TED Community » Bryan Yap

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• A comment on Conversation: Discussing "The Science of Radical Life Extension" with TED Books author David Ewing Duncan

  Aug 31 2012: What is important is not how long you live, but how you live. Living a long but depressing life is obviously not as good as a short but fulfilling life! However if I was given the chance to extend my life I might actually consider it, depending on the circumstances. If you really have a goal or passion which you can't see being achieve in one lifetime, why not get the chance to extend your life to see your dreams come true? I am sure we all have our own list of things-to-do-before-I-die, and depending on what is on the list, some people could be living forever =) But being able to die with all those wishes fulfilled, wouldn't that be a great way to go?

• A comment on Conversation: How can we sustain infinite growth on a finite planet?

  Aug 31 2012: I believe the answer to this question lies in both technology and education.
  
  Technology is growing exponentially, allowing us to better use the resources available to us and also to help replace what we have used. Genetically modified crops are a good example, for the same area of land, we can increase the crop production by a significant amount. Technology allows us to tap into resources which were never an option before, such as offshore oil and renewable energy resources (name your favourite). Society is veering towards more sustainable energy resources, as our dependency on oil has made an impact on our economy and daily lives. In the distant future, we might look to inhabiting different planets and making life flourish. Take a look at this article:
  
  http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast09feb_1/
  
  That will remove our dependency on just one planet!! Where does education come into play? Education helps us realize the importance of our planet and its limited resources. More people today care about the planet than perhaps 200 years ago. As we move into the future, we will see more people fighting to sustain our planet and change our lifestyles to help sustain the planets. Have we ever had energy-saving light bulbs or recycling bins in shopping centres 50 years ago? The human culture is changing and now we think more of our planet than at any point in the past.
  
  I am sure there is plenty more points I have missed or left out (I am reaching my word limit!!), but let me add this: I try not to think of it as having 250,000 new mouths to feed everyday, but rather 450,000 better educated young leaders being born to lead the planet. They will definitely steer us in the right direction. Have faith in the human race, as part of this generation I too plan to do my best to move things in the right direction. We will not let our home planet die =)
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  A comment on Conversation: What advice would you give a younger you?

  Jul 28 2012: You are better than you think you are.