So What Are You Going To Do About It?
Never one to be outdone in the "Whattcha gonna do about it?" department, I made a big decision.
I just made my downpayment on that $23 million I told Michael I could raise.
Okay, so play along with me and click here: http://www.methuselahfoundation.org/data/newsletters/ThreeHundred/OnlyThreeHundred.htm
It's actually a lot easier to give money than to eat 1100 calories a day. I mean, just the money I've saved by buying less food covers my $85/month for the next 25 years. That's a reasonable price for the chance to be apart of something that might actually accomplish the goal we're all hanging out here trying to accomplish: that is not just postponing, but actually curing, aging.
When you think about all the time, energy, and money we spend obsessing about our CR and our ON, it seems like a very small thing indeed to give $85/month. I mean, no one is asking me to do the rodent studies! The prize is a good investment because whereas my little $85/month wouldn't buy much in the way of research, when added to the money that others are giving, it can create an incentive for not just one group of researchers with one idea, but many groups with many ideas, to go after the cure. I also think it's a great PR idea. I mean, let's face it, while I may find scientists really fascinating, the idea of a bunch of guys hanging out in labs is boring to most normal people. But prizes and competition are exciting and fun! Remember all that news coverage of the X Prize?
One thing that has bothered me ever since I started practicing CR was that I felt like I was doing it just for me, in a rather entertaining but ultimately selfish fashion. The time, energy, and money I've put into CR have been well-spent, but I've often wondered if there's anything I can do that isn't just all about *me* staying younger longer. It wasn't hard to connect the dots from the Friday night crossfire debate (as Kenton so eloquently put it in his comment) to what I, personally, could do. And let's face it... if you're lucky enough to have a job that pays you pretty well, it's not that hard to give money. It's so, so much easier than all we do for CR!
Now don't worry, I'm not about to quit practicing CR. Do you remember when _Dances With Wolves_ came out and everyone started talking about what their Dances with Wolves Name would be, like "Stands With a Fist" in the movie? Mine was "Hedges Her Bets." I'm not going to go back to the nachos and margaritas diet just because I believe that we can find something that is much, much better than CR. I'm going to keep practicing CR in my happy, easy, low tech version, both because I love the short term effects (hello size 0!) and because I am not taking any chances. Dying in our 100's as old and sick as any 80 year old now would be bad, but it would beat dying in our 80's. Besides, I just spent the margarita money for the next 25 years... so I can't very well go back now.
I've said many times in this blog that I believe that one, especially I, should do whatever it is that we can do, whenever it is that we can do it, to support what we think is right. For me, that means practicing CR and joining the Three Hundred.
What does it mean for you?
We'll talk more about that later.
I just made my downpayment on that $23 million I told Michael I could raise.
Okay, so play along with me and click here: http://www.methuselahfoundation.org/data/newsletters/ThreeHundred/OnlyThreeHundred.htm
It's actually a lot easier to give money than to eat 1100 calories a day. I mean, just the money I've saved by buying less food covers my $85/month for the next 25 years. That's a reasonable price for the chance to be apart of something that might actually accomplish the goal we're all hanging out here trying to accomplish: that is not just postponing, but actually curing, aging.
When you think about all the time, energy, and money we spend obsessing about our CR and our ON, it seems like a very small thing indeed to give $85/month. I mean, no one is asking me to do the rodent studies! The prize is a good investment because whereas my little $85/month wouldn't buy much in the way of research, when added to the money that others are giving, it can create an incentive for not just one group of researchers with one idea, but many groups with many ideas, to go after the cure. I also think it's a great PR idea. I mean, let's face it, while I may find scientists really fascinating, the idea of a bunch of guys hanging out in labs is boring to most normal people. But prizes and competition are exciting and fun! Remember all that news coverage of the X Prize?
One thing that has bothered me ever since I started practicing CR was that I felt like I was doing it just for me, in a rather entertaining but ultimately selfish fashion. The time, energy, and money I've put into CR have been well-spent, but I've often wondered if there's anything I can do that isn't just all about *me* staying younger longer. It wasn't hard to connect the dots from the Friday night crossfire debate (as Kenton so eloquently put it in his comment) to what I, personally, could do. And let's face it... if you're lucky enough to have a job that pays you pretty well, it's not that hard to give money. It's so, so much easier than all we do for CR!
Now don't worry, I'm not about to quit practicing CR. Do you remember when _Dances With Wolves_ came out and everyone started talking about what their Dances with Wolves Name would be, like "Stands With a Fist" in the movie? Mine was "Hedges Her Bets." I'm not going to go back to the nachos and margaritas diet just because I believe that we can find something that is much, much better than CR. I'm going to keep practicing CR in my happy, easy, low tech version, both because I love the short term effects (hello size 0!) and because I am not taking any chances. Dying in our 100's as old and sick as any 80 year old now would be bad, but it would beat dying in our 80's. Besides, I just spent the margarita money for the next 25 years... so I can't very well go back now.
I've said many times in this blog that I believe that one, especially I, should do whatever it is that we can do, whenever it is that we can do it, to support what we think is right. For me, that means practicing CR and joining the Three Hundred.
What does it mean for you?
We'll talk more about that later.
posted by April @ 4:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home