# Speaking of death, how long do you want to live? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2005, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-death-how-long-do-you-want-to-live/322097 "2005-09-17T08:40:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-death-how-long-do-you-want-to-live/322097/41 "2005-09-18T21:49:58Z")
**jimpatro** - well, 4000 years does tire one out. StG ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-death-how-long-do-you-want-to-live/322097/42 "2005-09-18T23:21:50Z")
I’m amazed at how low some people here are aiming. 60? 50!? Good Og, I have a Grandfather that got married for the third time at age 73 (to a woman 15 years younger, I might add, and no, he’s not rich), and who then promptly proceeded to build an addition to her house as big as the original house. That was 10 years ago, and he still manages their mini-farm, and they travel every year. With the state of medical science today, it’s quite common to get to your 70’s and 80’s fully functional and enjoying life, and new advances are coming thick and fast. I plan to live at least to 110, so I can see the country’s tri-centennial. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-death-how-long-do-you-want-to-live/322097/43 "2005-09-18T23:54:02Z")
I’d like to see the tri-centennial, too, since I was two years late for the bicentennial. Mostly, though, I just want to live long enough. No, I don’t know how long that is. I’m nearly twenty-seven, and I’d like to see my grandchildren reach their teen years. As I don’t even have children yet, that’s a far future date. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-death-how-long-do-you-want-to-live/322097/44 "2005-09-19T01:47:27Z")
**StGermain** > [@](#): > > jimpatro - well, 4000 years does tire one out. 😃 Adieu… ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-death-how-long-do-you-want-to-live/322097/45 "2005-09-19T02:49:03Z")
> [@Lucretia](#): > > I’m amazed at how low some people here are aiming. 60? 50!? Good Og, I have a Grandfather that got married for the third time at age 73 (to a woman 15 years younger, I might add, and no, he’s not rich), and who then promptly proceeded to build an addition to her house as big as the original house. That was 10 years ago, and he still manages their mini-farm, and they travel every year. > > With the state of medical science today, it’s quite common to get to your 70’s and 80’s fully functional and enjoying life, and new advances are coming thick and fast. I plan to live at least to 110, so I can see the country’s tri-centennial. I heartily agree. I’ve got a stubborn scotsman for a grandfather who doesn’t show much sign of slowing at 93. He’s depressed that he’s outlived everybody in the low-income apartment complex that he’s lived at for 25 years. He’s depressed because nobody loves him and he’s got no one to talk to, but every time I check in on him, he’s got folks asking about him all over the place. I wonder if my kids will HAVE a pre-determined life expectancy, based on how things are developing medically. I’m glad they’ve met their great-grandpop. Me, I’m 35, I’d like to think I’m closer to a third of the way through, rather than half. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-death-how-long-do-you-want-to-live/322097.md?page=2)