In What Ways Will Our Lives Change if People Stop Falling Sick?
Us humans’ history with pandemics, diseases, etc., goes way back. Illnesses, overcoming and/or preventing them, have been a major concern as well as a challenge for humankind since time immemorial. Sure we have never been lesser prone to them than NOW, thanks to the significant breakthroughs of the brilliant minds in the fields of Medical Science & Technology. But have you ever wondered how would our lives be in a disease-free world?
Will It Make Humans Immortal?
Mostly not! There would still be many possible causes of death: starvation, accidents (man-made or natural), murders, overdosing on drugs, etc.
Old Age: We would still age. Although getting old & falling sick are separate processes, one largely influences the other. Ageing causes several changes in the human body, resulting in reduced functionality. Increased vulnerability & decreased resilience could also be the causes of deaths; for instance, dying by falling. But, not every age-related change ends in death; like teeth loss.
Population Changes
As there would be no deaths caused by diseases (thus causing the death rate to decline), it’s almost certain that there would be a humongous rise in the global population at first. Absolute birth rates would go up somewhat, as some healthy, fertile people die before having given birth. History suggests that people tend to have fewer children as the child mortality rate goes down, so it’s highly possible that the birth rates wouldn’t be significantly high. The death rate would slowly increase again, caused by the factors we discussed earlier.
In the long term, the population wouldn’t likely be as affected, because the global population is not determined by how long people’s life spans are, but by how many total children each person has in a lifetime.
Probable Changes in Demographics
As we speculated a while ago, the global population would come to an almost steady state, comprising largely of old people, with a smaller section of the youth.
Observing the demographic changes of developed countries over the past few decades, like certain European countries & Japan, we can say our hypothesis would probably take a similar trajectory.
Our Outlook Towards Life
The unpredictability of life is what makes us keep on our toes. So will the absence of fear towards death make us take our lives for granted? Will it make us take up or keep up unhealthy habits & lifestyle? Maybe! Maybe not!
On the one hand, it might be the case that some people would not be as careful & productive, while on the other hand, it might also lead to some people being more productive & sincere, as they tend to function better & stay motivated consistently in the absence of negative reinforcements.
There would be other deterrents discouraging carelessness towards one’s health & life; for instance, although smoking is discouraged because it’s carcinogenic, it’s always a good idea to give it up (or not take it up in the first place) as it’s not only cancer-causing, it has detrimental effects on one’s stamina, fertility, day-to-day functioning too.
Conclusion
Taking a look at the demographics shaped by our hypothetical situation, it can be said that such a large number of elderlies comprising the population would result in pressure on the younger stratum of the society, on the retirement homes, on governments & economies for providing old-age plans, etc.
Having said that, it would be safe to assume that with more number of old people, there’d be a much calmer & more stable social order with fewer crimes.
