People live long is happiness or suffering?

If people live long, people can fulfill their dreams and aspirations but it is easy to fall into a depressed and sad state.

One of the biggest questions regarding human lifespan is how long people can live. The latest study in Science concludes that there is no "ceiling" for human life . Surveying 3,896 Italian elderly people, this study found mortality at age 75 higher than age 55. From age 105, the risk of leaving in the next years seems to be unchanged compared to 75 years.

Jeanne Calment, the oldest person ever recorded, died at the age of 122. The oldest person in the world, now Chiyo Miyako, is 117 years old. It is expected that by 2300, human life will reach 150.

However, does longevity make our lives better or merely long? Sharing on CNN, Dr. Mackenzie Graham, a philosopher from Oxford University (UK), said that to assess the quality of life in old age, it is necessary to compare between joy and suffering. The more fun and less suffering, the better human life. 100 years will be better than 80 years, as long as 20 years of redemption bring more happiness than suffering.

In fact, old age brings a series of health problems that make quality of life decline. With healthy living and support services, we are fully capable of improving those issues. However, the long life span will have a direct impact on the labor force and working time. In 2017, the proportion of people of working age (16-64 years) in the elderly (over 65 years) is 3.5. By 2040, this ratio will be only 2.1. Before the retirement group situation increased and the working group decreased, people would have to work longer and pay more taxes or cut social security services.

Old age leads to a wide range of health problems, leading to a decline in quality of life.(Photo: CNN).

We think that if we own enough things we want, life will be better. Long life gives us the opportunity to fulfill our goals and projects, but is life so valuable?

According to the philosopher Ronald Dworkin, people have two concerns: the interest of experience and the necessary concern. The interest of experience is all that brings joy and the necessary concern is what we value, promote, and set the standard for a good life. For example, the happiness of children is a necessary concern of parents because, thanks to that, parents feel satisfied.

Now, imagine a person who is insane. Unaware of their situation, they are not sad but it is not necessarily the way they want to live. Chances are, the concern they need when they are lucid is not to lose their mind and it will be better if they leave before the recession.

In other words, living too long leads to many unwanted scenarios.

The philosopher Bernard Williams argues that what gives meaning to life is that "absolute aspirations" shaped the ego like writing a novel, raising children or creating a charity. He argues that if we live long enough to complete all desires, we will lose the key of happiness. People will then face a series of frustrating days or have to change their aspirations as well as themselves.

After all, old age is not simple. In the context of aging global population, humanity needs to find ways to care for the elderly to not only reduce the burden but also ensure the quality of life.