The world's oldest man - Jirouemon Kimura - said on his 114th birthday (on Tuesday, 19.04) that his longevity was a mystery even to himself, but noted that his motto was not to worry and always be thankful. Asked about the secrets of his longevity, Kimura said: "It is my own interpretation. But maybe this is due to some unknown forces of nature."
He celebrated his birthday at home with a breakfast of grilled fish with steamed rice and red beans, a traditional meal on special occasions in Japan. Kimura, born in 1897, lives with the 82-year-old widow of his eldest son and the 58-year-old widow of a grandson. He eats three meals a day and is still able to walk with the help of a walker.
Kimura was a postal worker in his younger days and he and his wife, who died many years ago, had seven children, five of whom survive. Kimura's family has continued to grow over the years, and his own children and their offsprings gave him 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
"It is indescribable. I am really honored," Kimura said in a birthday interview with officials in Kyoto, western Japan.
Japan's population is aging faster than any other in the world. The government said the number of its citizens who are at least 100 years old rose 10 percent to 44,449 in 2010. The number of Japanese who are 65 and older hit a record 29.4 million in 2010.
Japan has the longest life expectancy of any country in the world - 82.6 years. Life expectancy in the UK has risen from 72 years to 80 years in the last 30 years. The figure is higher than the 78.4 years in the U.S.- the country with the highest spending on health care.
ReplyDeleteThe average life expectancy in Swaziland is only 31.88 years - the lowest in the world.
Walter Breuning, an american who died April 14 was the oldest, also 114 years old. He was still able to remember things that happened 111 years ago, mainly his grandfather's tales of killing Southerners in the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteHis secret to a long life incuded:
• acceptance of change, even when the change slaps you in the face. ("Every change is good.")
• Eat two meals a day ("That's all you need.")
• Work as long as you can ("That money's going to come in handy.")
• Help others ("The more you do for others, the better shape you're in.")
Then there's the hardest part. It's a lesson Breuning said he learned from his grandfather: Accept death.
"We're going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you're born to die," he said.
According to the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, Besse Cooper of Monroe, Ga., also 114 years old, is the world's oldest person. It seems it is a matter of days who is the oldest.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record. The oldest newly weds were registered by Guinness Book of World Records: the wedding between Forrest Lunsway and Rose Pollard, an Orange County, Calif. couple who were married this March 19, Forrest's 100th birthday. With a combined age of 190-Rose is a spring chicken--they're believed to be the world's oldest newlyweds. He is 100 years old and she is 90. For 27 years, Forrest smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, and he still drinks the odd glass of wine or whiskey and 7-Up. He attributes his longevity to never having had a desk job: He spent his youth trapping animals and selling their fur in Kansas before moving to California, where he worked as a pipe welder.For some people, it's never too late for love.
ReplyDelete