|
Increased Life Expectancy
Fourteen centuries have
passed since the Prophet (may God bless
him and grant him peace) said these words.
Records clearly show that the average life
expectancy is now the highest in history.
There was already a great difference between
the beginning and the end of the twentieth
century. For example, a person born in 1995
can expect to live more than 35 years longer
than a person born in 1900.41
Another striking example is that in the
past, people rarely lived for a 100 years;
today, many people reach that age.
According to the United
Nations Department of National Population,
over the past few years the world's population
has continued on its remarkable transition
from high birth and death rates to one of
low birth and death rates. As a result,
we have seen an increased number and proportion
of older people. Such a rapid, large, and
pervasive increase is unique to our own
time.42
|
(1)
The Way to Youth Opens (Radikal, May
13, 2000)
(2) The Life of Human Beings Will
Extend a 100 years (Milliyet, July
21, 2003)
(3) Can Human Beings Live until 500
years old? (Vatan, July 23, 2003)
(4) The Pill that Extends the Life
15 Years (Takvim,
August 4, 2003)
(5) Our Life will Become Longer
- WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE FOR 200 YEARS?
(Hurriyet, April 15, 2003) |
One cause for this increase in life expectancy
has been the development of health services
due to the advance of medical technology.
In addition, developments in genetics and
the rapidly advancing Human Genome Project
are on the verge of ushering in a totally
new era in the field of health. No one living
in the past could have imagined such profound
advances. Based on all of these developments,
we can say that people living in our time
have reached the long and healthy life described
in the above hadith. And, this standard
apparently will rise even higher in the
near future.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41.
"Aging," M. Encarta Encyclopedia 2000.
42. United Nations Population Division,
Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
"The Ageing of the World's Population,"
2000. Online at: www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing/
agewpop.htm.
|
