If any of you who read my Blogs or meander around FiftyandFurthermore ever get tired of reading about and hearing me speak about the need for healthy living, good relationships and community, this article adds fine fuel to my personal fire. According to a story released by Reuters, “An 111-year-old Japanese just named the world's oldest man said he owed his longevity to steering clear of alcohol."
"I don't drink alcohol -- that is the biggest reason for my good health," Tomoji Tanabe told reporters on Monday, June 18, 2007. He also told media he does not smoke and likes a glass of milk a day.
Asked how much longer he wanted to live, the besuited Tanabe, a former local government worker, said simply: "I don't want to die."
“The Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with 28,395 people aged 100 or above in Japan at the end of September last year, according to the Health Ministry. Researchers have attributed the phenomenon to factors including healthy diet and tight-knit communities.”
This simple vignette tells a great deal about what is wrong with our current state of affairs. American society eats poorly, has fragmented relationships and individuals struggle to keep any sense of community. As a proponent of melding the best of east and west, I urge us to learn some positive values from traditional Japanese culture. As Japanese youth race towards American values at the same time that our population S-ages, let’s lead the way and learn what will benefit us from our Japanese elders. If we follow some of their dictums or ways of living, we too may be able to live longer, healthier and more fulfilled lives. And who knows? May be in the long run, even our children will benefit?
Dear Dr Lynn,
I have just come out of a death of a spouse, three years ago.
The family ( my 2 daughters and myself ) have had counseling to
hep us cope with the grief. It is working and we are doing great. I want to start dating, etc. I have had a bad experience with a woman, afer my late wife's death , that i meet through a chatroom. I should have known better, but i was in the grieving fog. She was emotionally, as indicated by a psychologist, who
say her too, an empty vessel. She needed constant re-assurance
and acknowledgement. She was an emotional vampire, I found out later. I have had a lot of counseling, i suffer from anxiety, so i really thought i know who i was emotionally and physically. I didn't see this coming. I need to know what are the warning flags for a man to protect himself from a woman like this. She was also a con-artist, financially. My youngest daughter actually picked up on it, day one, Once, again, dad
was blind. Thanks in advance for your help.
Scott
Posted by: Scott | October 02, 2007 at 01:50 PM