Why I'm starting The Fringe

I’ve been a late starter in life. I’m determined to make my third age the most productive, fulfilling and happy period in my life, no matter what.  I’m inviting you to join me on this journey.

I called the blog The Fringe. I believe that everything significant happens at the fringe, this is where the most powerful ideas are born – the Internet, PCs and cryptocurrencies.  Here’s one fringy idea to start with.

I’m excited that modern science might have an answer to the question of longevity in my lifetime. What may sound like science fiction to you right now is becoming a reality. I will be writing about these scientific and technological breakthroughs, so that you can directly benefit from them too. I will also be writing about how you can do whatever you like in your third age – learning new skills, changing a career, completing your PhD, writing a bestseller book, or starting a business and getting venture capital. Yes, the latter is not a fantasy! There are now investor funds focusing on older entrepreneurs.

Do you know that ageing is a disease? In 2018, the World Health Organisation released a new International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The ICD update, which includes an extension code for ageing-related diseases, implies the recognition of ageing as a major disease risk factor. One of the most prominent longevity scientists, Dr David Sinclair, has developed and tested a theory of ageing. And while we haven't found the fountain of youth just as yet, Dr Sinclair believes we’re rather close.

Somehow we as a society have fallen into a pro-ageing trance…that we can age “gracefully” while being “healthy”. That ageing is inevitable, a natural course of life. But is it, really? One radical idea supported by science – that ageing is a root cause of many other chronic diseases, such as dementia, cancer and atherosclerosis – is yet to sink in. An even more radical idea – that ageing can not only be slowed down but indeed reversed – sounds like heresy, yet it’s already a reality, and not just in animals, but in humans too. One recent, and perhaps the first, clinical study on humans presents robust evidence that “regression of multiple aspects and biomarkers of aging is possible in man”. Enough to make you feel excited!

Why do people want to live long healthy lives?

I have my own motivations.

I don't like the alternative, I enjoy being alive! Life is amazing! There are so many places on this planet that I’m yet to see and so many different people, cultures and foods to experience.

I have a keen interest in technology and innovation. I teach and do academic research on these topics. I want to see how humans become a multi-planetary species, how we “drive” flying cars, whether there is life on Mars, and when cryptocurrencies become the native money of the internet. While I don’t completely buy into the idea of exponential growth of science and technology in the next 20-30 years, I would still absolutely love to witness all the brilliant new tech.

There are so many new things to learn. Human knowledge has become very complex and specialised, and yet to bring about new scientific breakthroughs we need to do away with knowledge silos in favour of inter-disciplinary thinking and capabilities. Although some lucky people on this planet are polymaths and can achieve depth of knowledge in multiple disciplines in a lifetime, I personally need more time to master new skills.

I want to create new things and touch the hearts and minds of many people. Write new books, develop new courses, create colourful mosaics and plant a Japanese garden from scratch…