What about the least of these?
On Saturday, a small crowd gathered to celebrate my grandma’s life. She died five weeks before her 94th birthday. Those gathered to celebrate her life were at least 15 years younger than her. She was the last in her circle of friends and family members from her generation. I am privileged to have known my grandma for 40 years. She was my last grandparent to die, but one of three of my grandparents to have lived to or past 90 years. For their generation, they had unusually long and healthy lives.
According to Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott’s book The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, my grandma’s long life is becoming less of a rarity as life expectancy increases. Over half of the children born today are expected to live to or beyond 105 years.[1] The 100-Year Life addresses some of the complexities behind people living longer lives. These include shifts in traditional stages of life, the need to be ready for change, financial and health implications, and the psychosocial impact on individuals, corporations, and society facing longer life expectancy. A theme woven throughout the book is the need to be flexible, adaptable, and ready to change with changing times.
The 100-Year Life was practical and fun to read. It answered or affirmed several of my questions and concerns about living into my 90s, which I have asked in the past solely based on my family’s genetics. I was pleased to learn that there is potential for a decrease in morbidity with an extended life span.[2] As a healthcare provider who sees worst-case scenarios, this is a big fear of mine. I was thrilled to get 100% on the “Big 5” financial questions.[3] I just learned two of the answers this past year. It was encouraging to see that, according to Gratton and Scott, I am on an excellent trajectory to support a long life.
The book affirmed some of my lifestyle choices and, at the same time, elicited many questions and concerns about society in a 100-year life. There were many directions I could have taken with this blog.
Transition: How will society adjust to a life with multiple transition phases? What could we learn about this through William Bridge’s transitional model?[4]
Personal calling: Since we will live and work longer, it is vital to do that in our “sweet spot,” as Tom Camacho encourages, allowing us to live a full life in our God-designed calling.[5]
Non-anxious leaders: As society shifts and changes, non-anxious leaders will be essential. We will need ready and willing leaders to do new and hard things against the status quo. What could we apply from Freidman’s leadership principles in A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix?
These are all topics I would like to explore and compare in more depth. For this blog, I chose to examine the issue of the effect of a longer life for the least in society. Gratton and Scott briefly mention the rich-poor discrepancy in which the wealthy live longer than those in poverty.[6] Their perspective seems to come from a Western context as they conclude that life at the 100-year age will be seen worldwide, with low-middle-income countries further behind.[7] This triggered many questions concerning those in low-middle-income countries:
How far behind will their life expectancy change?
In what ways will changes in the West affect those countries still combating significant national poverty?
As the Western world changes and adapts to a longer lifespan and different life stages, how will that affect other societies that need to maintain a more traditional trajectory of the 3-stage education, work, and retirement model?
I have some assumptions and speculations about this based on my experience living in Africa. I agree that life expectancy is increasing even in the poorest countries, but it is prolonged, and I am skeptical that it will reach 100 in developing nations. Without a significant change in worldwide efforts to combat poverty, I cannot imagine a majority of the children in my country or similar countries who survive childhood reaching their 80s, let alone their 90s or 100s. Because of this, I think some countries and societies will continue the 3-stage model due to lower life expectancy and morbidity. The contradictions between high-income and middle-low-income countries will continue expanding, not just on a slower path.
This has left me in an unexpected conundrum. The 100-Year Life was helpful for my personal life application, but how will the long lives of the West affect my friends and colleagues in Africa? Will the Western world focus so much on its societal changes that it will become even more removed from those in less privileged environments? As I prepare my personal affairs for a potentially long life, how do I reconcile that most of my African neighbors are projected to die 20 or more years before me? How can I continue to bridge the gap between these two worlds that seem to drift further and further apart?
My conclusion is to continue being a searcher and a learner, attempting to be flexible and adaptable as I steward my life, health, finances, and calling. As my grandma entered her 90s, she often said, “He (God) must not be ready for me yet.” So, I will ask, “Do the decisions I am making today show that I am trusting in the Sovereign God and seeking His purpose for me here on earth?”
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[1] Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, E-book (London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2020), 1.
[2] Gratton and Scott, The 100-Year Life, 23.
[3] Gratton and Scott, The 100-Year Life, 161.
[4] “Bridges Transition Model,” William Bridges Associates, accessed October 9, 2024, https://wmbridges.com/about/what-is-transition/.
[5] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders Through Coaching, Kindle ed (London, England: InterVarsity Press, 2019), 98.
[6] Gratton and Scott, The 100-Year Life, 233.
[7] Gratton and Scott, The 100-Year Life, 20.
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV18 responses to “What about the least of these?”
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Hi Kari, I love that you ask yourself the question if your decisions today show that you are trusting a Sovereign God. Even when do everything “right” as far as saving and transforming, the ultimate reality of our future is unknown to all of us. How do you think the decisions you make now might inform your future self – not necessarily financially but in the intangibles? Peace
Diane, you are so right that we can do everything right and still not be able to control the future outcomes. I make decisions, I can look back to times when I made decisions in faith and have seen God do amazing things. That helps inform my decisions now and encourages me to remember God’s promises. The more I put my trust in our Sovereign Creator, the more holistically healthy I am in the intangibles. As I keep practicing this, I hope I will continue to be faster in trusting God!
