Spirit Of Exploration

It is a fact that we have a longer life expectancy than ever before. This has been achieved through years of thorough research, technological development, and most importantly resilient individuals. Doctors are constantly faced with different enigmas with no right or wrong answer. What first attracted me toward medicine was the desire to help and support, in particular, disadvantaged people. Coming from a country with an underdeveloped health care system has made me realised the impact it has on people’s life.

So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. (56-57)”

Since the turn of the 20th century, modern medicine has made significant advancements in treating the progression of disease. Diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and several cancers are easily managed in today’s medical community. Yet, just a century ago, those diseases would ensure a swift and unfortunate demise. Since the mid 1960s, the emergence of technological advancements and treatment modalities has increased the U.S. population’s life expectancy. Presently, life can be extended for years due to the development and use of ventilators, gastro-intestinal tubes, and hemodialysis in terminally ill patients. With of the spark medical innovation, an unanticipated dilemma has developed within the holds of modern medicine and the U.S.

Exploration is an activity that is held in high esteem because of the mental challenge that comes with willingly surrendering the safety

You’re never too youthful to dream dreams and never too mature to fan into flame a smouldering dream or dare yet to dream another. Mark Twain once said; “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Walt Disney once said,”We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Attempting to accomplish something unfamiliar isn’t a simple responsibility. It requires a lot of courage, perseverance, and personal motivation. William Bradford’s Journal about the expedition to the new land, “Of Plymouth Plantation” and the excerpt from Tom Wolfe’s book about orbiting around Earth for the first time, “The Right Stuff” both incorporate the theme of adventure and question the boundaries of convenience, but the obstacles faced by the pilgrims were more arduous than those faced by John Glenn.

When people are stuck to one certain lifestyle and one idea, there is not change. Sometimes there needs to be risks taken. The earth consists of a variety of different experiences, and when people are limited to one, there will be no growth. Exploration is reaching out to discover unfamiliar and foreign concepts and ideas which can either be disregarded or learned through encounter. True exchange with these alien subjects is difficult since there has to be something that is given up, but there cannot be growth or wisdom gained without something lost. That growth or wisdom can thus influence the future generations to strive to become better.

Have I really fulfilled my dreams, as an explorer? Have I, instead, failed myself, now reaching death? Am I unsatisfied with my life? I sink back into my bed. All that I’ve done- Failing to find gold, exploring the Grand Canyon, and also exploring the Colorado river- has led to my slow and painful death of having the Infectious disease. Have I done enough for a lifetime? My questions, of course, can only be answered through my past…

They say that everything comes with a price. Even one’s most visible dream has its unthinkable consequences. Thrown into foreign environments and are faced with situations they’ve never faced before are the costs of curiosity. Exploring the two books The Odyssey of Homer by Allen Mandelbaum, and 2001: Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, the hidden meanings of adventure unveils itself.

This is an extremely large issue that cannot be solved quickly, but with dedication and continued focus on helping the population have access to a long health life this goal can become more attainable.

The aging population in America is growing quickly and is projected to double by the year 2050. The current growth in the number and proportion of older adults in the United States is unprecedented in our nation’s history. By 2050, it is anticipated that Americans aged 65 or older will number nearly 89 million people (The State of Aging and Health in America, 2013). Along with this increase in the aging population, it is estimated that by the year 2020, 157 million Americans will have some form of chronic illness (Taking Care: Ethical Caregiving in Our Society, 2005). With advances in medicine, people are able to live longer lives with chronic illnesses that in the past resulted in a decreased life expectancy.

In the world of medicine there has been medical advances that have been proven to help the ill live longer to avoid this end we call death. But there is no real way of avoiding the unexpected health issues such as cancer, heart disease, and other fatal illnesses that can take a life. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the average life expectancy for men and women in todays world ranges from 78.7 years to 78.8 years which is an all time high for the United States(Whiteman). Despite the medical advances we have today there still is a population in todays world that are terminally ill. The medical definition of “terminally ill” is a person who is sick and diagnosed with a disease/illness that will eventually end up taking their life.

In the United States, life expectancy is consequently low compare to that of other countries. Many ask how the United States, being considered a high income country, is behind world countries in life expectancy. As research is being done, it is known that one of the main reasons why life expectancy is low here in the U.S has to do with bad health, such as diabetes.

Australia is one of the developed countries that have a growing ageing population, and this has a decided impact on the Australian Health System and Services, which is in fact expected to increase in the future. "...the increase in certain risk factors and the prolonging of life due to improvements in medical interventions, the prevalence of chronic disease is expected to increase in the future (Key indicators of progress for chronic disease and associated determinants, 2011, p. 1). An alarming statistic that should be taken into account is that, "...it is estimated that chronic diseases currently account for 70% of the total burden of ill health in Australia, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years, and this is expected to increase to 80%

In our day and age as we know it, there have been astounding advancements in medicine. The average life expectancy has risen. People are being educated in issues that surround a healthy life style. As a society, we are trying to increase our life span and defeat death. While people are following strict