The Greek Who Forgot to Die

A long-time ago, there lived a man named Stamatis Moraitis, in Ikaria, Greece. When he was a young man, Stamatis leaves Ikaria to join the WW II, gets injured and then saved by an American aircraft carrier and moves to United States.

Being a hard-working Greek, he finds jobs, starts working and making money. Soon, he saves enough to buy his own car, his own house, get married, have kids and enjoy the ubiquitous American life. Time passes and Stamatis becomes a 66 year old man.

One day at the age of 66, Stamatis feels uncomfortable breathing. So, he visits a doctor. He was not particularly happy with the doctor’s diagnosis and hence decides to see a total of nine different doctors. But all of them gave him the same diagnosis - terminal lungs cancer and 6 months of life at the best.

It was time for Stamatis to choose, whether to get buried in America or in Ikaria, Greece - his motherland. He decided to go back to Ikaria with his wife and begin his preparation to meet his death

.They moved back to Ikaria. He started connecting with his old friends, drinking the famous Ikarian wine and plants a vineyard. Days went by and days turned to months, months turned to years and Stamatis forgot to die. So, what happened? How did a man with terminal lungs cancer given 6 months to live, still lives to be a centenarian? What changed? His environment! True, but can such a change in environment bring similar benefits to you too?

To find answers to all these questions, reporter Dan Buettner left for Ikaria, Greece. Soon, he discovered that Ikaria is a Blue Zone with a dense population of centenarians living there.

So, Dan started studying deeply, the factors that are allowing these people to live a long, healthy and happy life. Here are some of his findings.

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Being isolated, Ikarians were forced for centuries to live off the land. Hence over time, they have developed an acute knowledge of the herbs in the region. Now Ikarians use these various herbs as medicines, as food, as spices and as the core element in their herbal tea. They have been drinking this herbal tea (e.g. rosemary tea) for decades now. And these herbal tea rich in antioxidants, seems to be playing a significant role in slowing down ageing in the native people.

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In their herbal tea Ikarians do not use sugar. The entire population uses very little sugar. They seem to have been addicted to the local honey which goes into their herbal tea and is used primarily as a replacement of sugar. The honey used in Ikaria is not boiled or pasteurized which ensures it retains its natural properties. Can you live an entire week without sugar and see what it does to your blood glucose levels? For a week replace your sugar with honey or jaggery and observe how that changes your body, mind, attention, BP and your overall quality of health and mood

Throughout all this studies of Blue Zones, Dan has already seen a correlation between longevity and a happy married life. When a spouse dies, from a long-term relationship, the chances of the other partner dying in the next three to six months go up by two-thirds.

And Ikaria is no different. Here also among all the people who have had a long, healthy and happy life, having a happy marriage was all too common.

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Another cultural practice that seemed to impact their health in a positive manner was the Panegyris which is a simple Greek public assembly. People gather around food and drinks in the evening, sing, dance and have fun till late in the night. They keep dancing for hours together.

Here is a way of interpretation - when we talk about exercise, it sounds like discipline, hard work, but when we say dancing, it is fun and joy with people, with the same calorie burning benefits. Is this why professional dancers seem to live a long and functional life as compared to non-dancers?

Think of the implications of this in your life and to your life. What would happen if you start learning a dance form which you enjoy and that won’t feel like a torture like going to the gym everyday? What if it’s not a dance form, but a form of martial arts, like Tai-Chi which you seem to enjoy a lot? How would these tiny changes in your life impact your health in the long-run, your stamina, functionality and your longevity? Would you be interested in trying at the least?

PS: This article is based on the work of Blue Zone’s founder Dan Buettner and his his publications. Thoughts shared in the article are for informational purposes only. Consult your Physician, before making any changes into your life-style and diet.

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