[8/16] Living to be 180 / Perfectionism (by 빈센트)

[stylish]

 

첫째 시간 : Living to be 180 

Medical advances will push the human life span to 180 by the end of this century, but will the world be ready for that?

At the beginning of the 20th century the human life span was only about 49 years. Because of improvements in diet and medical technology, it was around 70 by the end of that century. At the rate that medical discoveries are now being made, the human life span could easily hit 160 or 180 by the end of this century. The question is : is that what we really want? Some people think that, for the sake of the planet, we should set a limit on how high we should go.

Since the late 1980s some remarkable discoveries in longevity research have been made. First scientists found that they could stop a body from aging or even reverse the aging process just by bringing the human growth hormone(hGH) secretion in the body back to its youthful level.

Now, less than 2 decades later, some scientists are talking about optional dying. That's how close they are to bringing a complete halt to the aging process. They've discovered a way to make cells live indefinitely.

An amazing discovery.
In each of our cells are chromosomes which carry our genes. Genes are what make us different from every other person and what make us look the way we do. At the ends of the chromosomes are sticky parts called telomeres. The telomeres control cell life.
Each time the cells divide, the telomeres seem to be the biological clocks that determine our maximum life span.
Medical scientists found that adding the enzyme telomerase to the cells in the test tube prevents the telomeres from shortening. The cells stay young and continue to divide indefinitely.
This amazing discovery has scientist thinking that telomerase could be put into a pill or a drink, and if taken at certain times during our adult lives, we could be made to live as long as we want. Another way scientists have been able to prolong life in laboratory animals is through DNA manipulation.
These discoveries make it almost certain that life span in humans will easily reach 180 or longer by the end of this century.
But while some people would love to be able to live forever, too long a life span would not only cause big social problems but stretch the resources of this planet to the limits.
Scientists calculate that for every 10 years added to human life expectancy, 2,5 billion more people will be added th the earth's population. So if life expectancy increases to 90, 20 years longer than now, we can expect an eventual world population to be about 13 to 15 billion. If life expectancy increases to 180, the world will have to support 23 to 35 billion people.
Some people might not want to live that long, but few people would probably choose to die if they had an easy way of staying alive. The question is : what would the world do with those old people?

Some of the problems that could occur.
* Even more global warming
* More wars between nations
* More crowding in cities
* Destruction of the rain forests
* Severe water shortages
* Increase in poverty
* More spreading of diseases
* Huge decline in the quality of life

Besides these potential problems would be the question of how it would affect the workforce. If people would be living to age 180, they couldn't be expected to retire at 60 or 65. Older people would compete with young people for the same jobs.

Question
1. It is certain that medical science will someday make it possible for us to live as long as we want. If that happens, to what age would you like to live and why?
2. What social problems will occur if people are able to live to 180 or longer? How will society be different from the way it is today?
3. If someday there is a pill you can buy that can keep your body young forever, will you take it? Why or why not?
4. How do you feel about getting old? Do you look forward to old age? How would you like to spend your old age?

둘째시간 : What is Perfectionism?

<Perfectionism is not a healthy pursuit of excellence.> There are big differences between perfectionists and healthy achievers. Perfectionists believe that mistakes must never be made and that the highest standards of performance must always be achieved.

Those who strive for excellence in a healthy way take genuine pleasure in trying to meet high standards. Perfectionists on the other hand are full of self-doubts and fears of disapproval, ridicule and rejection. The healthy striver has drive, while the perfectionist is driven.

<Costs of Perfectionism> Perfectionism takes a great toll. Perfectionists are likely to experience decreased productivity, impaired health, troubled interpersonal relationships, and low self-esteem. Perfectionists are vulnerable to: Depression, Performance anxiety, Test anxiety, Social anxiety, Writer's block, Obsessiveness, Compulsiveness, Suicidal thoughts, Loneliness, Impatience, Frustration, Anger

<Perfectionism: Myths and Realities> Sometimes it's hard to distinguish motivation for healthy achievement from unhealthy perfectionism, and sometimes we make the distinction even harder by holding on to myths about perfectionism. This makes life a good deal more difficult than need be.

There is no evidence that perfectionists are more successful than their non-perfectionistic counterparts. There is evidence that given similar levels of talent, skill or intellect, perfectionists perform less successfully than non-perfectionists.

Psychologists find that perfectionists tend to be "all-or-nothing" thinkers. They see events and experiences as either good or bad, perfect or imperfect, with nothing in between. Such thinking often leads to procrastination, because a requirement of flawless perfection, in even the smallest of tasks, can become fearfully overwhelming. The perfectionist believes that the flawless product or superb performance must be produced every time. Perfectionists believe if it can't be done perfectly, it's not worth doing.

Such beliefs often lead to undesired results. A perfectionist student may turn in a paper weeks late (or not at all), rather than turn it in on time with less-than-perfect sentences. A perfectionist worker may spend so much time agonizing over some non-critical detail that a critical project misses its deadline.

