Till 120 ?!

 Longevity is advancing slowly but steadily. Hentry Kissinger (RIP) has recently died at 100. Many people in the world (especially in Japan) died at a similar age, even a few  years beyond that.

According to science, the average person's DNA is programmed to about 120 years.

The Bible mentions 120 in Genesis 6:3.  In Hebrew there's a blessing which says  " May you live until 120" ( ad meah ve essrim!).

According to Wikipedia , the french woman Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) is the oldest  documented person who ever lived. She made it to 122 despite smoking everyday for 96 years. She lived on her own until age 110 when she moved into a nursing home.  Amazing!

Following , are two  women  aged 119: the american Sara Knauss and the japanese Kane Tanaka ; both died in 2022.  Kane Tanaka had several major ilnesses during her life including cancer at 45, and at 103; underwent surgery, and.. survived.

We think we know and understand the secret of longevity. We don't.   It's very complex; it involves luck, genetics, wisdom, health care, diet , life style, character.   In Kissinger's case, he had a younger  and very intelligent wife; that must have helped his longevity too:)

The important part in any research on longevity is  expanding the  health span rather than life span. If the consequence is a longer life then, that's  a nice bonus.

Islands of Longevity

 

I've always wanted to visit the islands of  Ikaria (Greece) and Sardinia (Italy) - the 'Blue Zones' (zones of high life expectancy) where people live better and longer.   For various reasons, so far, the visits have never been carried out.

Ikaria is located in the Aegean Sea. It derives its name from  the greek mythology figure of Icarus. One gets to Ikaria by plane or ferry from Athens.

Sardinia is a big island in the Mediterranean Sea. Its 'blue zones'  where people, reach an  advanced age (90+, 100+ ) are mainly located on the territory of the cities Ogliastra, Barbagia , and Seulo. One gets to Sardinia by direct flight from various european cities, or by flight and  ferry from mainland Italy.

                                            centenarian at work (*web picture)

Many believe that only 25% of our longevity is determined by genetics, the remaining 75%, by our life style. No secrets about the life-style here:

In both the above islands, the diet is Mediterranean (plant based : fruit, vegetables, whole grains, etc..); dairy (in small amounts) made from goat milk;  locally caught fish.  Meat is eaten sparingly;  wine is drunk in moderation - 1,2 glasses of wine daily.

Life in these zones is simple, natural, and slow-paced; it includes  working in the garden or on farms, walking, mid-afternoon napping. Family ties are most important;  so is socializing .

                        socializing at the market place

The elderly are considered by the younger people ,a resource , not a burden.   Thus, old people get much respect and support for their wisdom and experience. That's the way it should be.

The Blessing From Stefanesht

 

The  90+ year old age actors who're still on the stage are a wonder. Being able to memorize the lines and moving according to the script - is nothing but a miracle.

One of them is the israeli actor Yaakov Bodo. (Bodo short form of 'Bodoaga', which is , I think a distorted romanian word. It should probably be 'Bodega', meaning 'wine bar'). 

The actor was born in a small town called Stefanesht (north-east Romania, border town with Ukraine).

The name of the town is known to many of romanian and israeli jewry, as it was the place where the prominent rabbi Matityhau Friedman lived for 70 years. (In 1969, his remains were transferred to the cemetery Nachlat Yitzhak in central Israel).

They say, that whoever was born in Stefanesht  carries the blessing of the above rabbi. Yaakov Bodo is definitely blessed: with a versatile talent, successful carreer, awards, longevity, good family, admirers.

His uncle (his father's brother) was  our neighbor for some time. The uncle and wife were also blessed with longevity (they both died in their mid 90-s).The uncle was also blessed with 'golden hands'; he was a tailor of the highest skill. He worked at home, alone, with some help from his wife, and was able from his earnings to move to a new, better location.  

Their only son studied engineering. I don't exactly know what has become of him as we lost touch after their move to another city. As far as I  know, the son kept the original family name of Bodoaga. He wasn't tempted to shorten it to Bodo as his cousin, the actor, did.

