Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

sasha031

(6,700 posts)
Wed Dec 5, 2012, 03:39 PM Dec 2012

The Island Where People Forget to Die



In 1943, a Greek war veteran named Stamatis Moraitis came to the United States for treatment of a combat-mangled arm. He’d survived a gunshot wound, escaped to Turkey and eventually talked his way onto the Queen Elizabeth, then serving as a troopship, to cross the Atlantic. Moraitis settled in Port Jefferson, N.Y., an enclave of countrymen from his native island, Ikaria. He quickly landed a job doing manual labor. Later, he moved to Boynton Beach, Fla. Along the way, Moraitis married a Greek-American woman, had three children and bought a three-bedroom house and a 1951 Chevrolet.

One day in 1976, Moraitis felt short of breath. Climbing stairs was a chore; he had to quit working midday. After X-rays, his doctor concluded that Moraitis had lung cancer. As he recalls, nine other doctors confirmed the diagnosis. They gave him nine months to live. He was in his mid-60s.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html?pagewanted=all

Mineral Man's delightful post a moment ago, reminds me of a wonderful piece I had read awhile ago.
Hope everyone enjoys this as much as I have
13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The Island Where People Forget to Die (Original Post) sasha031 Dec 2012 OP
Excellent... Elad Dec 2012 #1
I think we would all live longer if we forgot how old we are. randome Dec 2012 #2
ditto. :D roguevalley Dec 2012 #11
Yes. How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were? byeya Dec 2012 #3
9 months older than most of us remember to say. :D roguevalley Dec 2012 #12
good article jollyreaper2112 Dec 2012 #4
Well worth the read malaise Dec 2012 #5
I thought so too sasha031 Dec 2012 #7
And they have 40% unemployment and don't care. Speck Tater Dec 2012 #6
think there's very few clocks there sasha031 Dec 2012 #8
Age is only a state of mind. ReRe Dec 2012 #9
Wow he looks happy! AllyCat Dec 2012 #10
Hill walking ErikJ Dec 2012 #13

jollyreaper2112

(1,941 posts)
4. good article
Wed Dec 5, 2012, 04:24 PM
Dec 2012

The key takeaway is that all of the healthy lifestyle components need to be taken together. Together, they are reinforcing. Apart, they don't work as well. And the American lifestyle is geared towards early death.

sasha031

(6,700 posts)
7. I thought so too
Wed Dec 5, 2012, 04:56 PM
Dec 2012

what's so lovely is the young still go to the mainland for higher ed, then return & have families.
it's the island of the circle of life

 

Speck Tater

(10,618 posts)
6. And they have 40% unemployment and don't care.
Wed Dec 5, 2012, 04:54 PM
Dec 2012

Nobody watches the clock. Nobody cares what time it is. They wake up when they wake up, even if that's not till 10:00 AM or later. Nobody cares if they have a lot of money or not. They have escaped from the rat race. They are the polar opposite of our society.

sasha031

(6,700 posts)
8. think there's very few clocks there
Wed Dec 5, 2012, 04:59 PM
Dec 2012

they do their own farming, share everything with the rest of the island, very self sufficient.

ReRe

(10,597 posts)
9. Age is only a state of mind.
Wed Dec 5, 2012, 06:12 PM
Dec 2012

You're as young as you want to be, and not a day older! Mind over matter.! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful article. What a story!!!!

 

ErikJ

(6,335 posts)
13. Hill walking
Wed Dec 5, 2012, 10:50 PM
Dec 2012

"It’s hard to get through the day in Ikaria without walking up 20 hills. "
I read his great book "Blue Zones" and the same goes for Italy's Sardinia island. THey have the largest concentration of centenarian men in the world because they walk so many hills there.
So I have taken up walking up a 70 foot set of stairs every day for the past year. And never felt better.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»The Island Where People F...