The Longevity List

Author: Merlyn Thomas

The primary purpose of lists is to distill many ideas into what resembles a plan drafted on a napkin-sized piece of paper. Each point represents a gateway to an entirely different universe of ideas, separated by a system of other ideas. There are many different ways people can shorten their lifespans. Generally, we use very few of them. For instance, during my research for this book, the only useful thing I came up with was this list. It's not rocket science. Everyone I spoke to had a very similar list. Even the World Health Organization has a list of the most important things we all need to do to improve our health prospects. We can think of a million other things to do for our health and well-being. But mostly, we currently focus on a few things that we deem truly important, or at least important enough to be worth mentioning in our lists or teaching to others, like our children, with conviction. It's almost certain that your priorities will differ from mine. So you can create your own list and delve into this book wherever you wish. Each chapter is dedicated to understanding why a few elements have become so crucial for our health that we are willing to prioritize them. And why, when we deviate from them, we feel guilty, as if we've committed a sin, expecting some consequences. This book can tell you why and why not, but it won't tell you how. How to achieve any of the things on our list is up to the individual. There is no general solution, no universal remedy, no panacea. We are all good at some things and not others. No matter how many advertisements claim one-size-fits-all products, this is impossible. This doesn't mean you'll never find something suitable. Rather, it means we need to take our time to discover what suits us well and makes us feel good, to distinguish it from what doesn't. Making a list is a good start.