My son brought up an excellent point: why is longevity rather than quality of life a priority?

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

His point seemed to come out, spontaneously.

I asked him what prompted him to think about such things.

He said, "You."

I am still dumbstruck, sort of. He gets that, at my mid-age, my quality of life will be sacrificed should I get sick because I have no assurance I will get the care I need. I am sure the fact both my sister and father have been struck with unpredictable cancers have influenced his thoughts.

What's most interesting, to me, is how he characterized life as either a quality or kinda quantity issue.

[SteppingRazor]

1. Well, I think the obvious answer is that it's a false dichotomy.

You needn't have one or the other -- why not both?

That said, I would certainly take a briefer life packed with fun, love and thrills than a long life of ennui, loneliness and unhappiness. And all in all, I think I've lived according to that view.

[postulater]

3. That's why our focus should be

health CARE not health INSURANCE.

The insurance system we have now is DISEASE care not HEALTH care.

But it's hard to sell health, very little profit in education and lifestyle enhancement.

[kimmerspixelated]

14. Touche'!!!

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

5. I think the point is,...

,...why invest so much in either uncertainty or suffering rather than improving present conditions.

I think.

He left me "thinking". When I pressed him a bit, he shrugged me off.

:shrug:

[JackintheGreen]

2. Quite simply

people are scared of death, which they can imagine, but are not so fearful of suffering, which is much harder to conceive unless you've experienced it up close and personal.

[rox63]

4. You have no chance for a good quality of life if you are dead

So my goal is to have a good life for as long as possible. Why can't we have both?

[Breeze54]

12. lmao! ~ True!!

:rofl:

I vote for longevity! :P

Then I'll go quietly in my sleep. ;)

[Donnachaidh]

6. I think people just flat out fear dying - because of their religious beliefs

If you have concerns that you are going to *hell* after you die, of course people would want longevity. And it doesn't even have to be a fear because of something truly *bad* that you've done. George Carlin used to joke about going to hell for eating a baloney sandwich on Friday (for all the Catholics), many may fear it just because of their indoctrination as to what *waits* for them on the other side. :shrug:

[Der Blaue Engel]

15. I fear it and I'm an atheist

Of course, I was raised fundie, so it very well could be the lingering psychological damage of all that hell talk, but I fear it...a lot.

[bluerum]

7. The longer you live and the poorer you are, the longer you are in the "work force".

[4_TN_TITANS]

8. Smart kid....

I've noticed that mine have benefited from my DU influence. My 12 yr old sent a thread Friday on reasons to be a vegetarian. Meat is getting on her conscientous

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

10. I think our kids sober us away from complexities we've created for ourselves.

WE make life complicated.

Basic human needs and wants are simple.

[Kansas Wyatt]

9. More money to be made when the customer lives longer.

That is the bottom line for our Health Industry.

There is no golden goose when there are cures.

[ladjf]

11. Maybe because most people feel that "death" is not a desirable

quality of life situation. "Hogs breath is better than no breath at all."

[NashVegas]

13. Control Freaks

To live a long life, there are elements one can control that will factor in: smoking or not; meat-eating or not; city living or not; organ transplants or not; coffee or tea, etc., etc.

To live a life that is packed with love / joy / and all the other stuff, one must accept that they can't always be in control; the plan depends too much on other people and occasionally stepping into the abyss, quite possibly falling smack on your face a few times, and also possibly experiencing great sorrow.

[KoKo]

16. Good point...but one goes with the other..."hand in glove." n/t

[knitter4democracy]

17. Quality of life is always the main question.

Why do most people go to the doctor when they're sick? Quality of life. Some go sooner, some go later, but if things get bad enough, everyone goes eventually. Longevity's a side effect. If you get things taken care of early when they're just starting to affect quality of life, you live longer (statistically). If you put them off, putting up with poor quality of life (through pain or bad symptoms or whatever), you won't live longer.

Of course, if we had a national health care system that paid for preventative care, we'd all be living longer. They do in countries with national health care systems.

[EFerrari]

18. Because it would be nicer to be here than to be considerate fertilizer?

[Thothmes]

19. Longevity vs Quality of Life

Is a rather esoteric subject when a person or one of their loved ones is healthy. It becomes more problematic when this is not the case. My wife at the age of 53 suffered two massive strokes withing a year. She is bed ridden, blind and remembers nothing after Aug 2003. Taking care of her is the same as seeing to a 3 month old infant. She has no control of bodily function, must be hand fed, I have to get up several times a night to roll her over in bed. Even have to scratch her head for her. Modern medicine will probably keep her alive for at least a couple of more decades. I don't know the answer to the OP question. I guess in my heart I some times wish she would pass to end what I would think is her suffering. But I could not bear the thought of being without her in my life even in the condition she is in. Just don't know what the answer is.

[Habibi]

22. What a heartbreaking story

I'm so sorry, for you and your wife. Many good wishes to you!

[Thothmes]

23. Thank You

[bemildred]

24. Longevity is a much simpler measure.

"Keep them alive no matter what" is a lot simpler (and safer in a certain sense) than "So, should we keep them alive another day?"

[DemoTex]

20. Capt. Yossarian said it best in Catch-22 ..

"I want to live forever or die trying."

[KharmaTrain]

21. You Should Be Proud...

Having had to walk the last miles with my parents, both in their 80s, I was constantly confronted with the concept of quality of life over doing whatever it took to maintain it. Both had terminal illnesses and my constant concern was for the quality of their lives...still finding ways to feel good and active despite their deteriorating physical condition. It's a tricky balance and one that each handles in their own way.

I'd suggest taking a trip to a local retirement home...see what's coming. You'll see people who are prisoners trapped in their failing bodies...once strong, proud people who now must rely on others...and, sadly, in many cases those others go running from the look or even thought of death or mortality.

I didn't hide any of what was happening from my children and openly discussed what was going on with them. I feel it was a very valuable lesson for them...showing a side of life that is usually hidden, but we all have to confront one way or another.