MYTH: Perfectionists are determined to overcome all obstacles to success. REALITY: Although perfectionists follow an "I'll-keep-trying-until-it's-perfect" credo, they are especially vulnerable to potentially serious difficulties such as depression, writer's block, and performance and social anxiety.

These internal blocks to productivity, achievement, and success result from the perfectionist's focus on end-products. Instead of concentrating on the process of accomplishing a task, perfectionists focus exclusively on the outcome of their efforts. Far from an asset, this relentless pursuit of the ultimate goal becomes the perfectionist's greatest liability; the resultant sense of overwhelming anxiety often sabotages the perfectionist's efforts.

Perfectionists are driven by low self-esteem, so their own needs ultimately blind them to the needs and wishes of others. Indeed, their compulsiveness may lead others to beg for a change that the perfectionist cannot or will not make. Perfectionism is more likely to complicate than enhance one's relationships.

The "perfect human" is as appealing and mythical a concept as the unicorn. Many of our greatest endeavors are indeed accomplished while striving to perfect ourselves. Great achievers, like perfectionists, want to be and do better; unlike perfectionists, they are willing to make mistakes and risk failure. Great achievers recognize mistakes, failure, and general imperfection as part of the reality of being human.

<Coping Strategies> Overcoming perfectionism requires courage, for it means accepting our imperfections and humanness. Here are several strategies that will help replace perfectionistic habits with healthier, more satisfying behavior patterns.

1. Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of trying to be perfect. When you make your own list of costs and benefits, you may find that the costs are too great. You may discover that problems with relationships, excessive workaholism, eating and substance abuse problems, and other compulsive behaviors (plus the accompanying anxiety, nervousness, feelings of inadequacy, self-criticism, and so on) actually outweigh whatever advantages perfectionism holds for you.

2. Increase your awareness of the self-critical nature of your all-or-nothing thoughts, and how they extend to other people in your life. Learn to substitute more realistic, reasonable thoughts for your habitually critical ones.

3. Be realistic about what you can do. By setting more realistic goals, you will gradually realize that "imperfect" results do not lead to the punitive consequences you expect and fear. Suppose that instead you tell yourself 15 laps is good enough for now. You accept the possibility that you may never be able to swim 20 laps easily, if at all. So you continue swimming without anxiety. You don't necessarily stop trying to improve, but you swim for fun and exercise and relaxation-for however many laps you can. Perfectionists often miss out on fun, relaxation and satisfaction.

4. Set strict time limits on each of your projects. When the time is up, move on: attend to another activity. This technique reduces the procrastination that typically results from perfectionism. Suppose you must find references for a term paper and also study for an exam. Set time limits. For example: Decide that you will spend only 3 hours looking up references, then only 3 more hours studying for the test. If you stick to your time limits, you won't spend the entire day searching for elusive references, nor try to study late at night when you are too tired to be effective.

5. Learn how to deal with criticism. Perfectionists often view criticism as a personal attack, responding to it defensively. Concentrate on being more objective about the criticism, and about yourself. If someone criticizes you for making a mistake, acknowledge the mistake and assert your right to make mistakes. Remind that person and yourself that if you stop making mistakes, you also stop learning and growing. Once you no longer buy into the fallacy that humans must be perfect to be worthwhile, you won't feel so angry or defensive when you make a mistake. Criticism will then seem like a natural thing from which to learn, rather than something to be avoided at all costs.

Questions

1. Describe (shortly) the perfectionism described above.

2. Do you have any different standards from those ones above with which you can judge a perfectionism?

3. Have you ever been a perfectionist or forced to be it? Or seen it?

4. Why do you think it is harmful for our body and mind to be a perfectionist?

5. How do you think about the following sentence?: There is no evidence that perfectionists are more successful  
   than their non-perfectionistic counterparts.

[Gina(진아)]

빈센트~ Great job~^^ 회비면제!! 탕탕탕!!!^^ ㅋㅋㅋ

[stylish]

동영이라 카길래...보거스로 착각햇삼.. ㅋㅋ 빈센트 소리하닷^^

[Teddy~*]

꼭 참석하겠슴다~ ^^

[Gina(진아)]

^-^

[JJun(Sysop)]

See you~

[stylish]

울 카페지기 한동안 못본듯..준아.보고싶구려~ ^^

[Timothy]

출석예정예요^^

[Teddy~*]

반갑습니다~~ ^^

[Gina(진아)]

이번주는 skip요~ 테디오빠, 쭌~ 수고해줘잉~^-^

[Teddy~*]

오케바리~ ^^

[Hank]

참가예정.

[Teddy~*]

반길예정.

[kirk]

좀 있다 뵐게요.

[Vincent(MVP)]

오늘 불참이요ㅋㅋ^^;

[조형섭]

참석