it turns out humans can live forever, after all

In my younger years, I decided to do what some young people dream of doing: Travel the world. I did not have the money to travel the world, so I decided instead to travel the country. I saved up a few thousand for expenses, and drove cross country for a few months. On week 5, I ended up in an area of Montana, called Sun River. I had been running low on gas for my car, and couldn't quite make it to a gas station. I ran out gas in front of a man's house. I was scared that I was almost in the middle of no where, and had to knock on someone's door, but I did it even though it was 1:00AM. A younger, almost middle-aged gentleman with very long hair answered, and I explained my situation that I was traveling the country and ran out of gas. He offered me some gas, and also offered me a room to stay in for the night as it was late. I accepted.

We got to talking, and I soon learned when he was my age he had similar passions of traveling the world. He told me he used to work as a freelance photographer for National Geographic magazine, and used to adventure all over South America. I told him that I too wanted to work for National Geographic when I was younger, but never got into photography enough to start a carreer. As we got on talking, I asked him how old he was and when he worked for the magazine. He told me he started working for National Geographic in 1972 which astonished me. He didn't seem old enough to even be born in 1972 let alone work for them in 1972. I asked when he was born, and he said 1946 which again shocked me. That would mean he was 56 or 57 years old at the time. He looked like early 30's.

I complemented him and told him he looked very young for his age. He responded "Thanks, I've been trying my best." I asked him what he meant. He explained that he had been trying to live what he called a "naturalist" lifestyle, something he picked up from the indigenious people of the Peruvian rainforest. He went on to explain that they had certain beliefs on how to stay young and live as long as possible. He took their beliefes and adapted it with his own research to create his own list of life choices to live by. He kindly shared his list with me. I didn't write it down, but this is the best I can remember it:

1) Eat only natural foods that humans in the element of nature were meant to eat. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, and occasionally fresh-killed meat.
2) Grow the food yourself. Take as many hands out of the pot as possible. Every time you add a person or company to the mix (of getting you food) you add more likelyhood of someone cutting corners to reduce cost and raise profit, which lowers quality of the food. Everyone from the farmer the grows the food, to the plant that processes it, to the store that sells it to you has to make a profit and they may do thing to cut costs. Such as un-safe herbicides, unnatural preservatives, or even keeping the food on the shelf in the store for too long until it sells.
3) Drink only water, or other natural water-based drinks such as tea. He said no to coffee, because he consideres it a drug due the the caffeine content, which leads to number
4) Do not use drugs. Especially not illegal drugs, but even more so do not use prescription drugs. Unless you absolutely depend on them to live.
5) Do not smoke. He noted that some indian tribes did smoke but grew their own tobacco which he considers far safer than the stuff you buy in ciagarettes.
6) Do not cut your hair. This one seemed far-fetched to me but he claimed that one tribe in particular believed the hair was not meant to be cut and would not cut their hair. He said from a naturalist viewpoint this makes sense, as basic humans before tools would not be able to cut their own hair. From a scientific standpoint and what we know about hair, I'm not too sure this one makes a difference. But he is convinced that it does.
7) Do not use cosmetics. He believes the chemicals in cosmetics is not safe for your skin and that your skin actually absorbs a lot of the chemicals.
8) Grind up and take an herb called Guanabana, which calls the Peruvian rainforest home.
9) Stay far away from pollution of the big city.
10) Exercise frequently. He said there's no need to over-exert yourself but do exercise daily, even if it means taking a 2 mile walk.
11) Most importantly, live a stress-free, simple life. He told me he saved up what he could to buy his house, then stopped working and lived off the land at his ranch. He keeps his old hobby of photography and does it every day, taking nature photos and the like to keep him entertained. He rid his life of the stress of having a boss, making customers happy, keeping family happy, and he doesn't even have a cell phone.

I'm not asking anyone here to believe my story, I just want your input. Do you think this guy knew what he was talking about or just some crazy crack pot? Can anyone verify any of this information with research or facts? He certainly did look very young for his age, maybe he was on to something. He mentioned to me before we parted ways that he truly belives that the fountain of youth that Ponce de León was after was not an actual fountain, but the knowledge that the Peruvian tribe elders had about delaying the aging process.

I've never tried anything on his list really, except the part about not wearing cosmetics. Heh. Unforunately I'm a smoker and haven't been able to quit, and unfortuntaely only until recently I haven't been able to quit my job and have free time.

reply to post by WP4YT


this guy has the right idea, and is on the right path.



everyone should try to do this.



don't eat food with artificial ingredients in it.


read the labels or your most likely hurting yourself.


peace.



by the way, if it can't go bad, its usually bad for YOU.


if it CAN go bad, its good for you.




edit:


calories are fake


first: the method of calculating how many calories are in a food.

set food on fire next to container of water. how hot does the water get? = how many calories.


second: our body does not set food on fire or "burn" it to use it for nutrients.


calories are nothing but a system designed to get the same number out of the same food over and over again with consistency, regardless of how your, or several different peoples bodies handle that food.


fun fact: when you eat food, you well, to put it simply, you poop out most of it in most cases.


everybody's body is different.

