In a 100-Year Life, Health is Wealth!
Health is Wealth – OKC MLK Health Equity March 2007 with my son and two of his neighborhood friends.
In The 100-Year Life, authors Lynda Gratton and Andrew J. Scott highlight the global rise in lifespan, prompting governments and individuals to reconsider the models and current living practices to proactively plan for a longer life.[1] Such attention means intentionally redesigning how we think about life and time. While we all have a finite existence, we should be praying and asking God how we can make the most of the precious existence that He has entrusted to us. Each of us has been called for such a time as this; for some, they will have nearly 100 years of contributions!
This blog will attempt to demonstrate evidence for the problems of The 100-Year Life. It will consider the impact along with secular and faith-based ideas for solutions to prevent future gaps while treating existing ones.
In the University of Oregon’s Mapping History graph, the United States has seen a 108 percent increase in lifespan since 1850, when people generally lived until age 38. Today, they are living for nearly 80 years.[2] In that same timeframe, the U.S. population has exploded by more than 1300 percent, documenting 23,191,876 Americans, while the U.S. Census Bureau reports today’s U.S. population is swelling to more than 331,000,000.[3]
Since society is growing and living longer, we see the economic impact of rising healthcare costs and waning pension systems. More community resources, such as childcare and eldercare, are needed but may be limited, especially in impoverished areas. The environment is also impacted. For example, more people means more water and food to sustain them. Policy shifts are needed to support society’s transformation better as cultural norms shift. We are seeing a return to intergenerational families because many older Americans don’t have enough money to survive independently.
“With foresight and planning, a long life is a gift, not a curse. How you choose to use and structure that time is at the heart of the response to living longer,”[4] said Gratton and Scott. In his book Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman said there is danger in being “Driven by delusional optimism. People don’t act or plan appropriately, not because they are terrified about the consequences of their action, but rather because they are ridiculously optimistic about the future and themselves.”[5] I would add to Kahneman’s statement that optimism is essential to mental health. Still, I would also like to create a strategy that includes discipline and targeted actions for long-term sustainability.
While improving financial circumstances is undoubtedly vital in addressing some of the forthcoming challenges, solutions can also be found in conserving intangible assets.
The United Methodist Book of Discipline refers to social principles, urging Methodists to be responsible stewards of the natural world, including water, air, soil, plants, and animal life. It calls on individuals to “Reduce consumption of resources by the affluent and to consider the impact on the total world community.”[6] It also defines support for programs to achieve a “Stabilized population in a context of total economic and social development.”[7]
The Book of Discipline directs followers to nurture one another in the community by affirming the worth and integrity of each person as a child made in the image of God. Disrupt injustices such as abuse and neglect, and resist feeling apathy and judgment toward people experiencing poverty.
Other ways to live a longer and more prosperous life include taking care of your health. American philosopher and author Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The First Wealth is Health.”[8] Recognize your identity by choosing what you want to do and how you want to do it. Be a continuous learner and plan to work in several different career fields. Adults are no longer considered non-traditional college students.
Business and government leaders will need to have more futuristic views of a multi-generational workforce and know how to support their diverse needs across the ages best. Retirement also will likely come later for more people.
Ultimately, transformational change will come through a two-fold approach, including measures to prevent economic and social gaps in the future while treating existing gaps for those experiencing them today. As I learned firsthand in my first career in public health, prevention is always cheaper than treatment. Coming from a family of women who lived to nearly 100, I consider myself fortunate as a likely contender for that opportunity.
[1] Gratton, Lynda. The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.
[2] “Mapping History: Life Expectancy 1850-2000 – Life Expectancy Graphs.” Accessed October 6, 2024. https://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US39-01.html.
[3] Bureau, US Census. “2020 Census Apportionment Results Delivered to the President.” Census.Gov. Accessed October 6, 2024. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2020-census-apportionment-results.html.
[4] Gratton, Lynda. The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.p.3
[5] Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. 1st pbk. ed. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.
