@WashedOutGundamPilot @PvtProperty @Paultron @Boomerman @RadixVerum you ever think that, and this is gay and materialist to think about it this way but, having a purpose instilled in you in some way, even a vague one with the way some people were, besides relying on biology taking course (or I guess this is part of biology, too, in a way), helps stave off alzheimer’s and dementia more so than without?
if you have a family, you have a purpose, sure. that’ll drive you forward, but if your family rarely visits you after the kids grow up and move out, and the same is true of your peers, idk you just seem to be dawdling around doing nothing, sharing your memories/experiences with nobody. not passing on knowledge to younger generations.
you pass the time with games, TV, and other entertainment, but those are all distractions before you have to do something important eventually. they’re pastimes.
if you have nothing to look forward to while passing the time, then you’re just passing time til you die.
why bother keeping the brain cells going if that’s all you’re doing? your brain is not wholly inelastic or incapable of minor regeneration as you age, but it has less reason to do so or maintain itself well if you aren’t engaging it in more than just.. passing the time.
this is rambly but tl;dr, when communities were more tight knit it was easier to not only check up on the old folks, but for the old folks to interact with everyone else, and the manifold social interactions maintained them far better than whatever stupid drugs they’re concocting. I’m sure it still happened, just not nearly as much.
I’m sure this is not the only cause.. so it’s just another variable. a variable the system has no intention of rectifying, other than VR headsets and robotic servants. or just offering suicide booths.