"There is an ancient wisdom: the cause
for every end is hidden in the beginning."
Rigden Djapo (the ALLATRA book)
Millions of dollars have already been invested in the research of anti-aging.
The search for the elixir of longevity fascinated scientists at different times, and now businessmen of various levels are also funding research in the field of gerontology, the extension of human life. Public information sources confirm such financing. Among investors in the development of research laboratories and clusters are:
• Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google;
• Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook;
• Yuri Milner, the founder of DST Global (projects: Odnoklassniki (Classmates), VK social network, Mail.ru and others);
• Oleg Deripaska, the founder of the Basic Element holding;
• Timur Artemyev, co-founder of Euroset;
• Dmitry Zimin, Honorary President of VimpelCom company and many others.
The sums invested in the search for a cure for old age are calculated in tens of millions of dollars. The task that representatives of the scientific community set before themselves is the extension of the active period of life in an elderly person. Research is being done with laboratory mice. An extension of a rodent's life by 10-25% is considered successful. Scientists have proven the fact that a person's potential is estimated at 100-120 years. Only a few make bold statements about the radical extension of human life and significantly going beyond the limit for the species. Among public gerontologists who talk about the possibility of significant prolongation of human life is the British researcher Aubrey de Grey.
Going beyond the limit for the species and extending life up to 250 years is a reality of today.
The bold statement of the famous British scientist is not that fantastic. Today, Ukrainian scientist, natives of the former Soviet Union, has conducted scientific experiment on lab mice in a closed laboratory. At the beginning of the experiment, the biological age of the animals was above average and equalled to 65 years of the human age. A few months later, due to the overall regeneration of the organism, which followed only after three repeated injections of the experimental drug, the biological age of laboratory animals equalled to 35-40 human years. And most importantly, it remained so until the animals were withdrawn from the experiment, which happened when their actual age exceeded the limit for the species by more than two times.
These scientific studies have actually confirmed the possibility of a significant prolongation of the human life and going beyond the conventional ideas about human longevity. When translated into the human world, modern society has a chance to live more than 200 years. In a private conversation, the Ukrainian scientist who made the discovery spoke of the functional capabilities of the human organism and the possibility to live without biological aging up to 1000 years.
Society turned out to be unprepared for the prospect of longevity.
Synthesizing a cure for old age, conducting studies on humans and putting the drug on sale is just a question of time. The knowledge to do it already exists! However, the author of the study states that prolongation of human life by at least two times poses serious risks and threats to humanity. These risks are connected primarily with the domination of the consumerist model of development in society.
Risk #1. Taking possession of the knowledge and limiting access to injections against old age.
Scientist is seriously concerned by the desire of people in power to take hold of the knowledge. Modern science has known many cases in which developments, having fallen into the hands of corporations or people who stand behind them, became classified and withdrawn from public access. The unique discovery in the field of gerontology can be used to build a multibillion-dollar business empire, and access to the drug against old age will be severely limited or the knowledge will be removed. How will society benefit from this discovery then? A narrow circle of priests and politicians will continue to build their empire of power. The social divide will become more pronounced: the rich will continue to get richer and the poor, poorer. We are seeing this now.
Risk #2. Overpopulation of the Earth.
As of today, there exists the problem of constant growth of the world population:
• In 1900, the population of the planet was 1.65 billion people;
• In 1960 - 3 billion people (despite the fact that humanity survived two world wars);
• In 2000 - 6.7 billion people;
• On November 1st, 2011 - 7 billion people.
It is obvious that with the advent of the drug against old age and prolongation of human life by at least 200 years, the problem of overpopulation of the Earth will become more acute, which in its turn is connected with three subsequent risks.
Risk #3. Intensification of social inequality.
With the increase of Earth’s population, the number of people in the world who are living below the poverty line is on the rise even today. Among more than 7 billion people on Earth, 2.6 billion people live on less than $2 per day. According to the World Bank, the increase in food prices has contributed to the transition of about 44 million people into poverty since June 2010.
