I saw this burning question from @naturalmedicine via @minismallholding's post Why Live Healthy, When We're All Going to Die Anyway?.
Living in Connection with Death from @mountainjewel is another great post on the topic and I have to say he touched on some of my own beliefs while at the same time gave me plenty to think about especially considering homesteading.
So here's my answer and beware I could get long winded here....
For me I truly believe if it's your time it's your time.
We can be super "healthy", eating right, exercising, meditating, taking care of mind body spirit and then BOOM! Freak accident and you're outta here.
There's the people who smoked all their lives who died at 90. Then there's people who never smoked who died at 60. I've heard and seen too many of these stories to believe attempting to live a healthy life will make a difference in one's lifespan.
I hate pain. I can't stand it, I loathe being sick. I'm too in touch with my feelings and my body and immediately know when I'm out of balance and dont feel right, and THAT is what motivates me to live a healthy lifestyle.
Pain and suffering are great motivators. While death is death and it's done, it's the process towards it that's the worry. Ideally I would love to die peacefully in my sleep, regardless of what age I end up going.
What scares me is weeks or months, or God forbid, years of suffering, not just for myself but for anyone who may witness this process.
My grandmother died when I was 6 years old and I remember she held on for months and we all took turns to watch her deteriorate from the strong vibrant matriarch that she has always been to a frail bed ridden, pumped up to her eyeballs with meds, skin and bones.
She suffered terribly.
But gotta give it to her, to the very end her spirit remained strong and steadfast until she was finally released.
And you know what? She never smoked, she ate we and still... Gone at 70.
Personally speaking I have tested my mortality many many times, through many many ways and I've proven to be like a weed.
I've used and abused this vessel. Smoked everything that could be smoked, junk food all day every day, dangerous situations aplenty and have managed to come through mostly unscathed.
Sure I was sick every now and then but hey, I'm still here right?
It wasn't until 8 years ago though that I realised what a healthy lifestyle was for me and the biggest change we made for ourselves and our relationship was to haul ass and move up to the Blue Mountains.
We lived in the pits of Western Sydney surrounded by people. With houses almost roof top to roof top; fast food, drugs and alcohol available in every corner, pollution ~ you name it, it was there. It was hard to breathe, hard to progress, hard to live a meaningful life.
Then we moved up and I shit you not the moment you get to the foot of the mountain you feel the change energetically. Everything feels fresher, lighter & cleaner in ways you can't really explain.
We don't have fast food over here which forces us to cook and eat healthier. We do have take away but they're all local family businesses and there's so much love put into their food that that in itself is so healing as opposed to some slapped together bit of burger no one really cared about from start to finish.
There's more trees than people. Currently we only have 1 neighbour and their roof top is no where near ours. The local wildlife, the air, the people, all who seems so much more nicer and supportive ~ everything is just better. Living up here we feel the connection to the Earth and nature. It truly feels like it's adding years to our lifespan and it really was a move towards a better life.
Do we live healthy lives to avoid and postpone death?
For me?
No. I try to live a healthy lifestyle to avoid pain and suffering, and to have a better quality life while I'm here.
Who knows how long we're here for?
Like I said earlier. Death is death. When it's your time it's your time. Might as well live what years we have happy, healthy and thriving right?
