Whatever Your Hand Finds To Do

The Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) has just published (September 12, 2207) their most recent data on U.S. life expectancy. A child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live 78 (77.9) years - a new high.

This increase represents a continuation of a long-running trend. Life expectancy has increased from 75.8 years in 1995, and from 69.6 years in 1955.

Being the son of a funeral director, there is one thing that I can tell you with absolute certainty - you will die! I have been around death all my life and I can promise that you will not make it out of this life alive.

Get used to it!

Do the math here: 78 minus (your age) = the number of years you have left!

Have you got a number in your head? I'll use my age for an example. 78 - 55 = 23! That gives me (on average) 23 years to do whatever it is that I plan on doing in this life! This is assuming, of course, that for all of these 23 years I remain healthy. Throw in a few years of end-of-life illness, normal sick days, tooth decay, headaches, diarrhea and embarrassing jockey itch and now I only have around 20 good years left. What will I do with my life during these precious and few years? What level of "crap" (from work etc.) will I be willing to tolerate during this short time I have left on earth.

Have you finished the math on your life yet? Are you thinking about your life or will you continue to wander aimlessly for your remaining years? What do you believe and why do you believe it?

Listen to the words of King Solomon, the king of "been there, done that" found in Ecclesiastes 9:10,12:

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

For the man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.

A child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live nearly 78 years. Yep, that was in the news today.