http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080621/...enior_citizens

This was rather sobering when I realized that I would probably be considered getting on in years if I was in the wild. I'm only in my 40s.

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Keeper of the Jabberwock

when our pets get old, we put them down.
why should wild animals that are held in captivity for decades be any different?
if an animal can no longer function in such a way that would allow them to potentially survive in the wild, it might be time to put them out of their misery.
and, yes, i think we should do the same for people. not any sort of "mandatory suicide when you turn 70" type of thing, but if someone can't function on their own any more and they don't want to be a burden, then they should be allowed to choose the timing and method of their death.

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"blacker than the blackest black... times infinity."- Nathan Explosion
The.. Best.. Thread..Ever...

Yes and no. In a hunter gatherer society many men would have died by the time they reach 40, but just making it to 40 doesn't mean you will die soon. Making it to forty means there is a good chance you are healthy and skilled and aren't at the bottom of the social heap. Of course there is also a good chance that accumulated injuries will be taking their toll, but you might have another 20 years or more left. But if you're a bully, watch out, younger bullies will now have the edge and you may not be able to keep them in fear of you for much longer.

Conversely if you weren't a jerk, the young men will do things like leave you computers you could never afford outside your cave, because they just ran down the latest and greatest model. (With hard drives loaded with stuff!)

I'm sure the analogy is timeless.

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"The beauty of that discussion of averages is that you don't have to be an expert in Apollo or in photography in order to see where this time study "analysis" breaks down. You just have to be, well...not an idiot." -JayUtah

It also means that you've contracted a bunch of different germs, and gained immunity to them.

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As above, so below

And the germs will develop into new form and will attack the aging body again.

To make room for the the next...

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"The beauty of that discussion of averages is that you don't have to be an expert in Apollo or in photography in order to see where this time study "analysis" breaks down. You just have to be, well...not an idiot." -JayUtah

You also might start working your way into the "wise old sage" category. In such tribes the old one who knows all might get the cushy administrative job and good vittles. In a bigger group you could be one of several "village elders" (with a copy of Farmer's Almanac in your pocket to wow them with eclipse predictions, like Twain's Connecticut Yankee.)

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"Insignificant molehill sometimes more important than conspicuous mountain." - Charlie Chan