You've got me wrong. I agree entirely that we must make the most of what we have. Which is why I think it's important to face the inevitability of death. If you aren't realistic about what you have, you can't make the best use of it.
Which is exactly what this article illustrates. Death comes for us all, and not facing that yields waste and suffering. Not in some abstract sense, either. As the author writes, "At a certain stage of life, aggressive medical treatment can become sanctioned torture." And the amount spent on futile end-of-life care is staggering.
I think you have me wrong as well. I'm not for making deteriorating 90-year-olds suffer in bed for another 10 years to bump some stats. I'm talking about eliminating aging and natural death.
As things stand today, of course it doesn't make sense to hang on when you're only going to get a few more years of agony. But more research could be done in eliminating the effects of aging, etc. We've already lost many great minds but if we can stop this trend or even slow it down then it's worth persuing.
Which is exactly what this article illustrates. Death comes for us all, and not facing that yields waste and suffering. Not in some abstract sense, either. As the author writes, "At a certain stage of life, aggressive medical treatment can become sanctioned torture." And the amount spent on futile end-of-life care is staggering.