It's very rewarding to see folk out there broadening the conversation electric on the topic of healthy life extension: the science that will see us to many more healthy years, and the advocacy needed to build a research community, fund it, and turn research into results. Here's Scott Wainner speaking from the far side of the blogosphere:

One area that I have become particularly passionate about is longevity research - not just the idea of living longer, but the idea of biologically living as a 20-something indefinitely without experiencing age related disease or decay. Despite many advances in research over the past decade, this important concept has not yet been widely embraced by the public ... Why are we happy to continue pushing the envelope of age by relying on technological advancements in one breath, and in the next breath failing to become adamant supporters of anti-aging research?

A good question, and several thoughts are given on that topic. More pertinently, Wainner does more than just hold up his end of the conversation, he steps up to make something happen:

Never before in human history have we had the technological means to even begin to address this difficult problem. Our ancestors (around 60 billion people by some estimates) died in order to make this world a better place and so that we could learn and build on their accomplishments. Surely there is nothing more important than the massive reduction in human suffering (losing loved ones, or experiencing chronic disease), aging, and death, if it is within our technological capability to do so. We have an obligation to pursue such a challenge with all available means (not just a handful of well-intentioned researchers) to honor those who came before us and to prevent the unnecessary deaths of most people living today.

The $20 Blogging Challenge

So here’s my challenge to you: think about this issue [and] make a post to support this issue on your blog. In exchange, I’ll do follow up posts here at wrevenue.com linking back to you from my PR6 blog and I’ll even do one better: the first 100 bloggers who do a blog post about this issue to voice their demand for serious research to stop the aging process, and who write me to give me a link to their post, will each earn $20 paid via Paypal by yours truly - don’t delay to write your post and claim your easy $20!

The conversation electric - the vast and many-threaded discourse built of blogs, old media, scientific publications, private discussions, lectures, and every other form of communication imaginable - is the foundation upon which activist communities and organizations like the Methuselah Foundation can be built. Without the conversation, always present for reference, how will newcomers learn about healthy life extension, or be convinced of the supporting science by patient advocates for longevity research? How will these groups forge their legitimacy and grow large enough to create real change? From activist communities come funding, education and persuasion of the broader public towards the end goal of the defeat of aging. That is the road to large and well-supported longevity research communities, big enough to rival the cancer establishment, working hard to move the technologies capable of repairing the damage of aging from laboratory to clinic.

It's a long road ahead, but that didn't stop the cancer patient advocates in past decades, did it? Many hands make light work - so do something today to spead the word about the viability of greatly extending the healthy human life span within our lifetimes. Contribute to the conversation electric, and the future of longevity, healthier lives, understood, welcomed and supported by all.

Posted by Reason at March 6, 2008 6:00 PM | TrackBack (0)