This month, by God’s grace, I will turn 75. Truth be told, I never expected to live this long. My dad—who passed away at 55—and several of his brothers did not make it to 75. So I’m blessed. I think.

Perhaps you have heard the famous quip, “Getting old isn’t for sissies.” I can testify to that. Diabetes, open heart surgery, blood pressure issues, two foot infections and the like have curbed some of my enthusiasm for life. But I press on. With a most helpful spouse.

My, how we try to fend off the aging process. Beauty products that remove wrinkles. Hair treatments to either grow hair or keep it colored to fool even our friends. 

Then there’s the focus on body toning. Growing up, I never recall seeing the number of gyms, health centers, and workout programs like we have today. Add to the list the yoga and pilates groups that meet.

And yet, a trip to any big box store reveals there’s still work to be done.

The thing about aging is that it sneaks up on you. Frank Sinatra once opined about his aging in the song, “It was a Very Good Year.” The group Five for Fighting more recently shared a sentimental tune about how fast life goes by. It’s titled,“100 Years.” That song reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

When our first son was finishing his senior year in high school, his graduation pictures were set to a tune by Rod Stewart, “Forever Young.” Tears were shed watching the pictures put to music. The opening stanza went,

May the good Lord be with you

Down every road you roam.

And may sunshine and happiness

Surround you when you’re far from home.

And may you grow to be proud

Dignified and true.

And do unto others

As you’d have done to you.

Be courageous and be brave,

And in my heart you’ll always stay

Forever young, forever young* **

Forever young. Quite the dream. 

Bryan Johnson is such a dreamer. He’s the transhumanist founder of the neurotechnology company Kernel. In 2013, he sold a digital payments company to eBay for $800 million. That fueled his obsession to attempt to pause the aging process. Perhaps even evade death.

In 2023, Johnson revealed in a Bloomberg interview that he was preparing to invest at least $2 million on himself, aiming to have the body and organs of an 18-year-old. He hired a team of over 30 doctors and health experts. Their task was “to monitor his every bodily function.”

Sounds bold! In his words,

“What I do may sound extreme, but I’m trying to prove that self-harm and decay are not inevitable.”

He started supplementing his usual supply of rejuvenating plasma with so-called “blood boys” including blood from his son.

Then around the beginning of July, Johnson revealed he’d been been diagnosed with an incurable disease. Here’s how he reacted with an X post:

“Bad news #1: I have an autoimmune disease. My stomach is eating itself. Good news: I’m going to try and solve it.”

So he’s been taking hundreds of pills a day. More blood transfusions. And trying to make a reasonable assessment of the course of his life. At one point he admitted his healthy living regimen failed to address his low iron levels. Some observers suggested.

“Bro so busy trying to not die he forgot how to live.”

Then there’s the cryogenics crowd. These advocates—often referred to as cryonicists—believe that a person declared legally dead today can be preserved and revived by future medical technology. They’re willing to invest in “cryopreservation”—an experimental form of long-term critical care. Some refer to  it as “suspended animation.”  They plan on being brought back to life with medical advances.

The Bible addresses this subject in a different way. Hebrews 9:27 states, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once…and after that comes judgment…” But hold on! We are offered an extension plan: eternal life! And it comes with a new body. That plan is clearly explained for those putting their faith in Jesus Christ. Read first Corinthians 15.

Forget transhumanism in any form. It’s a losing proposition. Get yourself a new resurrection body and be…forever young.

** Forever Young

*Songwriters: Bob Dylan / Jim Cregan / Kevin Savigar / Rod Stewart

Forever Young lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc