In order to live a long, fruitful and meaningful life, one has to take on the disposition of a life ‘marathon’ and not a life ‘sprint.’ Many aspects comprise our life expectancy: some within our own control, and others, are factors totally out of our control. “Luck-of-the-draw;” the genetic birth ‘lottery’ and world-spinning ‘randomness’ all play a part in how long we live and the level of success in which we make our ‘mark.’ I choose to focus on those choices in which we DO have alternatives.
Things like our nutritional options directly impact our longevity (we are what we eat) as do other physical components like our dedication/availability to exercise, sleep and preventative healthcare. Emotional/Psychological wellbeing takes a lot of work but undoubtedly contributes significantly to our longevity in the form of “relationships” as well as general mental “happiness.” Exercising our brain/mind through continual stimulation and dare I say, “openness,” certainly is the hallmark of long-living persons throughout the world. Finally, a rich, spiritual orientation is always an indicator of a high-quality life that usually translates over a large number of years.
Why do politicians not take that same “long view” of their career (affecting many lives) that the wise person takes of their individual life. It seems to me that most elected officials live according to the ‘mantra’ of Neil Young in that, “It is better to burn out than to fade away.” I actually do not blame the individuals since it is basic Human Nature to want to keep a job through RE-election. I blame the system! If Congress were more of a “team” sport rather than an individual one, many of our inherent problems of this country could substantially be reduced.
Since most of America’s challenges require really long-term solutions, how can we expect our Representatives or Senators to offer solutions which go beyond 2 or 6 years respectively? But, if each elected official were required to pass the political ‘baton’ to the next “lawmaker’ on the “relay team,” I think much more responsibility/accountability would take place. Maybe it requires some sort of “term limits” or evaluations by States instead of Individuals but I think it would be a major improvement over the current, short-term and self-serving methodology/outcomes? Politicians who do not “take care” of the ‘long-run’ should be meant to suffer the same premature career ‘death’ as the person who abuses his/her body/mind/heart/soul!