Curing Aging, Once and for All
Since time immemorial, aging has always being considered a certainty of life. Benjamin Franklin eloquently shared this reality: "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes". Aging is not explicitly referenced in "Death and Taxes", but can intuitively be recognized as the main factor in most people's death. Well, that certainty was questioned a few decades ago.
In 2005, biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, argued that most of the fundamental knowledge needed to develop effective anti-aging medicine already exists, and that the science is ahead of the funding. And his predictions were correct.
He recognized 7 categories of damage that the body suffer from aging and proposed possible countermeasure to solve them. Solving these 7 issues (Extracellular aggregates, Accumulation of senescent cells, Extracellular matrix stiffening, Intracellular aggregates, Mitochondrial mutations, Cancerous cells , Cell loss, Tissue atrophy) will result in the eventual elimination of age-related diseases. I disagree.
And my disagreement comes from Grey's argument from 2005, "the science is ahead of funding",
To me there are 8 issues, that once tackled, will result in the riddance of age-related diseases from this world. And without a doubt, the unofficial 8, is the one who needs extreme focus: Lack of Funding.
Funding is the main tool to achieve this. To turn the dream of a world Free of Aging into a reality.
Now, why do I believe funding LEVF is the best way to achieve this goal when there are multiple other foundations trying in some way or another to achieve this? Because of its engineering approach to solve this problem.
Engineering vs Theoretical Science. Applied Science vs Theoretical Science. Why does it matter? Because this approach hasten the availability of treatments, drugs, etc. in the future.
The approach of many foundations, universities and colleges tends to be study based. Meaning, the focus is in thoroughly understanding the issue of aging. Why is this a problem? It is not a problem per se, but the consequences of such an approach are pretty obvious. The time-frame from understanding aging to applying the knowledge acquired is too long.
Does this mean that LEVF's engineering approach is unscientific? Of course not. At the end of the day, Engineering is simply Applied Science, solving real world problems with the knowledge obtained by science.
So, what makes LEVF's approach so different and unique? That its goal is to cure aging, not to understand it. This may seem trivial but it is the most profound difference. The focus of LEVF is to solve aging by gaining enough knowledge of it and then applying that knowledge resulting in innovative treatments, drugs, etc.
In an ideal world, understanding every small detail of aging would be amazing but reality is way different. People live in the real world. People suffer from aging in the real world. They suffer in the present and will in the future. The same way our ancestors did not need to understand all the intricacies of the chemical process of fire to put a fellow ancestor out of burning alive, we do not need a complete understanding of aging to repair our bodies from its consequences.
The significance that curing aging will have on our society will be historical. Human civilization may even refer to this human milestone as BAC & AAC (before and after Aging Certainty).
Based on all of this. I hope that I have conveyed to you that LEVF is, without a doubt, the best recipient of your donations in the longevity space. But let be honest, resources are finite. Donations are finite. There are people who are unclear about which Cause to support in order to make the biggest impact in society's wellbeing. For me, without a doubt, curing aging is the clear answer.
Curing Aging is the most noble and clear cause we can support. The clarity comes from the cruel reality of aging. There is not a human in this world who have not seen the crippling consequences that aging has on the human body. Aging is the antithesis of human freedom, transforming our beloved bodies in biological prisons. Human rights are a direct result of the profound love that humans have for its own freedom and the freedom of others. But, in order to make freedom a human universal reality, it has to to be present both in the social realm as well as the biological one. Socially, we have reached it through our commitment as a society to uphold human rights. Biologically, the reality is grim. Aging, therefore, is our mortal enemy. One that goes against our most beloved and valued state, human freedom.
Aging is not divisive by nature. Race, ethnicity, sex, gender, nationality, age, education, background, etc.; not a single or combination of these factors exclude a human being from suffering aging. It is a ubiquitous human disease. Every newborn born today will be a victim of aging in the future. This is a fact and a nightmare.
These facts make The War on Aging the Cause of Causes. A cause that will provide peace of mind and a sense of profound fulfillment to each donor knowing that each donation, whether big or small, will have a positive effect on society.
After donating to LEVF, every human interaction will feel differently. Why? Because from now on, you will know that your donation will benefit every single person you see, meet, pass by, etc. There is nothing more empowering that knowing you have the power to contribute to the cure of aging.
So, let's cure aging. Let's put out our money where our mouths are. Let's do it.
