09/02/2016 / By Mary Wilder
For us young people, there are few things that are scarier than death.
When you have your whole life ahead of you, the concept of an abrupt end can be extremely frightening. Nobody wants to check out earlier than they feel necessary — and the fear of the unknown when it comes to the end of life is a subject that undoubtedly keeps many people up at night.
But once you reach a certain age, death no longer carries the same terrifying baggage. In fact, for the oldest man in the world, death is currently being welcomed with open arms.
Mbah Gotho, of Indonesia, is believed to have lived for a shocking 145 years, having reportedly been born on December 31, 1870. While Gotho’s unbelievable age has yet to have been confirmed by officials — likely due to the fact that birth records from the 1800s can be difficult to come by — if the number is accurate, it would make Gotho far and away the oldest person on the planet.
How a human being could remain healthy enough to live twice as long as the average person has left everyone from scientists to health aficionados baffled. Perhaps more alarming, though, is the fact that Gotho has wanted to die for decades now.
Though death may be frightening to many of us who have yet to even approach middle age, to those that have lived a full life — and even traveled far beyond normal expectations — death is merely a part of the ride.
Reaching that age, though, isn’t easy. In fact, making it to middle age seems like an increasingly difficult task in 2016. If you want to survive, it’s important to eat clean, drink clean and be prepared for the unexpected. From genetically modified foods and contaminated drinking water to mentally unstable lunatics and radical Islamic extremists, danger comes from every angle these days.
While very few will want to live for as long as Gotho has, that’s no reason to live a life of unhealthiness. Lead a fulfilling life and when death comes — you can welcome it.
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