{"id":38674,"date":"2024-10-06T14:52:43","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T21:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38674"},"modified":"2024-10-07T08:17:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T15:17:09","slug":"in-a-100-year-life-health-is-wealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/in-a-100-year-life-health-is-wealth\/","title":{"rendered":"In a 100-Year Life, Health is Wealth!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Health is Wealth – OKC MLK Health Equity March 2007 with my son and two of his neighborhood friends.<\/p><\/div>\n

In The 100-Year Life<\/em>, 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]<\/a> 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!<\/p>\n

This blog will attempt to demonstrate evidence for the problems of The 100-Year Life<\/em>. It will consider the impact along with secular and faith-based ideas for solutions to prevent future gaps while treating existing ones.<\/p>\n

In the University of Oregon’s Mapping History <\/em>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]<\/a> \u00a0In 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]<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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]<\/a> said Gratton and Scott. In his book Thinking Fast and Slow, <\/em>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]<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

While improving financial circumstances is undoubtedly vital in addressing some of the forthcoming challenges, solutions can also be found in conserving intangible assets.<\/p>\n

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]<\/a> It also defines support for programs to achieve a “Stabilized population in a context of total economic and social development.”[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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]<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Gratton, Lynda. The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity<\/em>. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> \u201cMapping History: Life Expectancy 1850-2000 – Life Expectancy Graphs.\u201d Accessed October 6, 2024. https:\/\/mappinghistory.uoregon.edu\/english\/US\/US39-01.html.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Bureau, US Census. \u201c2020 Census Apportionment Results Delivered to the President.\u201d Census.Gov<\/em>. Accessed October 6, 2024. https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2021\/2020-census-apportionment-results.html.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Gratton, Lynda. The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity<\/em>. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.p.3<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em>. 1st pbk. ed. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> United Methodist Church (U.S.), ed. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church<\/em>. Nashville, Tenn: United Methodist Pub. House, 2000.p.107<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid. p.107<\/p>\n

<\/a>\u00a0[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<\/em>. Columbia, SC: Independently Published, 2023.p.36<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":193,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2979,3289],"class_list":["post-38674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlpg03","tag-grattonscott","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/193"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38674"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38685,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38674\/revisions\/38685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}