Fighting for Life

Current news headlines are laced with blood from conflicts across the globe, and many other episodes of conflict and violence fly under the radar. It can seem overwhelming and depressing as horrible images flash on our screens. But the core of Longevity Assistant is believing in the compounding power of small changes. So what are our options in this current cycle of conflict?

Help Explain the True Costs

News headlines often report on total fatalities. Without getting too technical, those numbers may be prone to various errors. But beyond data issues, does the number of deaths tell the whole story?

Wars and conflicts are particularly costly because the brunt of the impact falls on the working-age population. Armies are not typically populated by geriatrics who only have a few years of life left. Academics and actuaries are familiar with the idea of life-years lost. Suppose everyone lives to 100, we lose 80 years of life when a 20-year-old dies vs. 60 from a 40-year-old.

This damage is exacerbated when there are a lot of civilian casualties, particularly children.

On top of the heartbreaking loss of life and future potential productivity being erased, there are INDIRECT or SECONDARY war costs.

• Soldiers who survive may have their longevity or health span impaired by physical or mental injury.
• Damage to infrastructure and critical support structures adds to the hardship of recovery.
• Displaced persons and refugees may have more difficulty navigating through foreign countries and securing their basic needs.
• Globally, resources that may have contributed to growth and innovation could be delayed, diverted, or even destroyed.
• Families and relatives of those in conflict zones may become less healthy due to the distress of seeing their homelands or loved ones in the middle of a conflict.

Now, it could be potentially argued that the net effect of a conflict is positive. As an article from the British Medical Journal states: "For example, a war might cause a sudden increase in both direct and indirect mortality but might result in fewer deaths in the long term if it led to the deposition of a regime whose policies caused high mortality."

Yet, this is a heavy calculation. Parsing the impact of wars and conflict into a mathematical exercise feels a bit too reductive. Some things cannot be quantified. That said, at some point discussions of costs and benefits will take place. While the exercise may be computationally and emotionally difficult, it should at least be done as thoroughly as possible, considering first-order and second-order effects.

Action item: Write to your representatives, or talk with your acquaintances, about the TOTAL costs of war beyond lives, and beyond dollars.

Help Mitigate the Damage

From Doctors Without Borders to UNICEF to various veteran services, many organizations participate in humanitarian aid. At the very least, volunteering, or donating to these types of organizations can be a way to relieve some of the damage done by wars. Many corporations offer double matching as a way to boost your impact.

Please vet any organization before donating.

Philanthropic assistance is particularly important for populations affected by conflict and violence because a lot of insurance contracts EXCLUDE damage due to war, terrorism, riots, and other actions. The perils are too unpredictable, which prohibits their insurability. That said, a few carriers are willing to write specific War & Terrorism Property and Casualty plans, and not every life and health policy enumerates the same exclusions.

Action item: Research a cause to donate to or to volunteer with to help in recovery post-conflict. Share it with others.

Pray for Peace

This is not necessarily a religious recommendation. (Although many religious traditions have prayers for peace.)

And it is not meant to imply that if the collective human consciousness were to be peace-minded all wars would end (but that would be quite a miracle!). Rather, it is an encouragement to enter a place of quiet contemplation for your own health and wellness.

The 'metta' or 'loving-kindness' meditation practice, for example, involves wishing happiness, health, and safety to your community and the world at large. It may have a lot of personal health benefits.

Here is a 1 minute sample.

Action item: Find a quiet time to focus on directing positive energy to the world and others.

DIG OUT OF DESPAIR

Hopelessness and heartbreak contribute to ill health, and potentially death. The algorithms in our news feeds tend to prey on our emotions, and FEAR is a particularly potent one. If we let it, we can be pushed into nervous breakdowns as we hear again and again about the imminence of the apocalypse.

Yet even in the darkest of times, we can also find incredible instances of light, love, and courage.

Spend time listening and reading to voices that choose love over hate and persevere through hardships. (Victor Frankl, Malala, Nelson Mandela, and many others, for instance, I Shall Not Hate by Izzleden Abuelaish is relevant right now).

Binge-watch inspirational recovery stories.

This doesn't mean putting on rose-colored glasses or espousing artificial positivity. It is about beginning to form the foundation of an alternative narrative to gloom and doom.

If you still feel distraught, please reach out to someone. Anyone. It can be hard at times to find the right professional help, but even a simple check-in with a friend or loved one can bring a lot of relief. Connection is critical.

It can be a lot of work to get out of a pit, but know this:

You are not alone.

If you are doing okay, please reach out to someone and see how you can support them.

Spread the LOVE!