The real issue is perception. Until I was 32 or so, believed I was immortal as do all younger humans (actually, most of them figure this out by the time they are in their mid to late twenties… I was a little immature OK????). And so therefore health, death, emphysema, heart disease, and other little things like that did not preoccupy my thoughts… nor did I care one wit. Yes, I smoked from the age of 20 to 25.
Years later, one of the odd little things I got to find out about people in my line of work is that we all get to die… sooner or later. No discrimination here, no priorities, no checklist, fist come, first serve; you get to go with no reservations or pre-fight check in for your journey. You can simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, make a minor split second error in judgment, looked left when you should of looked right, had one less drink or not driven home at all, etc. We’ve recovered the bodies and completed the homicide investigations for these people from 18 months to 87 years old. How many? As I sit here for this post, I can remenber 17 or so over the last 9 years. If I were at the office and looking through the files for Dade County (Miami) and Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) it would be over 35. Most did not produce their own premature demise. It was generated from the actions of other people. Soooo… give your self a head start.
Here’s the secret of life… LATER VERSES SOONER (you have a lotta stuff to do). The trick in life is not dying young, hell anyone can do that, its not hard at all, trust me.
As made a few tens of thousands of years ago, the warranty on your body is good up to around the age of 41. After that, your failing eyesight, long lost teeth, and horrible ability to fight off disease or to be able to hunt for the group or defendant it made you a good candidate for the “why don’t you sleep outside in the snow tonight grandpa” award from the others in the tribe.
Medicine, science, diet, nutrition, and most importantly “common sense” (if you see fresh bear droppings at the entrance of a cave, to you really need to see if the bear is in there?) has given us the life span we see today.
Your lungs were never designed to inhale anything but air… you make he choice,
and good luck.
Sorry for the length, but if it makes a difference for one…