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Originally posted by SoymilkAlaska

Originally posted by benrl
Far to high right now...

stoopid vacation...

edit on 21-7-2012 by benrl because: (no reason given)

don't feel bad.


the number one rule you should follow if you want to lose weight or be overall more healthy is to eat natural.


this means no artificial flavors/ ingredients/ colors / chemicals.


read the ingredient labels.



do not depend on a system of numbers for your health, your body is a complicated and beautiful thing and numbers are not good enough to express what is going on inside you.


don't get on a scale, "oh no i weigh ####"

look in the mirror, and ask yourself "am i happy this way"

Originally posted by SoymilkAlaska

Originally posted by benrl
reply to post by SoymilkAlaska

 

Yea ive lost 10 pounds just by cutting out Soda, only change, nothing else, just cut it out.

Few months later 10 pounds gone.

Its a demon liquid...

i agree. drink fat free milk instead, it fills you up and is very refreshing.


but you MUST cut all artificial ingredients if you are to have any hope at losing weight or improving your health.


they are the demon fillers. they are added to food as unnecessary preservatives and fillers, to save money and time at the expense and the health of anyone who eats it.

it isn't right and its almost dishonest.

i mean every part of it.


the people who make it don't care that people will eat their food, full of chemicals.

the people that eat the food, don't know whats in their food and don't care.

as soon as people start reading ingredient labels, people will be healthier and dishonesty will go bankrupt.

peace.

Another thing, and some people don't understand this: don't use toothpaste. It's a bit like the "don't cut your hair" part because humans never had toothpaste in prehistoric times, and also the cosmetics thing. Toothpaste is a man-made chemical that we put into our mouth. While you aren't supposed to swallow it, I still think it should be avoided entirely. Humans can clean their teeth with a toothpick easier than a toothbrush with toothpaste. Try it, you'll get all that junk off your teeth and it won't leave that crappy toothpaste taste in your mouth. You'll also be able to remove a lot of the "tarter" as dentists call it, that toothbrushes and flossing can't get. Tarter comes off in chunks and can be nauseating because of how gross it is, but your teeth feel so much better after you remove it.

ETA: Also, human teeth are not meant to be "sparkly white". That is a facade created by Hollywood and the media to get people to buy "teeth whitening" toothpaste and those teeth whitening solutions, etc. Human teeth are naturally cream colored, a little yellow. There's nothing wrong with that, unless your teeth look like you smeared butter on them, and in that case, GO CLEAN YOUR TEETH lol.

reply to post by WP4YT

My opinion? That man was no crackpot. A lot of his advice makes good sense. And I have to say that even what he said about not cutting your hair resonates with me because I was told the same thing a few years back by a man I knew who was native American by descent. And yes, he had very long hair, was a good age and frankly had more energy and seemed healthier than a lot of people half his age!

But living forever? Well, there are stories of people who purportedly are near-immortal. I'm not talking of the sort of stuff we see in movies with Immortals running around trying to lop each other's heads off, but historical cases.

Probably the best-known one would be the Count de Saint-Germain. It's impossible to fully verify all that we might read about him but all the same, he must have been a very special person and could have found a way to live a long time. Either that, or he might have been a time traveller, I suppose.

Mike

Most importantly, live a stress-free, simple life.

reply to post by WP4YT


I was chatting with my Mum the other day, she's 74 arthritis in the spine 2 heart valves blah blah but over the last few years has been eating healthy and gets out as much as she can. I asked how her neighbour managed to get the home next door to her ( she lives in a supervised block of bungalows for the elderly) and she replied that he went on the waiting list, I said surely he wasn't old enough and she said yes he's 76 or 79, I nearly bloody fell over.

This guy doesn't look much older than 50, and very often I've seen him leaping over the front wall to his car, he walks for hours and hours every day, not a stroll a brisk walk and by all accounts eats nothing but salad and the occasional meal.

What is notable is that in the 30 or so years that I've known of him he's never had a job, his wife had always worked but not him, the only times you would see him was ritually washing and polishing his car to death and walking for miles ands miles.

No stress, no junk food and lots of walking he's like a goat at 76 my Dad went to his grave in his sixties , makes you think no ?

Living forever isn't the trick. living with yourself forever.....that's the trick.

