We all want to life a long life. In oder to do that many of us are desperately trying to avoid every possible mistake and factor that could reduce one’s life time. And so, we witness the birth of countless health trends or other life prolonging efforts. Some are based on science (whatever that means), some are based on tradition or logic, some on very questionable reasoning. Most of them are probably mainly based on capitalistic motivations. Whichever it might be, we are lead to believe that to live a long life, you need to avoid stress, eat healthy and so on. I personally think, that no one can ultimately confirm or deny those ideas. In the end, we all need to find out for ourselves, how our body and mind work the best.
Considering the above, I would like to bring the story of Richard Overton to your attention. He is the oldest American world war II veteran. At 109 years of age, Richard Overton is still driving his Ford F100, running errands with his 91 year old girlfriend and lives happily by himself. He loves to smoke many cigars a day, sometimes already drinks wiskey in the morning and he eats ice cream every evening.
One way of living a long life
In the short documentary by the National Geographic Channel (link below the article) Richard Overton doesn’t tell you his secret to a long and happy life directly. Nevertheless, already after a few minutes in the film, it becomes very apparent to the viewer. In my opinion, there are three main “secrets” to why Overton enjoys such a long life, despite having gone through the incredible stress and pain of fighting in a world war.
The three secrets to a long and happy life of a 109 year old war veteran
1. Learn how to comfort yourself
We often restrict ourselves trying to stay healthy and productive. If it is nutrition, exercise or our entire lifestyle. The modern “business athlete” does most of what he does for the reason to be better, stronger, faster. That is not Overton’s attitude towards life. He does whatever makes him feel good. He loves to drink milk, so that’s what he has been doing his whole life. That man really loves soup, cigars and ice cream. So, that is what he is enjoys almost every day. It makes him feel better, a sentence he would repeat quite often in the description of his lifestyle.
He finds comfort in those things, so for him, it makes sense to do them. A rational person would find a hundred things being wrong with that lifestyle. But Overton seems not interested it what everybody else thinks of his habits. He knows it makes him feel good and so he does them.
“I eat ice cream every night. It makes me happy"
2. Faith
Richard Overton is a spiritual person, he has unwavering faith. He loves to go to church, it gives him a sense of purpose, makes him feel good. As he reflects on his time fighting in World War II, he says: “So men will kill you, God is the one keep you alive.”
He believes that everything happens for a reason and that pretty much settles everything for him. He is not someone who is trying to make things complicated. He is not questioning everything, he has faith in what he believes to be right and sticks to that.
“Good to have a spiritual life, but you got to live it”
3. Leave the past in the past
Luckily, most people have no idea, what it must be like having fought in a world war. Richard Overton does, but he managed to find his peace with it a long time ago. It seems like he didn’t make a story for himself, out of the horrible things he experienced. He almost processed it as an learning experience. He says: “made you more braver, stronger, I can sleep with every door open here without a lock on it. Ain’t scared, no, ain’t nothing gonna bother you.” His faith helped him to accept his fate and since he survived, it wasn’t his time to go yet. And that was that.
“I may give out but I never give up!”
Personally, hearing Richard Overton’s ideas on life, liberated me. I am a very health conscious person, but I also love to consume things that are considered unhealthy. But how unhealthy can a cigar be, if it makes you feel good? How unhealthy can ice cream be, if it makes you happy? The answers are for us to find out, but we should not let anyone else be the judge. Better to have lived a shorter life full of joy, than a long life of waiver.
Give. Create. Have a great time
Link to a short film by the National Geographic Channel about the 109 year old war veteran Richard Overton:
Source (my website): http://beingberni.com/109-year-old-war-veteran-loves-soup/