PBS Wisdom

I was watching the news last night, and PBS presented a story about 112-year-old Walter Breuning, the oldest man living in the United States. The man was sharp as a tack. Born in 1896, the first president Walter voted for was Woodrow Wilson. He has seen the changes wrought by the automobile, the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, the Great Depression, war, the atom bomb, television, the computer, Internet, and a Black President. He eloquently answered questions about and our current economic times and his secret to living so long. When asked why he was still living, Walter explained that no one knows when they're going to go. It could be today. You live your life to help other people and don't worry about when you're going to die.

I don't know if I'd want to live to be that old...your friends, family, loved ones--all dead before your time. The only saving grace of living over a century would be an undiminished intellectual curiosity and the ability to share your experience with others. Let's face it though, most people are vegetables by the time they're 90.

Even so, watching Walter last night, I realized he was completely right. The only thing that matters in this life is helping others. That is one of the few things that makes a life worthwhile.