Letters to the Editor: Live forever on this dying planet? Readers say no thanks

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
SANTA MONICA CA - MAY 10, 2024 - Dr. Peter Diamandis participates in a zoom meeting while receiving a therapeutic plasma exchange treatment at the Neurological Associates clinic in Santa Monica on May 10, 2024. Diamandis, entrepreneur, futurist, technologist, says the procedure is like an oil change for your body. Diamandis, a New York Times Bestselling Author and the founder of over 25 companies. He is the Founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation. In the last few years, he has turned his attention to the fast-growing longevity movement, directing millions of dollars into anti-aging research and experimenting with cutting-edge therapies in an attempt to live longer and healthier. "No one wants to be 150 drooling in a wheelchair," he says. "Life is short until you extend it," is his motto. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Peter Diamandis receives a plasma exchange treatment, a therapy he hopes will extend his life, in Santa Monica on May 10. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Am I the only one bothered by the article about multimillionaire Peter Diamandis spending his money to experiment with techniques that he hopes will allow him to live beyond 100 years, or maybe even forever?

On the same page as this piece in the print edition was an article about the plight of migrants hoping to find asylum in the U.S. On the next page was an article about our impending climate crisis, followed by articles about political instability in Europe and conflicts in Israel and Russia.

If Diamandis is successful in his quest for long life, I hope his fortune is large enough to buy a habitable environment for him and his family, plus protection from global conflict and the humanitarian crises that will surely be exacerbated by global warming.

Most of us will not have the advantage of the extended lifespan that Diamandis hopes his money will buy, but just as well. The future of humanity on our planet looks pretty bleak.

Laurie Jacobs, San Clemente

..

To the editor: In Diamandis' complicated, $120,000-per-year pursuit of eternal youth, I can only hope he takes the free advice that kids, both rich and poor, have all received: Look both ways before you cross the street.

To paraphrase Alanis Morissette, wouldn't it be ironic?

Paula Del, Los Angeles

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To the editor: After reading your article about people obsessed with immortality, I went to my gym for my regular workout (part of my own "anti-aging movement"). While there, I noticed someone with a T-shirt that read, "Die with your memories, not with your dreams."

Why not spend all of that money and time enjoying the life you have rather than on fighting the inevitable?

Chris Blankenhorn, Valencia

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To the editor: I guess I have lived these rich people's fantasy. Now 102 years old, I am a World War II Navy veteran who walks daily.

In my 20s, I had the forethought to marry and father twin daughters. Both are now widowed and have come back home to take care of dear old Dad.

William Suter, South Pasadena

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To the editor: People trying to live forever might want to read Aldous Huxley's novel, "After Many a Summer Dies the Swan," to see the fate of someone with the same ambition. The 201-year-old character evolves into something they might not desire.

Bob Carr, Altadena

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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