A new blog dedicated to longevity advocacy and healthy life extension science came to my attention just today:

To get people understanding and pushing for life extension technologies, its paramount that you become a good communicator.

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If you ask people on a long enough time line, they will say life spans will extend but most people believe that at some point things will change, not in their lifetime. Part of this is due to there being are very few of the major diseases which have been eradicated, most are treated as ongoing concerns. I feel that this is a factor leading to people’s apathy towards aging.

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The current perception of the general population is that aging is as constant as taxes. If you ask someone on the street they will say that not much can be done, or that it is natural. This state of mind has to be changed into accepting that something can be done and should be done, and finally energizing them to do something about it.

I'm always pleased to see more people putting their keyboards to good use and speaking their mind on the topic. Welcome aboard.

Think about the initiative and time it takes to put together the first few posts of a blog, and the value of that effort. If thousands or millions put in just that much effort to the broader effort to build an effective longevity research community - and the public awareness needed for such a venture - then imagine just how far we could advance on that wave of support.

The Methuselah Foundation came to where it is today through the actions of just a few thousand people, from the core volunteers and the few 6- and 7-figure donors to the generous donors and members of the 300, and out to the halo of bloggers, journalists, supporters, advocates. A near future of tens of thousands of volunteers and dozens of equally noteworthy and effective longevity research patient advocacy groups is not unreasonable. Look at the progression of cancer research advocacy and support for a model, for example.

It's just a matter of getting out there and putting your contribution into the ring. If we all do it, progress will result.

Technorati tags: advocacy, activism, life extension

Posted by Reason at July 25, 2007 9:02 PM | TrackBack (0)