1966 the number was into the late '60s. But that doesn't mean I'm going to die in my 60's, because with each year you live (or more accurately don't die), you increase your life expecta