‘Amortals’ and the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger
They’ll still be told to eat well and exercise. Because health and energy are absolutely required for enjoying life “right now.” Amortals and non-amortals alike are becoming accustomed to muscle weakness at younger and younger ages, and forgetting the correlation between health and happiness.
Few people think about the need to balance the daily habits that bring us health with the demands of our busy, frenzied lives — and still fewer put that thought into action. (p. 374)
From Amortality: The Pleasures and Perils of Living Agelessly by Catherine Mayer, translated by Hwang Deok-chang (Purple Cow Content Group).
“Amortals.” A coined word: “mortal” with the prefix “a” denoting negation. It means “people who do not age,” “people who live until death in the same way, without being aware of their age.”
Catherine Mayer, a journalist at Time, coined this concept. She explains amortals as “people who live from their late teens until death at the same level in the same way, doing mostly the same things and consuming the same things.”
In fact, more and more people today live forgetting their age. As the author says, in the past, life’s stages — childhood, youth, middle age, retirement, old age, and the twilight years — were clearly marked. Today the lines between these stages are blurry. Opinions differ on when “middle age” begins. Opinions also vary on what’s the right age to get married, or retire.
Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, whom I first encountered in middle school. I remember thinking, “That’s amazing,” watching him still take the stage. Mick Jagger is also a textbook amortal. What comes to mind when I think of the Rolling Stones are “Satisfaction” and “Paint It Black,” an insert song from the American drama “Tour of Duty” (Meonameon Jungle) that aired in Korea in the late 1980s. It turns out that Mick Jagger used to say he’d rather be dead than sing “Satisfaction” past age 45. Of course, he changed his mind later. He then said, “I think you should keep doing what you love for as long as you can.” Born in 1943, he still enjoys the stage at 70. An enviable sight.
To live as a happy amortal in a “100-year lifespan era,” the most important thing is “health.” No matter how busy you are with work, you should exercise and choose healthy food. To do what you want without being aware of age until death, you absolutely need health and energy. Even as you age, doing what you love and contributing to your local community or shared community while remaining healthy and happy — that is a contribution not only to yourself but to a society facing financial pressure from an aging population.
▶ Yeh Byeong-il’s Economy Note — Twitter: @yehbyungil / Facebook: www.facebook.com/yehbyungil |
