Blog 23

I am now of an age where my mortality is becoming an issue. As the years have piled up there has been a growing realization in my mind that time is running out and a nagging feeling that there is still so much I want to do.

I don’t know if it’s normal upon reaching the age of sixty years to start questioning the purchase of items that will possibly outlive you, but I have. For example, I would normally purchase professional quality machinery or equipment that would last a lifetime, but since 'lifetime left' is now somewhat shorter than it was, I have been considering lower quality items whose lifetimes are more likely to coincide with mine. Is this a form of paranoia?

Anyway, I felt it was time to analyze the situation, a little research later I am now much less anxious.

Though I have lived in Turkey for a quarter of my life my lifestyle is much the same as when I lived in the UK [except that I eat more healthily], so for the purposes of putting my life expectancy into perspective I have used the UK statistics for average male life expectancy, which is apparently, currently 76 years.

This means that all things being equal and barring illness or accident I can expect to die on June 25 2023. So this being 2009, that means I have another 14 years left.

Now, considering that most machinery, gadgets and the like are now made to have a life expectancy of no more than two years, if that, I can still [again all things being equal] expect to outlive most mechanical equipment purchases.

I also take some solace in the fact that for some unfortunate people in the world fourteen years is more than a whole lifetime. Had I been born 200 years ago, when the average lifespan for males in the UK was 38 years, I would have died in the equivalent of 1985, 24 years ago.

Of course it's also possible that I may live beyond 2023, in which case every subsequent year [even day], will be a bonus of sorts, providing I still have the wherewithal to appreciate it of course. 

Graphically it looks something like this, the black section is childhood, the green section is the time left.

Now that really makes me feel better, [I think].

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A POSTSCRIPT [of sorts] See: 2010 - A Shot Across The Bows
A RELEVANT POEM BY SIR WALTER RELEIGH: HERE