Reversing The Aging Process, Should We? Essay -- essays research paper

R of all timesing The Aging Process, Should We?In the length of time measured as hu existence lifetime iodin can promise to see a fullrange of differing events. It is assumed that during a lifetime a person willexperience every possible different emotion. If one is particularly lucky, hewill bear witness to, or affect some momentous change in humanity. However is itreasonable to ask what would be experienced by someone who lived two lifetimes?Up until recently the previous question would and could only be rhetorical.There is no answer, because no one has ever lived that long. Of course that wasup until now.At McGill University, nematodes (tiny organisms) deal experienced five lifetimes(Kluger). Through complex scientific experiments nematodes and fruit flies havehad their lifespans increased not by fractions of life times, but by multiplesof lifetimes (Kruger). Mankind is using the discovery of DNA as an opportunityto play G-d by changing the aging process. Man has a natural tend ency to playthe role of G-d. Man has a an inherent wish to affect others, be it through thevises of war, power, manipulation or politics. However mans natural tendency toplay G-d has reached its final manifestation. By attempting to slow down theaging process man is using himself as the final canvas, to play the role ofthe omnipotent.Research into the process of aging began in 1961(Rose, Technology Review64).Since then a great deal of time, money and effort have been appropriated intodiscovering the causes of aging, it can therefore be inferred that humanity hasan almost "personal" interest in aging. Of course the culmination of discoveringhow we age, is discovering how to stop it. An intrinsic characteristic of Man isHis arrested development with superficiality. Superficiality is equated with appearance.The appearance of beauty can be equated with youth. Therein lies mans obsessionwith age, ceasing to age means being eternally beautiful. As public mans actionsare domina ted by ego and self-preservation. Within the confines of youth therelies a certain fountain of power. Power which cannot be accessed once one ages.Things like physical and sexual prowess. The time of youth is often refereed toas the "prime of your life". It is therefore not difficult to represent andconceive of mans motivation to stay young and to wish that the immediate peoplesurr... ...mcontrol ling microscopic chemical reactions. Man is referred to as G-dsultimate creation, the universe his canvas. But what happens when humans stealthe canvas and decide to redecorate, would you want to recolor your Picasso? Isthere any justification for living that long, does there need to be? These arenot easy questions, and there not intended to be, but should scientists provesuccessful in their endeavors, all of these questions will have to be resolved.How can certain establishments which frown on cosmetic plastic surgery frown onthe reorganization of protein strands? There is no dou bt that the people incharge of those organizations would take advantage of these technologies (Rose,Melatonin, 6). How are the two things different? There are no possible answersto these questions for now they must remain rhetorical.It is increasingly open that the repercussions of these technologies stretchacross the board. As always the horizon of the future stretches before us, onlyrevealing a glimpse of that which is to come. The resounding questions that willsoon submit us can only be concluded with the passage of time, somethingapparently humanity will have a lot of.