Tuesday, June 23, 2009.  I saw the movie Idiocracy the other night.  The premise is that most average man in the military is used for a futuristic experiment which accidentally sends him 500 years into the future. When awoken, the man slowly comes to realize that he’s suddenly become the smartest man in the entire world.  I see the movie got mixed reviews, but I found it brilliant in its parody of conventional wisdom and the lemming mindset of an unknowing and uninformed public. Like that wacky and limited belief our folks and their folks used to have that we lead hard, miserable lives and then we die sick, disabled and alone.  That doesn’t have to be the case by any means and I’m seeing more and more evidence of that everyday.

Last week I rode my bicycle to the Publix in Bayside, a mile south of me.  As I was leaving the store, I ran into a friend of mine, who was also leaving Publix and getting on her bicycle.  She told me today was her birthday and that she was 83 years old. I just know her from riding bikes around the neighborhood, but I thought she was my age, not 30 years older.  I made her show me her (still valid) driver’s license to prove it.   It was almost unbelieveable yet very inspirational.  She told me she rides her bike 2 miles every day and only eats meat on Tuesday and Thursday. Good inspiration! Also good news:  80 is the new 50.

It’s true, we’re not getting older, we’re getting better.  In the last century, the average lifespan in the United States increased by more than 30 years.  Those who eat natural foods and stay active have been shown to live productively and with full mobility well into their 90’s.

I’m barely halfway there.  I wonder sometimes what would I do if I had it all to do over.  Well gosh, now I have the chance.  This is like being 20 again, with the whole world ahead of me.

“All Truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.  Third, it is accepted as self-evident.” ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Thankfully, we do not have to make the same mistake our parents made… getting old by mistake because we were taught it was the thing to do.

Today’s health and technology is going to keep the baby boomers alive until we are at least 100.  So, what is the journey going to be like?