Against the backdrop of about 40% of the population living below the poverty line, according to Forbes magazine, 1,645 of the world's richest people became richer over the past year by 1 trillion US dollars. Their combined capital equals US $6.4 trillion. Interestingly, 268 new people were added to the list of billionaires in 2013. At the same time, according to another source - the analytical data of the World Organization of Creditors (WOC) - 61 million people in the world receive the same income as 3.5 billion people with the lowest income. In other words, for every dollar received by the world's wealthiest, the poorest receive 1.7 cents.
The poverty of Earth’s inhabitants is an artificially created problem that can be solved within just a few years. For this to happen, those 1,645 people on the list of the richest people need only to direct 25% of their capital towards reducing social tensions. But are we seeing this in practice? The nominal or declarative fight against poverty continues to increase social inequality, much of which is likely to get worse with the prolongation of life. Lives of the poor will be inextricably linked to the constant struggle for survival.
Risk #4. Depletion of natural resources
Consumer attitude toward Earth’s natural resources has already led to serious environmental problems - land, air and water pollution. Deforestation, pumping oil and gas, and greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change on the planet. What will happen to the ecology if the number of people living on our planet doubles? And if it triples? ..
This being said, modern society possesses technologies which allow us to turn the planet into a blooming garden and put the environment in order. However, people in power prefer to extract super-profit for the sake of economic feasibility and continue to hold power in their hands. If the situation does not change now, it will not change when the anti-aging drug appears, but, on the contrary, it may become worse.
Risk #5. Destruction of civilization: wars and natural disasters
On the one hand, there is a more intense growth in negativity and the brewing of social unrest, which is usually accompanied by demonstrations, protests, local military conflicts and revolutions that often lead to the death of civilians. On the other hand, nature starts responding to people's consumer attitude towards itself in the form of natural disasters, which have become more frequent, awakening volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural phenomena.
The prolongation of people’s lives in this model of development is a ticking time bomb, which can ultimately lead to the death of the entire civilization. Either the society will destroy itself in a war for domination or nature itself will do the trick.
Anti-aging drug: to be or not to be?
The knowledge gained as a result of years of research can be made public and present the world with a golden millennium. However, this is possible only if there is a change in the vector of development of modern society from the consumer to the spiritual and moral one.
People, having united around true human values - kindness, morality, creation and spirituality, can put our common home, planet Earth, in order starting today. According to the author of the scientific discovery, when the following becomes fashionable and popular in society: doing good, helping people selflessly, serving for the benefit of society, possessing such qualities as honesty, responsibility, and good consciousness, and in general being a real Man - this will be taken up by many as a result of imitation, for example. This will allow people to overcome poverty, solve the problem of food crisis, put ecology in order, clean land, water and air and reduce social tension in the society and stop wars not in a declarative way but really in practice. After all, people got tired of this race for domination and of the constant crises and stress. In order for the modern society not only to obtain a cure for old age but also to be able to build a society of kindness - without wars and aggression - the following is necessary:
1) Improvement of the spiritual and intellectual literacy of people;
2) Spiritual self-development of a person and his active participation in the life of society;
3) Independent unification of peoples into a single world community;
4) Abolition of the global system of power of priests and politicians;
5) Severe limitation of individual capitalization;
6) Society must be governed by society itself as a whole;
7) Ideological transformation of society, which is inextricably linked to the supremacy of moral values and the Spiritual nature both in the person and in the society.
Sounds fantastic? Not at all. Especially when you consider the fact that the information about the possibility of extending human life up to 250 years or more looked ghostly a few years ago while today it has become an absolute reality. Will humanity be able to build a society of kindness? It will. You must first start with yourself. Being in his or her right place, everyone can make a step, albeit small, which will make the surrounding world better. As the saying goes, a good idea and a good deed create a chain reaction of good thoughts and good deeds. Changes begin with an internal decision...
Bogdan Ragaza, photo by i2.cdn.turner.com