100 years ago the average life expectancy for a man was between 40-60 years old with women typically living longer than men. Thanks to advances in medicine, men and woman now live about 20-30 years longer. That’s 50% more life experiences…right?
I never met my great-grandparents however they left a record of their experiences and I it appears they lived a full life. My great-grandparents used to write letters to each other before they were married. In one letter, which is still in the family, my great-grandmother described a grand adventure; taking the horse and buggy to the city market with the family!
I later learned that the distance to the city was less than 20 miles however that was big deal for great-grams. She wrote about how fresh the air was, how nice other people were and how she enjoyed the assortment of goods available to her. She was super stoked just to get some groceries!
Now image if you will that every event in life can be ranked on a scale from 1-10 and at the end of your life you receive a life experience score. A total “life-score” that quantifies the trials, tribulations, happiness, sadness, love and adventure you experience in your lifetime. Image that at the end of life’s journey you could compare your life-score with other people who have passed on. How would your score compare? I would guess that my great-grandmother’s trip to market over 100 years ago would rank near a 10 on her life-experience scale but that a 20-mile trip to the grocery store for most people today would be a burden, more like a 3.
Think about how the trip would have gone 100 years ago. People probably talked the whole way to the market and back. When they reached the market they probably spoke to the vendors in a courteous manner and shared some stories. Before they left perhaps they got a treat, like rock candy or ice cream, and sat down to enjoy it as a family.
Now compare that to today. We drive to the store, quickly pull into the parking spot nearest the door, head inside, grab a cart, and hurry to get past the slower shoppers. Don’t talk to anyone except the guy at the meat counter so he knows how many cuts to make or maybe just grab some pre-packaged meat because it’s faster. Get to the cashier, exchange a common hollow greeting, pay, get out and go home. How am I doing? Pretty close?
That same trip could have been turned into a life experience instead of a hassle. What if we chose a local farmer’s market instead of the grocery store? What if you walk instead of drive? Perhaps we could call a friend and sync our grocery shopping so we can chat while going through the isles. The options are plentiful if we just make an effort to get more out of life. Let’s not speed through life and miss the everyday blessings.
What’s the benefit of living longer if we’re getting less utility out of life? I imagine that the life-score of people 100 years ago would be higher than most people’s life-score score today. I would rather live 40 years and die with an average life-score near 9.5 than live 100 years and finish with a 6.2. I don’t know how long I have but I know that if I try to experience 10’s in everything I do then it won’t matter where the finish line is. I’ll have experienced life and not simply passed through it. My goal in life is not to finish rather I make it my mission to enjoy the ride.
Zack Gallinger-Long 