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We Were Supposed to Live Forever
On the Boomer Dream of Living Forever — and What We’re Learning as It Fades
I am 81, old enough to remember post-World War II austerity, young enough to have believed in the promise of endless progress. And yet, here I am — lining up for another COVID vaccine, not for longevity, but for survival. We once believed medicine would make us immortal. Then came a virus that wasn’t even the worst in history, and we barely made it through.
We weren’t supposed to go out like this — shuffling forward in clinic lines, searching for one last miracle. Science was supposed to save us. We believed that if we lived long enough, the next medical breakthrough would keep us going a little longer, and the one after that would make sure we never had to stop. Some of us, like myself, hoped to ride that wave, catching the breakthroughs that would keep our bodies strong and our minds sharp forever.
The fantasy still lingers, though it has taken new forms. When we were younger, we thought science would stretch our lives indefinitely — just long enough for the next breakthrough to take us even further. Now, for a few true believers, the dream has taken on a new face. Some of the wealthiest among us have swapped life insurance for cryonics — why leave your estate to your kids when you…
