The Risks In Living

I recently came across a report that two unconnected researchers believe that they have discovered the genetic mechanisms that control aging.

That discovery could lead to the promise that everyone has the possibility that they could live at peak adult health for years.

Does this mean that immortality for all of us is not far behind?

It is nice to think that old age and its related diseases could be eliminated giving us immortality but the reality is that there are many other ways that humans meet their demise other than by the ravages of time. You may trip over a curb and hit your head. You might be mugged walking down the street. An insect could bite you and infect you with a deadly virus. Food poisoning alone kills 5,000 people a year in the United States. Over 300 people die each last year by falling or drowning in their bath tub.

The odds are that the longer you live the greater chance that something other than old age or a related disease will befall you.

According to actuaries, the projected human life span without age related deaths would be in the range of 600-700 years.

I find this interesting because in the Bible a number of men are described as living to this age or even longer.

The Book of Genesis states that Adam lived to be 930 years old. The third son of Adam and Eve, Seth, lived for 912 years. Noah lived to be 950 years old after building the ark. The oldest living man cited in the Bible was Methuselah who passed away after 969 years.

Many of those things that might interfere with immortality are things that we do to live the life we want to live. After all, I don't know many people who want to spend their life ensconced in a hermetically-sealed room safe from any perceived risks.

What are the risks you take when you partake in various sports and activities?

I came across this interesting article by Teton Gravity Research that included infographics on the risk of dying ranked by various sports and activities.

What is the most dangerous activity you can do in terms of risk of life?

It turns out to be to mountain climbing above 6000 meters in the Himalayas. There is a greater than one chance in 10 that you will not return home alive.

If you want to include climbing Mount Everest on your bucket list you might want to save that one for last.

If you don't want to travel to Nepal you can take on a lot of risk by base jumping off a nearby skyscraper. You are 6 times more likely to survive that than a climb in the Himalayas. For further information on the risks in base jumping read this.

The odds are considerably better when you jump off a cliff with a hang glider than with a parachute off of a building. However, 1 in 560 odds are still not great if you want to live to be 650 years old (or 65).

I was surprised at how safe bungee jumping is compared to other activities. I guess the bungee cord does not fail very often.

In fact, it is five times safer than skydiving.

Bicycling is actually not that much safer than skydiving.

For exercise, it is much safer to go running or jogging.

Canoeing is 5 times riskier than playing football or 3 times that of scuba diving. It is also 10 times riskier than skydiving (see above). That surprised me.

These two sport activities did not surprise me. Motorbike racing and boxing.

What activities provide the best odds of surviving and can also be done in the comfort of a hermetically-sealed room?

Here's wishing everyone a long and full life!