Why do people want to live long beyond 50 years old?

Why would you want to live beyond whatever age you are now? If tomorrow you were diagnosed with, say, arthritis, would you want to die?

I'm in my 60s. I'm enjoying life. Why would I want to die?

The only people I've know who wanted to die either had problems with depression or were suffering from painful, incurable diseases.

So your fundamental assumption here us that it is better to die than deal with health issues. That's kind of insane mate.

Why would I want to die?

Because 50 is still young and most health problems at that age are very treatable.

Because there is still sunshine and good whiskey and my happy relationship and I'm learning to cook Mexican meals.

I still haven't finished 100 percenting Spiderman 2 (2004) and I've only got 10 years to go before I'm 50.

I’m on my late 50s but there’s the Spanish Grand Prix this coming weekend so I’ll cling on to life for at least that long.

What do you think happens when you die?

In this society economy, people suffer until 30, starts to settle down at 40, so why would shy want to die before the best time of their life

FOMO essentially.

When you turn 49, remember to ask yourself how old you want to get.

The fun answer is that you will find out when you get there. And what you find, will scare the crap out of you.

The closer you get to 50, the less it will feel or sound like a long life.

Health problems starting to become more frequent is not the same as becoming suddenly and incurably frail and ill. I know multiple people who are much healthier at fifty than at thirty, because they found the drive and ability/access to take care of their health.

So many things can be better at fifty than at twenty or thirty. Why would you not want to live through those good years after struggling to get there? And even if it's not better, it's still good.

You can still learn to skateboard, just wear more protective gear and take some ibuprofen the next day. Doesn't mean skateboarding isn't fun or worth trying, or life not worth living.

You can still see friends and family, just have two beers instead of ten, or talk shit about your boss instead of your teacher, or go to a movie matinee instead of midnight showing. It's still fun and worth spending time with your loved ones, and life is still worth living.

I'm going to guess you're a child or something, because 50 is not old at all lmao.

Especially if you actually take care of yourself. If you eat right and stay active, barring genetic issues, you can generally expect to live well beyond that and have a high quality of life with fewer health issues.

A male that is 50 has a median expectancy of another 30 years of life. A female has a median of another 33.45 years.

I know plenty of healthy, active 50+ year olds.

Because you get to taste freedom only sometime after 70. Would kinda leave a sour taste in my mouth if I had to work for decades and then just boot myself out.

That wouldn’t give me very long, mate!

This ain’t Logan’s Run

1. Every year (except the year i lost my mom) is my favorite year. I've worked hard and been frugal, to put away as much money as i could for retirement. I'm spending more time on enjoyable activities and giving less fucks about the assholes at work. My kids are grown and mostly self-sufficient, so they stop by or call (except for the one who doesn't talk to me) but don't live with me. My biggest worry right now (other than the general state of things in the world) is finding a dog sitter when i travel.

How old are you?

I feel like 50 is a bit short... I estimate my life expectancy to be 75 and to generally be functional until almost the very end. Maybe I'll move the goal posts when I get closer, but right now I don't have any driving desire to live longer than that.

For the record, I'm 56 right now. I'm watching my young adult children figure out the world and get to help them along the way at times. It's also been in the last few years that I've reached a state of financial stability and even a bit of excess. I can now contribute to people and causes to make the world a slightly better place instead of just seeing all of the hurt/ills of the world and feeling like there is nothing I can do.

Health problems really are 'a thing'. If I get to a place where my life is just funneling all of my money to the healthcare complex then I will end it. I already don't choose to do colonoscopies and wouldn't choose to fight any cancer that isn't an easy fight.

Right now, I think that my quality of life and what I can contribute back to society are still both a net positive. When either of those dip negative and don't quickly recover, then I'm done.

Okay, the first recommendation I have for you is to evaluate yourself (or get evaluated) for signs of depression.

Next, ignoring religion.. and factoring in your use of the word “want,” there are only two reasons to exist:

1. Procreation (kinda self-defining isn’t it?)
2. Enjoyment

Most creatures live only for the first. Humans have a developed pre-frontal cortex. This means we live “for more.” What that is (following the famous wisdom of Curly from city slickers) is up to you.

So, if you think no one over 50 has anything to offer the next generation (wisdom?) or has the ability to simply enjoy existing, then I have concern for you. If you need someone to explain this, well, I pity you.

When you turn 49 you'll know exactly why.

As someone close enough to 50 this would really freak me out if that was actually a thing. Personally I wouldnt even agree that 50 is that old either. Also what your saying is that basically nobody would have their parents in the later years of their life, hell the way times are changing i know a lot of people who have had kids over 35 so your saying their kids will lose their parents when they are like 10 years old. I still have my grandmother and its still amazing to see my parents, their siblings, and my grandmother which by your question would all be long dead. Also fyi none of them have anything awful health related yet either, hell my 87 year old grandmother still drinks some beers with us when we get together and loves a good IPA or stout.

Considering my life stopped getting better at 25 and I am in a financial mess right now, i am totally looking forward to retirement and my 60s to enjoy the last years of living and to finally stop working for the first time in my life since ive been 15... im looking forward to that.

especially since health problems start becoming more frequent around that age.

Maybe in the US, but not the rest of the world. Americans need to travel abroad to understand just how sick they are as a group. They are popping pills for everything instead of addressing the cause of disease. Also, not all of us are idiots who believe in religion. Once you're dead, you're dead.

Because many people have a desire to live as long as they can

As one over 50, death, such as by suicide, is (FAIK) irreversible.

The living can choose death, but the dead can't choose life: they can choose nothing.

While I don't have the vigour when I was, say, in my 20s, I still feel (at times at least) vigourous.

Ditto strength.

I might be mentally better, and such might last for a decade or 2.

Technology has gotten better. For example, there was a time when I was over 18 that I couldn't post stuff like this on the internet, yet here I am making posts.

I wish I hadnt made it past 20, who the fuck wants to live past 50?

Its not that they want to, its just that they havent died yet.