Scientists promise us that in the near future, human life expectancy will increase significantly. In all likelihood, already in this millennium it will average several hundred years. How will our world change in connection with such an influx of centenarians? Undoubtedly, the way of life habitual for us today will become a thing of the past, futurologists say.
Aging can be stopped
According to the famous British gerontologist Aubrey de Gray, people who will live up to 150 years have already been born, and in the next two to three decades, those whose life expectancy will already be up to 1000 years will be born. We will live longer by improving the quality of life, more advanced medicine, a variety of technologies that prevent aging …
Now we associate old age with a decrepit body and disease, so the prospect of a long life frightens many. Thus, the task is not only to extend it, but also to lengthen the period during which a person will remain active and able to work.
De Gray believes that the aging process is associated with the accumulation of defects and damage in the body. Prophylactic geriatrics will allow you to eliminate these defects before their number exceeds the critical level.
In turn, Professor Yuval Harari of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem prophesies that the people of the future will turn into cyborgs. Part of the vital functions will be performed by easily replaceable electronics, worn-out organs will be replaced by artificial ones, more perfect than natural ones, so we will live for a long time.
Alphabet Inc. Calico studies chemical compounds that contribute to the formation of new neurons. Thanks to these studies, it may be possible to save humanity from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases in which nerve cells in the brain die and which, as a rule, are also associated with aging.
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Many lives
So, people will be able to overcome old age and live several times longer than now - 200, 300, 500, or even 1000 years. What will it give us?
Competition for jobs is likely to increase. Of course, employers will prefer employees with extensive experience, rather than new graduates of universities and colleges. And the first ones will not be in a hurry to make room, because their health condition will allow them to work for 100 years. There may be such a problem as youth unemployment, and young people will even be paid benefits while the “old people” earn money …
At the same time, it is young people who can come up with fresh ideas, and they are important for many industries. A person who has worked for decades, if not centuries, is likely to adhere to outdated methods and technologies.
Nowadays, a person's life consists of several cycles: birth, growing up, a period of vigorous activity, when we learn, get a profession, look for and find our place in life, and, finally, old age.
The philosopher and writer Stephen Cave, in his book Immortality: The Pursuit of Eternal Life and How It Governs Civilization, writes that increasing life expectancy will force us to change this habitual cycle. We will be able to almost literally live not one, but several lives. During their long period of existence, people will be able to change many places of residence, get several educations, change several professions, build several careers … Perhaps, they will retire several times, just in between active cycles they will be given the right to rest …
In addition, as Elke Leuhinger of the Vienna Institute for Demography and James William Vaupel of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research argue, part-time work will become the norm. After all, there will be no shortage of specialists, and, on the other hand, everyone needs work … Reducing the number of working hours will allow us to devote more time to household chores, raising children and grandchildren, as well as various hobbies and entertainment …
Temporary marriage
Most likely, the classic version of marriage and personal relationships will also undergo changes. If a person has the opportunity to live “several lives,” will he be content with the same partner “for life,” or at least some kind of long-term relationship? Perhaps marriages in general will be initially contracted for a limited period stipulated in the contract, say, for a certain number of years or until children grow up … After some time, people will start looking for new life partners.
The age of a person, apparently, will increasingly turn into convention. Perhaps, after a few centuries, the date of birth in documents will simply cease to be indicated, especially since very reliable methods of electronic identification will appear.
