The first of these principles is that the wisdom of age is more important than youth. This idea suggests that it is possible to conserve youth into something that can be utilised later in life. The second is that of athleticism – the concept that a body in great health could outlive those without this inbuilt strength. In reality, athletes often suffer from degeneration in health once their metabolism burns out, so this could be a somewhat rare quality. The third principle of immortality is the survival through reliance on medical science or from preying on other organisms. Lastly, adaptation such as a developed reaction time or an increased metabolism could lead to eventual immortality.
If we look to the world’s oldest plants as inspiration for this theory, we can see that some of these characteristics have already been realised – a highly developed structure and adaptation to its surrounding environment both have led to its success.
There are reports of a monk in China who survived, locked in a sealed cave for ten years, on just a special variety of moss – there are many sagacious people who are considered to be the sort of people to pursue an eternal way of life. Likewise, recent studies suggest that a substance known as Telomerase extended the life span of test rates by 25 percent in just one dose. If medical advancements are to be believed, what does the future hold for the pursuit of immortality? It seems as though the search for the secret to eternal life could be a combination of all of these factors, from adaptation to medical studies, but only time will tell whether this becomes a reality in our lifetime.