2016 Isn't to Blame for Deaths; Aging Is

The year 2016 has been rife with unexpected deaths by some of our most beloved celebrities. Whether it’s Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, comedian Ricky Harris, or pop star George Michael, there has been no shortage of death this year that has left our hearts aching. Many (including myself) have turned this into a meme of sorts, blaming these deaths on the year 2016 itself.

Thankfully the culprit isn’t so metaphysical, but rather something we can (and must) put a stop to – aging! Most of the celebrities that have died this year were due to age-related illnesses, whether it was Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, etc. Which only comes to show: it doesn’t matter how rich or how poor you might be, aging affects us all.

Thus raising multiple questions: what can we do about it? Isn’t aging a natural way of life? And what about overpopulation? In terms of overpopulation, I’ll let biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey answer that one in the video provided below (at 2:18). As for the question regarding its natural existence, all I can say is that we need to move past the erroneous notion that “natural = good.” Cancer is natural; hurricanes and floods are natural; tiny pests that burrow into your eyes are natural. And yet I’m fairly certain that most of us would argue that these natural things must go.

Which brings us to the final and most important question: what can we do about it? Other than eating right, exercise, and getting your 7-9 hours of sleep each day, the best thing you can do is help fund anti-aging medical research. Whether it’s anti-aging researchers like Maria Konovalenko or anti-aging research institutions like the SENS Foundation, they need your help acquiring the right amount of funds in order to provide as much research and solutions possible.

Professional gerontologists today predict that in the next few decades we’ll witness a cure to forced aging. But to achieve this, these researchers need your help. Whatever little amount you can provide, it’ll go a long way to ensuring a future of indefinite life extension – an end to years like the year 2016.

Photo Credit: christhebarker