Do You Really Want to Live to 100?

Imagine this: a world where the miracle of modern medicine works. You get to celebrate your 100th birthday, surrounded by loads of grandkids, a slice of cake with more candles than cake, and a shout-out from Al Roker playing on the TV.

It sounds like a dream, right? But here's the million-dollar question: Do you really want to live to be 100 years old?

It’s a fair question. Sure, science might give us 120 years. But will we really enjoy years 91 through 120—or just survive them?

The evening news and the interwebs are littered with lotions and potions intended to solve most of aging’s annoying side effects. Not to mention the plethora of pharmaceuticals to forestall or reverse the impact of things like “mild to moderate plaque psoriasis”—whatever that is.

The Clock Never Stops

For all the efforts to prevent aging, there are few things more undefeated than the passage of time. The simple truth is that living to age 100+ presents all sorts of complications.

Consider that living to 100 means that your children are likely in their 70’s. That brings in the likelihood that you may outlive your spouse, siblings, and children. Not to mention that the chances of having any remaining friends on earth are actuarially slim.

If you’re 100 years old, you probably can’t hear or see very well. I already need readers and can’t remember where I put my car keys. Plus, no financial planner assumes you’re gonna live to age 100, so you would definitely run out of money.

Bio-hacking Madness

Enter tech entrepreneur (and complete “nutter”) Bryan Johnson. Johnson has spent millions of dollars trying to defy the biological age or the rate at which his cells are deteriorating. He claims to be the most biologically measured man on earth and, in his words, plans to live forever. Or at least to live as well as possible for as long as possible.

Johnson’s Project Blueprint seeks to biohack his way to longevity. He currently spends over $2M per year to reduce his biological age. Working with a team of 30 clinicians, he monitors over 100 biological biomarkers.

His daily routine includes popping 100 pills, freezing his man parts with an “ice diaper,” and transfusing his blood with plasma from his teenage son—a sentence that would’ve made zero sense in 1995 but now passes as a wellness strategy in Silicon Valley.

Bryan now ages slower than 99% of 20-year-olds, and his biological age is five years lower than his chronological age. So, maybe he’s onto something. You can watch his documentary Don’t Die on Netflix.

Johnson is leaning into the morbidity trend. According to Pew Research, as life expectancy increases in the US, the number of centenarians will quadruple by 2054. Maybe he will be one of them.

How Old is Old?

If this Project Blueprint thing works, he might just redefine the definition of “old.” In the meantime, “how old is old?”

There is an enormous gap between what constitutes “old” in the eyes of young adults and those over age 65. Those aged 18-29 think that 60 years constitutes “old” while those over age 65 claim that being old starts at age 74.

Even worse, wait ‘til you hear what else defines people as old. A shocking 51% of young people think that frequently forgetting familiar names is a sign of old age. That makes you and me old.

Even if Project Blueprint doesn’t take off, there’s a decent chance you might see 100—whether you want to or not. Especially if you haven’t started looking for gray hairs in your nether regions yet.

In a Pew Research survey, most people just want to live to be 90, that is, unless you’re 89. That’s about 11 years longer than the current average U.S. life expectancy, which is 78.7 years. But, only 9% of Americans said they want to live more than 100 years.

The Crazy Ones

Jeanne Calmet was born in Arles, France in 1875. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. Actually, it was 122 years and 164 days. She was not a participant in Project Blueprint. So far, she holds the world record for the longest lifespan. Get this: she drank port and smoked lung darts up until her death. (Way to go, Jeanne.)

But is that a realistic recommendation for living to 100? Hey, it worked for Jeanne.

According to a recent study, female babies born today have a 5.1% chance of reaching age 100. Males only have a 1.8% probability.

To put all this in perspective, consider that back in 1900, the average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years. During that century, Americans experienced a radical life extension—a dramatic improvement in the average life expectancy. Beginning in 1900, our average life expectancy increased roughly three years for every decade.

So, what happens if we experience another radical life extension? Well, by 2100 our average life expectancy would rise to 110 years. Surely we are already nearing the maximum quality of life at 78.7 (average), right? My knees already hurt. I mean, how many more years can our bodies handle?

Prolonging the Inevitable

I think we can both agree that modern medicine is truly miraculous. Our ability to cure the most dastardly of illnesses is remarkable. But, the bigger question is, how much further should we go?

I’ll admit that my bathroom drawer looks like a vitamin graveyard. I buy the lotions and potions intended to delay the inevitable march of time. I’m not chasing immortality. But I’m also “not going quietly into that good night”.

But before you go spend $2M signing up for crazy Bryan Johnson’s Project Blueprint, you might wanna take a look at the twigs and berries you have to eat. And, question whether you want to have a “blood boy” on the payroll. And, more importantly, you might want to ask yourself the question:

Do I really want to live to be 100?

Do you have something to add to this conversation? What is the right age to “go out”? I’d love to hear from you. I write purely for the joy of making new friends, so please reach out and tell me what’s on your mind.

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