Life Expectancy Increases

The average life expectancy in 1854, the period detailed in Steven Johnson’s, The Ghost Map, was less than 45 years. Today, the average lifespan in the developed world is greater than 75 years and is predicted to rise over the next 20 years (Russell, 2014). At 41, I am, likely, smack dab in the middle of my life. Aging in the context of The Ghost Map is very much like an alien planet. I take for granted sanitary living conditions, clean water, abundant food, and a multitude of modern conveniences. With that said, I often wonder if the anxiety and stress that I experience is any less than my ancestors.


Surely, they are different as I struggle to balance work, children and leisure but the physical manifestation would seem similar. Ironically, the more I learn and experience, the less comfortable I am in the process of aging. I now add managing my own physical & mental health, planning for retirement, college for the kids, and caring for my parents into the bucket of every day worries. Beyond this, I ponder the plight of the world economy, fret over the continued deterioration of the environment, devote countless hours to staying abreast of the ever changing social-political climate and internalize guilt over “not doing enough” in any of the afore mentioned arenas. When will the time come between now and the end of my life that I don’t feel this constant pressure to do more, be more, or is this the reality of aging in the modern area?




Christine




References:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davidjstokes/1850.htm
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davidjstokes/2000.htm

Russell, Kate (January 2014). Life expectancy gap widens to ‘shocking’ levels in London. Accessed 6-August-2014. http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/14/life-expectancy-gap-widens-to-shocking-levels-in-london-4262571/

Johnson, Steven (2006). The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Sceince, Cities, and the Modern World. New York: Riverhead Books.