Well with genetic engineering the aging process could theoretically be stopped altogether. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before some rich American like Dick Cheney will do it. Theoretically the aging process could also be reversed. Complete genetic engineering and manipulation may be possible with further scientific research, time and money. Obviously only rich people will be able to afford it creating a new form of human inequality. A disturbing future may await the human race.

Interesting about the diet, would stuff like chicken breast and fish be OK?

Certainly, eating natural foods will make you a lot healthier. I try and drink only water now too. Shame that there is evidence out there that our water is polluted with remnants of birth control pills and all other kinds of nasty stuff!

One of my old boxing trainers is in his 40's and he looks about 25. He is in great shape, I'll have to ask him about his diet when I next see him. I know he trains a lot and seems the type to eat healthy and not drink etc.

Originally posted by WP4YT
4) Do not use drugs. Especially not illegal drugs, but even more so do not use prescription drugs. Unless you absolutely depend on them to live.

Lmao this one had me laughing out loud, sorry... Don't do drugs, especially not illegal drugs!! Because the government must clearly know what is good for you, or what?

Marijuana is illegal yet it is a miracle herb, nobody tells me not to use it especially because it's illegal, that's the biggest nonsense I've heard in a long time... Don't use chemicals, stay away from garbage made in a lab, but use what mother nature provides for us, use common sense. Making nature illegal is not using common sense, and refusing to use it because it is illegal isn't either.

I agree with the other points you make, however, I don't see how this relates to humans living forever? I do almost all of those things (I too believe hair shouldn't be cut, at least not too short), but I'm also pretty sure I won't live forever. I feel more balanced etc... but that's about it.

I avoid stress too, humans are NOT here to work every damn day of their lives to pay for things they were made to believe they really needed in their lives in order to be happy... A great man once sang "emancipate yourself from mental slavery", but he sang much greater truths that have gone unnoticed even by the people that love his music most, sadly.


Oh, about the not cutting your hair; There have been stories about the US military doing tests on native Americans, they had them perform several tasks, then cut their (long) hair off, had them do the same tasks again, and they would fail them. Most of those dealt with intuition, for example, waking up at night when there is a sense of danger, would happen to the natives with their long hair, but no longer when they lost their hair, etc etc etc. I believe this too, besides the fact that we have hair on our heads to keep them warm, I still sometimes wonder why it's the only place where hair grows that long and that thick. Perhaps it's just to keep my head warm, but I like to think, maybe, there's more to it.

Also, at least where I live, society doesn't generally accept men with long hair. I wonder why? What's wrong with it? Why was society pushed in this direction, a direction of not tolerating men who do not cut their hair? I have semi-long hair and a beard and I often get remarks about it, as if it's anyone's business in the first place. I don't like short hair but I don't go around telling men with short hair that they should grow theirs either.

Thats very interesting, I've always wanted to live a life style like this.
I got 1 question, I've heard there is acid in rainwater, would it be safe to drink if you would boil it?

reply to post by ChristianJihad

Yes, keeping stress levels down is another very important thing. I try to live by the maxim that if there's a problem and I can do something about it, then I do it -- and if there's nothing I can do, then there's no point worrying.

My grandfather lived by the same ideal and he was almost 96 when he passed away. And when he turned ninety, he told me that he one of the most important things was family. Family and people you care about mean more than money. I remember he said something like this: "After the War when I left the fire service and went back to my regular job, they were always offering us overtime, even working extra days and so on. Plenty of fellows took the extra work so they could buy their new homes, new cars, new washing machines -- all that sort of thing. And I always used to say, 'I've got a wife and son at home and I'd rather spend time with them,' because having survived the War, they were worth more to me than anything." [They lived in London's East End and he was a fireman during WW II.]

And then he paused and said, "And now -- all those fellows that spent so much time making their extra money to pay for all those things, so they were almost never home with their families -- well, they're all dead now. Even the fellows that were younger than me. They're all dead. I'm the only one left."

It saddened him greatly, believe me. It was not something he said by way of gloating. He grieved the fact that for many of those he knew, gathering material things around them came to mean more, than gathering their loved ones close.

I learned from him, which is why I try not to worry too much about anything.

Mike

This man is definately on the right track, but it will take a bit more knowledge and effort to attain immortality.

If you want to know more about immortality and how to get there, follow the links in my signature.

reply to post by Taxus

Good question. Rainwater quality varies a great deal from place to place, because the amount of pollution in the atmosphere does as well. I am really not sure if boiling it would do a lot of good in respect of the acidity, though that would help to neutralise some of the harmful bacteria that might be present.

I'd suggest finding sources of spring water may be a better way to go, especially ones that still flow even in the driest months. It's rare to find drinkable water in nature that is completely ph-neutral anyway, but I believe that slightly alkaline might be better in the long run than acidic.

