I have turned 69. On the numbers of healthy life expectancy and what comes next
I turned 69 the other day.
Looking at the number alone, it is a bit of a milestone. Since I have the chance, today I would like to write a little about my own thoughts on the numbers of "healthy life expectancy" and "life expectancy," as well as the concept of death, and my outlook for the future.
First, let's check the numbers
According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the average life expectancy for Japanese men is approximately 81 years, and the "healthy life expectancy," which indicates the period during which one can lead a daily life without health problems, is considered to be approximately 72 to 73 years for men. The difference between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, which is the period spent with some form of limitation, is approximately 8 to 9 years for men, according to the most recent statistics.
There is also another figure called life expectancy. This indicates "how many more years a person of this age will live on average," and according to the same statistics, the life expectancy for a 65-year-old man is approximately 19 years, and for a 75-year-old man, it is approximately 12 years. At 69, I am right in between these, so if I estimate roughly, it seems the number is around 15 more years.
At 69, I am in a position where I have 3 to 4 years left until my healthy life expectancy and 15 years left until death. Honestly, when laid out as numbers, it is quite raw.
Thinking a little about death
When faced with these numbers, I inevitably become conscious of "death."
I do not think it is very productive to view death only as something terrifying. At the same time, pretending to be enlightened is not honest either.
This is the way of thinking I have arrived at for now: It is precisely because death exists that meaning is born in today. If life were to continue infinitely, perhaps there would not really be much of a reason to cherish today. It is because today will never return that it is worth spending it carefully.
Of course, this does not mean I am treating death lightly. Rather, I feel that by keeping the fact of death right next to my daily life instead of pushing it away, the contours of today become clearer.
The average is not destiny
However, I want to pause here and consider that these are, after all, "averages."
Average life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and life expectancy are all middle values derived by smoothing out data from millions of people. Because there is a middle, there are naturally people who are shorter and people who are longer. There are actually many people who extend their healthy life expectancy into their 80s and 90s.
The average is a statistical landmark, not something that determines my personal fate. This is not me being defiant or putting on a brave face; it is simply a fact regarding the nature of statistics.
If that is the case, I think what is important is not to be frightened by these average values, but to start working from today on the question, "So, which side can I move closer to?"
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An outlook on exceeding life expectancy
From here on, these are the things that I, at 69, would like to aim for from now on.
Exceeding life expectancy does not simply mean living a long time. I think about this in four areas: health, money, connections, and curiosity.
Health This means exactly what it says. For me, the core of this lies in breathing techniques, Laughter Yoga, and Tai Chi.
Breathing techniques are the very foundation of the Brain-Activating Breathing Method. I am carefully building up the simple act of exhaling long and deeply, day by day.
I have practiced and facilitated Laughter Yoga hundreds of times. The act of laughing out loud is itself an exercise that moves the body and a space for connecting with others.
Through Tai Chi, I have been able to learn how to relax and align my body's center of gravity amidst slow movements. It is the practice that best teaches me the body's principle that the faster you move, the more you tense up.
What various studies commonly cite as factors for extending healthy life expectancy are not anything special: moving the body moderately, how to deal with stress, and basic daily body usage. I feel that breathing techniques, Laughter Yoga, and Tai Chi are practices that satisfy these three things simultaneously. I understand that it is not about something dramatic, but about building up one thing today and another tomorrow.
Money Since I do not know how many years I will live, I need to have a certain amount of flexibility in my financial planning. However, rather than preparing out of fear, I am taking the approach of assuming I will live longer than average and keeping a little extra margin.
Connections Living a long life alone and living a long life while connected to someone else are completely different experiences. The encounters I have through various community activities and the relationships in Laughter Yoga spaces are assets I want to cherish just as much as my health.
Curiosity Finally, there is curiosity. I feel that whether or not you can continue to be interested in new things depends more on how you spend your days than on your age itself. I do not want to let go of the feeling of finding the unknown interesting.
These four things are my personal foundation for aging richly beyond the average number. It is not just a battle of length regarding how many years I live, but about making the depth of these four areas greater than average. That is the outlook I want to aim for starting at age 69.
Three things to start again today
Breathing: One breath starting today
Inhale slowly through the nose, and exhale long through the mouth. Starting today at 69, I will carefully redo this. The first step of building up is always today.
Instead of saying "I'm already 69," I decided to whisper this in my heart.
"I can still extend it."
This is not groundless encouragement, but daily words to pull the range of individual differences shown by statistics toward my side in all four areas: health, money, connections, and curiosity.
Laughter: A milestone laugh
On the night of my birthday, I laughed to myself, "Heh." It is not a grand resolution or a serious vow. I just gave a small laugh at the beginning of a new year.
Have you ever been conscious of figures like healthy life expectancy or average life expectancy? Or, among health, money, connections, and curiosity, which one do you want to cultivate the most right now? If you would like, please let me know in the comments. I hope we can continue to build up together from this day forward.
In the Brain Activation Breathing Method, we will continue to deliver these "daily accumulations" through three elements: breathing, words, and laughter. If you like, please follow us and check out our next article.
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For those who want to structure the second half of their lives a bit more concretely, we also offer the "Good Mood OS" and the "Peace of Mind Notebook for the Second Half of Life."
To those in their 50s and 60s who find themselves sighing more often. How to find the one article that resonates with you right now: https://note.com/brain_laughter/n/n4ac767ec16fd
You can view it here.
── Emon (Shomon) Hiroshi