Me happy at Chichen Itza, Mexico

Ezekiel Emanuel wrote an article in the Atlantic Monthly, Why I hope to die at 75.  He asks the question, “Are we to embrace the “American immortal” or my “75 and no more” view?”  He plans no life sustaining medical procedures or tests after the age of 75.  Ezekiel is not trying to die, but won’t prolong his life in any event of illness.

I suggest people read Emanuel’s article and decide for themselves how they feel about elder research for longevity.  We should be having big conversations about what we truly want for our country.

Mortality seems to be a topic people do not want to discuss, because we obviously face unknown territory.  I was forced to think about dying at age sixteen, when my father committed suicide.  I earnestly contemplated what mortality meant for us, and  tried to understand death because I was afraid of it, since my father’s suicide had been such an unnatural shock. Continue reading “Let me go after 75” »