Kari,
Thanks for reflecting on both your personal circumstances and the circumstances of the people you work with. You also address this tension, which is one you likely live in every day. Even if life-expectancy increases a somewhat in your context, what might some of the unique challenges be for the people you serve?
Hi Graham,
I have seen life expectancy increase here and have seen some of the challenges that society faces. As people live longer (even if just a few years long), it stresses the already limited resources available. The global problem I see is that the development of the country (income, health care, education, resources, etc.) is not increasing at the same pace as life expectancy. This leaves families living in poverty, straining their already insufficient resources. Because of the respect this culture has for age and wisdom, I suspect resources will be allocated to help the elderly, taking away from the healthcare and education of the young.
Kari,
How long do you see yourself staying in Africa? Do you think living in Africa will have any impact on your life expectancy?
It seems that prior to 2020 (COVID) the world was making great strides on combatting global poverty except for Africa. According to Megan Kharas and Meagan Dooley it is due to population growth and stagnant economies.[1] As a healthcare provider what is one solution you would suggest to combatting the poverty issue specifically in Africa?
[1] Megan Kharas and Meagan Dooley, “The Evolution of Global Poverty, 1990-2030, Brookings Institute, February 2, 2022, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-evolution-of-global-poverty-1990-2030/
Jeff,
You ask such great questions that the blog website asked me to approve your comment! 😉
I see myself here in Africa for the foreseeable future. However, I suspect it will evolve over time, hopefully including more traveling and consulting in other locations. The harsher living environments do effect those of us living here and impact our longevity. Studies have been done on the stress levels of those living in developing regions and we live at a much higher baseline than in the developed world. Stress directly affects health. What this has done for me is helped me evaluate my life decisions at a younger age than I may have done it if living in the USA. I am putting things in practice to combat some of this, as much as I am able. I’m glad God is ultimately in control!
The solution I suggest for combatting poverty is a holistic health practice: LISTEN. The lack of listening to those in Africa has affected the health and well-being of those living here holistically and globally. Sorry for the essay, Jeff. You nailed my NPO and my passion.
Hi Kari,
What insights from “The 100-Year Life” were most affirming or surprising to you, and why?
Hi Shela,
I felt affirmed by the authors’ perspective on preparation for the future concerning health and finances. I see these going hand-in-hand and are two things I am passionate about in my own life.
Kari,
I appreciate that you speak into this part of the challenge of this book. It was certainly written with a Western mindset. Since leaving Kenya 5 years ago, many of my friends have died. If someone lives to the ripe old age of 60 in my village it was seen as a tremendous blessing. I do not think many people lived much beyond. When we account for the childhood disease killing children before the age of 5 then I am certain that the average lifespan there is much much lower than the rest of the world. It was a good reminder that there is a continual disparity between the two worlds.
Kari, I had a question similar to Adam’s: How does the environment in your world affect longevity?
Adam’s comment is valid in my country, too. Childhood deaths are high, and longevity in my country is currently around 64 years. Cultural factors concerning health, nutrition, exercise, and age also contribute. See my comment to Jeff above about some of the more significant financial and development issues also in play.
Thanks, Adam. In RIM, statistics say life expectancy is around 64. I would say this is true in the capital, but probably much lower in the villages.
Kari, thank you for your post and your thought-provoking insights into taking a deeper dive beyond Western civilization. As you think about the 100 Year Life, is there a particular theme is this reading that could be applied to your context that might be beneficial?
Hi Darren,
Thanks for your question. In my opinion, the greatest application is the importance of the intangibles to the holistic health and well-being of individuals and cultures.
Hi Kari, thanks for your post! You have good genes and will likely be in the 50% that live beyond 100!
Thank you for sharing the difficulty in processing the disparity between longevity in wealthy countries compared to developing nations. These things are easier to process when there is some distance between yourself and the reality (ie. someone living in a developed country with only second-hand knowledge of the disparity). I can image this is difficult.
How have you processed other hard/unjust things like lack of access to the gospel in unreached places?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom, we all have much to learn from you!
Thank you for your kind comments, Christy. The global disparities I process through Scripture, particularly concerning God’s character and His promises. Practically it means letting go of control and trying to make results happen, and trusting step by step in God’s sovereignty.
I view the lack of access to the Gospel through the lens of Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” 2 Peter 3:9 has also been helpful.
Kari, in your post, you reference the gap between the two worlds you inhabit. Do you think your time in Africa will affect your longevity? What effect does being in Africa have on your ability to plan for a longer life?
Chad, thank you for these great questions. I answered the first one in Jeff’s response above. In short, yes, I think Africa’s stress impacts my health and longevity.
Concerning my ability to plan for a longer life, the two areas I have had to be most deliberate about are financial and health. I have to choose to trust God’s guidance and provision in these areas, or I could easily be depressed! I take agency in these areas in what I can do, and I have seen God bless me in remarkable ways. This has helped me learn to let go of control and be more flexible and adaptable, which is a positive factor toward my longevity.