I don't remember knowing anyone else from the little town of Stefanesht, blessed or not.  I was born not far from Stefanesht, but there was no train connection, and in those days other forms of transport  were rather scarce, so we've never been there.  As far as the rabbi was concerned I heard stories about him from my parents, and others , and it felt natural to wish to pray at his grave.

portrait of the rabbi

He's not alone; additional members of his family are burried near him  which makes the place not easy to access, given the many visitors that come to pray here.

leaflet cover

There's a sign with his name indicating the direction to the tomb. The area has a wooden roof above, so it's easily detected.

direction sign

Longevity

*

We met at a summer course, and  became friends despite the big age gap beteen us.  She was older and wiser than me, married to an english born gentleman, mother to two charming  teenagers .
A few years later, I left town, and that was it;  we completely lost touch.

 In  March of this year (the month is significant to the story), I happened to be in her neighborhood, and I noticed that their modest  one level house had been replaced by an elegant 2-storey building. I stood near the gate for a while not knowing what to do with myself as I felt the need to talk to somebody. Luckily, a woman came out of the building. I approached her , introduced myself , told her that  many years ago, I knew the owners of the place, and  added that I would appreciate if she could give me some information.

She seemed reluctant to talk to me; however, she uttered three short but valuable sentences. She said : 'she had never met the old couple'; 'she believed they were not alive at the time of the house's sale'; 'her family bought the house from the grandchildren' .
I thanked her and went away.

Back home, I googled the city cemetery list to find out age and date of death. The wife, 85 years old, died in March 2011; the husband, 90, a month later. Well then, I said to myself: they had reached a respectable age... and was about to light candles in their memory.

Something was bothering me, though. The woman said her family had bought the house from the grandchildren; What about the two children, where were they? I decided to 'dig' things further. Browsing, I came upon a family tree, and....deep, uncontrollable, sadness overcame me. Both children were gone long before the parents: the daughter at 32, the son at 41.   Instead of two candles, I lighted four.(We're  celebrating Hannuka feast this week, and I'm lighting candles , so this has brought back to me the sad memory).

That's the  horrific side of longevity; parents might get predeceased by one or more of their children. In our society, it happens quite often as life expectancy has increased during the last decades, but so has the number of accidents and diseases that kill the young ones. It has happened in my family too.

I suppose  what has kept the above mentioned couple alive for so many years after the two tragedies, are the grandchildren. 
However, I know that in some cases, bereaved  parents find no consolation  in grandchildren; in other cases  grandchildren find it hard to cope with this unnatural situation of parent(s) dead and grandparent(s) alive,  and estrange themselves from the latter. 

Tragic from any angle one looks at it.  Life is certainly not all wine and roses.

* web picture

The Blue Zones

Reaching the age of 100, is a common phenomenon in certain parts of the globe.  Among these places, named by researchers 'blue zones', are the islands of Ikaria (Greece), Sardinia (Italy), and Okinawa (Japan); the peninsula of Nikoya (Costa Rica), and the city of Loma Linda (California).

The explorer and writer Dan Buettner is the one who has popularized the term 'blue zones' through his books, articles, and lectures on the above locations.

There's no big secret or  mystery behind this phenomenon of living to 100 and beyond.  According to geographic and demographic experts - people in the blue zones owe their longevity to some or all of the following conditions: minimum pollution, no food processing, a relaxed way of life , sufficient exposure to sun, family and community support, faith, genetics. 

In short, good genes, good habits, good environment, to which I would also add  - a bit of good luck.

It seems to me that  'a relaxed way of life'  is a tough one for us in the so-called developed world, as we're used to live in a "never a dull moment" scenario, with all sorts of slogans pushing us to "make a difference in the world". 

Personally, I must admit that as I advance in age  I feel I'm becoming more appreciative of those dull moments, of slowing down to  doing  almost nothing, of enjoying the small, simple pleasures of life. What I first have in mind is not the possibility of being a centenerian , but rather the prospect of living a life free of pain, dissabilities, and dependence that usually come with old age.

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