Mike

Originally posted by OrphenFire
Another thing, and some people don't understand this: don't use toothpaste. It's a bit like the "don't cut your hair" part because humans never had toothpaste in prehistoric times, and also the cosmetics thing. Toothpaste is a man-made chemical that we put into our mouth. While you aren't supposed to swallow it, I still think it should be avoided entirely. Humans can clean their teeth with a toothpick easier than a toothbrush with toothpaste. Try it, you'll get all that junk off your teeth and it won't leave that crappy toothpaste taste in your mouth. You'll also be able to remove a lot of the "tarter" as dentists call it, that toothbrushes and flossing can't get. Tarter comes off in chunks and can be nauseating because of how gross it is, but your teeth feel so much better after you remove it.

ETA: Also, human teeth are not meant to be "sparkly white". That is a facade created by Hollywood and the media to get people to buy "teeth whitening" toothpaste and those teeth whitening solutions, etc. Human teeth are naturally cream colored, a little yellow. There's nothing wrong with that, unless your teeth look like you smeared butter on them, and in that case, GO CLEAN YOUR TEETH lol.

edit on 7/22/2012 by OrphenFire because: (no reason given)

Oh yeah, that was one I forgot to mention. He did brush his teeth, but only with baking soda and water. Not toothpaste.

I personally as a child and through my teens didn't brush my teeth that much, maybe once every few days, not 3 times a day like the dentist recommends. I never had a cavity, and due to my diet my teeth were not yellow either nor gross. Later I grow up, move out of mom & dads house (which ironically was on well water with no flouride) and moved to my own place, with fluoridated water even. Now as an adult I got into the habit of brushing my teeth every day due to being around people in business and also trying to impress the ladies. Guess what? After I did that, I got my first cavity! Go figure.

Originally posted by Wonderer2012
Interesting about the diet, would stuff like chicken breast and fish be OK?

Certainly, eating natural foods will make you a lot healthier. I try and drink only water now too. Shame that there is evidence out there that our water is polluted with remnants of birth control pills and all other kinds of nasty stuff!

Well I've heard reports that chicken you buy around the whole country is contaminated with Arsenic. Here's a link to that: www.huffingtonpost.com... And with all the recent bad things going on in the oceans like the oil spills and the radiation from Fukishima, not to mention the old standby of mercury and other toxins in Fish, I'd steer clear. Unless you raise your own chickens and fish. I think as far as chemical/radiation/toxin-free store bought meat, beef is probably the best bet. But beef also simply isn't as healthy for you as fish or chicken. So take your pick! Heh.

Originally posted by ThisIsNotReality

Originally posted by WP4YT
4) Do not use drugs. Especially not illegal drugs, but even more so do not use prescription drugs. Unless you absolutely depend on them to live.

Lmao this one had me laughing out loud, sorry... Don't do drugs, especially not illegal drugs!! Because the government must clearly know what is good for you, or what?

Marijuana is illegal yet it is a miracle herb, nobody tells me not to use it especially because it's illegal, that's the biggest nonsense I've heard in a long time... Don't use chemicals, stay away from garbage made in a lab, but use what mother nature provides for us, use common sense. Making nature illegal is not using common sense, and refusing to use it because it is illegal isn't either.

I should have clarified I guess. When I said illegal drugs, I meant hard drugs like coc aine, meth, herion, etc. I realize Marijuana is still illegal in most states and I don't really think it's that harmful for you.

I don't wanna live forever...... I want to live a good, full life, die, and let the world keep on spinning. It worked for those before me and it'll keep working after I'm gone....

Besides, I wouldn't stay so darn good lookin when I got really old, so that would ruin everything!!

We are designed to die. It's our genes that do it. The point is to evolve as a species. If we didn't die, we would just be taking up space and impeding evolution because we would be eating food that should be given instead to the new generations.

This is according to Steven Gundry. He wrote a book called Diet Evolution. He says this "killer genes" mechanism is known as genetic pleiotropy. At first, things like sugar stimulate our growth, and we are very turned off by green vegetables. At a certain point in our lifetime, the genes "switch" and then sugar functions to kill us, and green things function to extend our lifespans. I haven't explained it exactly as he stated.

It makes simple sense though. We are not important...the future generations are. After we are done having kids, it's time to get out of the way.

I am not discounting what the guy says at all. I agree with his tips. I don't believe in living forever just based on those things listed, and maybe it isn't designed to work that way at all. Maybe death is required for a reason we don't know. But, anyway...

I am in favor of this one, in the current situation. We eat processed foods and that means reducing our survival rate in almost 50% lesser than those people who live to eat natural foods and not enjoying too much about unhealthy diet.

reply to post by WP4YT


It's possible: blogs.miaminewtimes.com...

Annette Larkins don't look a day over 40. She is in her seventies now.