I
read the brief information this morning, which surprised me at first;
that the danger of suffering cancer is much smaller for people who are
100 years old or more, than for the rest of the younger people. Later
however, it seemed to me logical: cancer is a tumoral growth of the
tissue. In a person of advanced age, there's no more growth, only
diminution or shrinkage.
Cancer
is a faulty expansion of some part of the body, and this expansion is a
signal of vitality, one that's out of control and dangerous. When a
person is 100 years old, his vitality is greatly reduced. This
debilitation is perfectly compatible, in some cases privileged, with
the conservation of the intellectual faculties.
On
the other hand, the vitality of the corporal organism diminishes and
the process of ageing is like a train that falters & stops when
nearing the end station, or breaks down in the middle of the track with
no possibility to continue ... it always pains me greatly seeing
someone not able to initiate the course of getting old. Like Whitney Houston.
Knowing
how to get old is the greatest art of wisdom, the art of living. But
always at the mercy of fate, destiny or circumstances. There's a novel
by Jonas Jonasson 'The 100 year old grandfather that escaped by the
window', leaving the old-folks' residence and got himself involved in
all sorts of adventures. It's like a metaphor: the vital spirits are
not exclusive of any age.
Tags: 100years
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