[6] United Methodist Church (U.S.), ed. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. Nashville, Tenn: United Methodist Pub. House, 2000.p.107
[7] Ibid. p.107
[8] Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Ralph Waldo Emerson Collection: A Collected Essays and Lectures: Nature, the American Scholar, Essays: First and Second Series, Representative Men, the Conduct of Life, English Traits. Columbia, SC: Independently Published, 2023.p.36
About the Author
Jennifer Eckert
Fundraising director, people connector, believer in second chances, fights poverty, supports justice reform, lives a life integrated with Matthew 25.10 responses to “In a 100-Year Life, Health is Wealth!”
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Hi Jennifer,
Nice blogpost.
You wrote, “we should be praying and asking God how we can make the most of the precious existence that He has entrusted to us.”
Absolutely!
But sadly I don’t remember asking God what HIS plan was for my life. High School, college, US Army seemed all ME driven rather than God driven. Still at the second retirement stage, I can see his handprints upon my life.
Epilogue. (from my post)
Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits For Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead, by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder | Mar 18, 2016
speaks to me and my second stage retirement.
My return to Eastern Europe, to chaotic summer sports camps, games, and bad camp food were knocking on my mental and spiritual door. The following I week I would be in Ukraine, then Hungary (the place of 26 years of missions work).
I was happy.
I also rediscovered my joy and perhaps next stage of life’s purpose – GoodSports Director for Ukraine and straight out of left field, GoodSports Kenya.
Apparently, at 65, God is not finished with me yet.
Shalom.
Thank you, Russell, for sharing your insight and reflections. I pray that God won’t be done with you for a very long time. You have lots of work to do on behalf of Him. It’s an honor to know you.
Hi Jennifer,
As a leader what strategies will you implement to support the diverse needs of a multi-generational workforce and promote transformational change?
Thank you, Shela. I believe the people closest to the problem or need to have the best and most important solutions. Who am I to determine what someone else needs or wants? In a true style of collaborative leadership, I will listen first to what the front-line people have to say. From there, I will negotiate support resources to reach a win-win solution. Finally, I will always be willing to be wrong and to defend that change based on new data and insight.
Hi Jennifer, You hit on the inequities that wealth (not just limited to money) may have on longevity. Jeff discussed this too but with a bit of a different perspective, both of which are interesting. Can you think of any first steps that could be taken to initiate some of the transformation? Peace.
I have been thinking a lot about elder care lately and how older adults can feel invisible after they have retired from successful careers and raised children who now have their own families. Purpose is a key quality that I strongly believe must remain at the forefront. We all need purpose. Creating ways to engage marginalized individuals is a first step toward learning their giftings, which may change at different stages and ages. Understanding those giftings and utilizing them is a step toward helping someone fulfill their purpose. Sadly, the U.S. culture has pushed older adults aside. I would argue they are wanted and needed.
Thanks, Jennifer. Given the projected increase in lifespan and the challenges associated with a longer life, how do you think individuals and communities proactively plan to address the potential gaps in social support systems, like healthcare and intergenerational care, to ensure that living longer remains a blessing rather than a burden?
Thanks, Glyn. The first step is to collectively acknowledge an issue that should be addressed. Nothing can be done independently of community support and togetherness. I propose collaborating between public health and faith leaders to reach the most people. Community meetings can be held to generate interest; from there, key strategies can be mobilized for the greatest impact and the farthest reach. I don’t claim to have the answers; however, my experience of battling the tobacco industry in a stronghold state tells me we are nothing without the main voices impacted by the issue, who should be serving on the front line of change. Our role as supporters is to train grassroots leaders to be the best voices possible for such a time as this. Prayer and supplication will guide our steps as followers of Jesus.
Jennifer, thanks for looking at this issue from multiple angles. You raise the question of sustainability. Where and how do we become sustainable as individuals? And can you point to sustainable actions we could be doing better as a society? (Yes, that’s a HUGE question and not one answered easily, except by “experts”… whoever they may be.)
I also wonder if there is an inherent conflict between the view of Gratton and Scott, and the view of Kahneman, when it comes to optimism?
Hi Jennifer, thank you for your post and the data you provided concerning the U.S. population. That was an eye-opening percent change! Since reading “The 100-Year Life,” I’m curious to know if you have observed how an incarcerated person might view their life regarding longevity and the three-stage vs. multi-stage life? Did you find any of Scott and Gratton’s ideas relevant to their context? Thanks again!