Seeking Eternal Life -- Modern Biomedicine vs. Ancient Wisdom

An ancient Jewish wisdom principle teaches how to live to 120 -- first, get to 119, then be very, very, very careful!  

Actually, Jewish tradition has a very balanced view of both Life and Death. In Genesis, the emphasis in the Adam and Eve story is not on eating from the Tree of Life, which would grant immortality, but eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil-Tov and Rah). Part of the "Punishment" for disobeying, was that they will Die. (Don't forget, Yahweh does not curse them, He punishes them. He curses the Ground and the Serpent. It was St. Augustine that created his "ORIGINAL SIN" concept from this story, wrongly claiming God cursed Adam and Eve, a concept that Jesus did not believe or accept!)  

In so many of the ancient myths, legends and stories, the prize that many people searched for was an object that would allow them to become immortal -- to live forever – by discovering the Fountain of Youth or a Plant of Life. But, the Ancients were not "Bumpkins" -- they understood, that if no one ever died, no one else could live! There is another wisdom lesson embedded in these stories:

Death is not our enemy. Death makes us what we are -- "HUMAN!"

Well, here we are! Last Sunday's Dallas Morning News had an article entitled; "Have cash, will seek longer lives." It talked about a gathering of Tech Titans who are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into Biomedical Research. They're doing absolutely amazing things. These Entrepreneurs are driven by a certitude that rebuilding, regenerating and reprogramming patient's organs, limbs, cells and DNA will enable people to live longer and better. However, there is Danger here.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison has proclaimed his wish to live forever and donated $430 million to anti-aging research -- "Death has never made any sense to me. How can a person be there and then just vanish, just not be there?"

But there is a flip-side we might want to consider. Their work to slow or stop aging, if successful, is also likely to lead to broader societal upheaval, increasing pressure on natural resources and on the economy. Life extension would radically change the most important building block of society -- the family. No one can predict what life might be like when half a dozen or more generations are alive simultaneously.

America remains deeply ambivalent about using new medical treatments to live radically longer lives.

● According to Pew Research Center -- two-thirds said they worry that radical life extension would strain natural resources and that only wealthy people would get access to new treatments.

● Political theorist Francis Fukuyama, a senior fellow at Stanford argues that a large increase in human life spans would take away people's motivation for the adaptation necessary for survival. In that kind of world, social change comes to a standstill, aging dictators could stay in power for centuries." For evolutionary reasons, there is a good reason why we die when we do."

Think about Rejuvenated Blood, Spray-on Skin, Custom-Built Bones, Bio-Printed Replacement Organs -- marvelous works of Science -- but longer lives have very little to do with "Eternal Life."  But, Acts of Loving-kindness, taking care of our world and all the creatures in it, creating societies of Tzeddek (Justice and Righteousness), creating a world where all have opportunities to make a LIFE -- not necessarily a Long Long Life -- but a Good Life, a Purposeful Life, a Life Connected to Others – this is what ancient wisdom teaches that will give "Eternal Life." Acts of Love and Kindness never die, they keep giving long after our earthly sojourn is done.

These ideas are taught in the Moral and Ethical instructions of the Torah and re-iterated by the teachings of Yeshua (the Jewish Jesus). These acts are called Acts of TOV – acts that Protect Life, Preserve Life, Increase the Function of Life and Improve the Quality of Life provide us a practical way of being immortal.

Even though our society worships victories, always keep in mind that "victories" rarely cause us to change. Most often, change happens as a result of our defeats, failures and losses. One thing that I have witnessed many times as a rabbi is that Death always teaches life. Even as people come together to mourn the loss of someone, their thoughts also turn their own mortality. The Fact that We will Die should have a very big impact on The Way We Choose to Live.

Death is a motivation and a major part of what we are. If that is removed, we would lose our Humanness and the greatest learning experience humans possess. Do you want to live forever? Then DO TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

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