Longevity & Fulfillment

In Star Trek, Spock's parting salutation to family, friends and colleagues was "Live Long and Prosper." This phrase captured a place in the imagination of fans of the show because it is a common wish ~ many people would like to have a long life, and everyone would like to have a fulfilling life. This is considered evidence that you have done something correctly - You did it right. People often ask someone who is old and successful "How did you do it? What is the secret?"

Are we 'doing it right'? Are we managing our civilization so that we will all have long lives and prosperity? Will our children's children's children also enjoy fulfilling lives? Which of the attributes in these discussions seem to contribute to long and fulfilling lives? Are Lying, Contempt, Selfishness & Hatred closely aligned with happiness and fulfillment? Or will working toward Trust, Acceptance, Empathy and Love be more conducive to a sustainable future?

Quotes

"I ain’t got nothing more but to treat the other fellow like you want to be treated.
You don’t tell a lie on me so I won’t tell a lie on you.”
Jeralean Talley lived to 116, born in 1899 & died in June 2015

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
Mae West

“We don’t ask to be eternal beings. We only ask that things do not lose all their meaning.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Oscar Wilde

“The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Mere longevity is a good thing for those who watch Life from the side lines. For those who play the game, an hour may be a year, a single day's work an achievement for eternity.”
Helen Hayes

"That’s the secret to health and longevity— always do things, always stimulate your mind, always make things, and always find new passions."
Jay Parkinson

Links

The oldest known person died at 117 [2015 April 1] Misao Okawa, born in Osaka on March 5, 1898, was recognized as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records in 2013. Okawa, the daughter of a kimono maker, said at her recent birthday celebration that her life seemed rather short. Asked for the secret of her longevity, she responded nonchalantly, "I wonder about that too."

Jeralean Talley, World’s Oldest Woman, Dies at 116 [2015 June 18] As we remember Jeralean Talley and her life and legacy, we should also remember the motto she lived by, which she told the Detroit Free Press: "I ain’t got nothing more but to treat the other fellow like you want to be treated. You don’t tell a lie on me so I won’t tell a lie on you.”