Theos-Talk Archives (January 2002 Message tt00475)

<<<If it be true that believers in general live longer than nonbelievers then those for whom this life is viewed as a burden, a passing sorrow,
longing for the "other side of the river" and the journey's end seem to have their live extended, while those who would cling tenaciously to this
life as the only thing there is seem to get the short end of the stick.
One of life's little ironies, is it not?
Does anyone see Karma in this?>>>

Larry, all studies that I am aware of, to date, indicate a statistically significant difference in longevity with believers. Irony? Not really, because the reason lies in finding a meaning to life, and non-believers, on average, lack a strong sene of meaning.

Of course karma plays here, as with everything. Meaning, finding a personal meaning in life or not finding any, is karmic, don't you think?

Clingling tenaciously to life is a conscious fallout of having a belief in a self. I suspect that both believers and non-believers want to cling to life as long as possible (except for suicides, who have lost any sense of a meaningful life). Belief in God, or a higher power than one's own self, allows a person to find a sense of meaning in their lives, and this tends to help seniors achieve what is called "successful aging."

Jerry S.

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