Over the years I've observed that many people whose lives illustrate longevity have a sincere interest in something such as current events, members of their family, friends, or some other activity. One of our friends, at the age of ninety, took up oil painting and was good at it.
Another, who lived to be one hundred and two, had all of his faculties, drove his car, and maintained a small farm. When he was ninety-five, he added a room to his house himself. He was vitally interested in what was going on. He was a devoted husband for many years.
We might gather from this that getting old is more a state of thinking than a physical condition. Even material science can't explain why the body ages and wears out, although it has many theories on the subject. Yet medical science is beginning to glimpse something of the effect of a person's thought on the body.
