2 Plus to 50 Plus

It's a beautiful Saturday morning in LA. Nippy, fall weather with the promise of sunny lunchtime warmth. Falling leaves in the valley, crunching under my feet remind me of fall on the East Coast....sort of.

I'm watching my 2 year old niece this gorgeous morning, while her mother tests for her green belt. Her mother is 45. She plans on getting her black belt before she is 47. I suspect she'll be exhibiting at 50. Her other child, 7 years old, has his orange belt. It's kind of a mom-son bonding thing. Today she gets her black uniform...which puts her in the league of "serious" Karate students around the world. Personally, I'm impressed, that at 45 she decided to take up the discipline. I'm a bit older, approaching 50 plus, and seem to be afraid of getting hurt. But that's another story.

So, I'm here with this scrumptious 2-year old, still running all over the place with her baby fat holding on, making her precocious and adorable all at the same time. I am also realizing that, according to Ray Kurzweil (see Corinne Copnick's review of his book, Singularity), she is the first generation that has the possibility of living to 1,000 years. No, not a typo. 1,000 years. In my lifetime, I may have the benefit of a diabetes vaccine, certainly replacement joints that will fuse with my bones and become my new joints (hips, knees), and see the possibility of living to 125 years. But this little one, this 2-year old promise, may see 1,000 years. To me, mind-boggling. But as artificial intelligence evolves, so too, according to Kurzwiel, will integration with our biology. Remember the 6 Million Dollar Man? Apparently, no longer so far off.

And with the knowledge that I currently have, and the direction that I choose to take, I wonder, truly wonder, what could I accomplish in 1000 years if I had that long to unleash my dreams and energy? 50 Plus would become 700 Plus! Or 950-Plus. And I'd have 699 years to plan for my 300 year retirement.

I would, in fact, get to travel to every country in the world, and sign up for my chance to travel to Mars. I could write my book, direct my movie, write a 4000 page epic memoir. But that's OK...because those who purchased it, could read it over 10 years! I'd finally get to figure out how to solve a Rubik's cube. And I wouldn't mind, quite so much, waiting 30 minutes to speak to a Sprint customer service representative. Who would be 479 years old and, frankly, lacking in life experience.

Don't you love it? The promise of 2 years old.