Friday, June 22, 2007

Eternal Life or Longevity

Central Tokyo: from Nagata-Cho (left) to Roppongi (right)


Eternal Life or Longevity


Now Japan has the world oldest man and woman (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/73700.html). The respectable old man is 111 years old and the respectable woman is 114 years old; both the persons live in the Kyusyu Island.

Nowadays Japanese couples have fewer children than before, and the society is rapidly aging; yet, the Government is still reluctant to admit or accept foreign workers and refugees in a large scale.

The one notable area in Japan for longevity is the Okinawa Island in the south of the southern main island Kyusyu.

There is also a theory in Japan that people living near the spring high in a mountain or hilly area live long due to high quality of water they take in.

Biologically, it is well known that active oxygen or free radicals damage or destroy cells in a human body, thus causing aging.

It is also said that when a telomere structure in a chromosome becomes smaller, cell division gets impossible, which makes impossible replacement of an old cell with a new cell, meaning aging for a human body.
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According to "GENOME, The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters" by Mr. Matt Ridley, the hero is DNAs and genes but not an individual human being.

If DNAs and genes are handed down to a next generation, the nature does not need an individual human body any more, which triggers and allows for aging of the body. This law applies to every creature.

Specifically, a human body has various biological functions to keep the body healthy and sound until it hands down DNAs and genes to a next generation, that is, his or her child.

But when it is done, such heavy duty functions are no more necessary; cells in a human body lose such protection functions; and then aging begins.
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The world oldest man living in Japan said, in an interview, that the secret of his longevity is abstention from drink.

Indeed, alcohol cannot be a substitute for high quality water; drinking causes rough breathing and thus possibly generates much active oxygen or many free radicals in a human body; and alcohol may have a bad influence on a telomere structure in a chromosome, though yet to be proven.

However, an intake of an appropriate amount of wine as well as pork is also said to be effective for longevity; Japanese dish is also said to be basically suitable for longevity.

On the other hand, an extreme stress really accelerates aging; one day of extreme horror sometimes makes one's hair gray.
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Most importantly, Jesus Christ never taught how to live long.

He taught how to enter Heaven where we are promised eternal lives; specifically, he told that unless you become like a child, you cannot enter Heaven.

Heaven is better than longevity.

(Japanese traditionally respect aged persons, simply because they are older. Indeed, Japan is basically or conceptually a single-race country.

Jesus Christ also said not to go to a way of foreigners, which may be a secret of longevity.

Indeed, good girls had better stay in their home.)


"...A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him, and Jesus went to his house and sat down to eat..."