Today the life expectancy is the highest it has ever been. It creates a rapid change in society, creating both drawbacks and positive outcomes. In this essay I will discuss both sides and will give my opinion on this topic.
Firstly, without any doubt increasing elderly population creates a massive burden on the economy of the country. The government needs to pay a lot of pensions. This creates a large hole in the budget of one’s country. What is more important, the healthcare system is becoming overfilled with patients. Thus, the government has to focus on sustaining the quality life of elderly instead of creating better conditions for the younger population. Another negative consequence is the ageing of the work force, which makes it difficult for younger workers to find jobs. It is not only creating harsh unemployment of youth, but leads to degradation of companies and economic stagnation.
Secondly, a prolonged life expectancy widens the process of globalization. Due to severe labour shortage, governments are forced to cooperate and exchange technological benefits as well as allow mass migration worldwide. This process creates an open-cultural environment and improves the diversity of communities within countries. One of other positive outcomes of the fact that people are now live longer than ever creates tremendous opportunities for individuals to experience a more fulfilling life. In the past, due to the low development of science, especially medicine, people had a very short period of life, which was mostly spent on working and following basic steps accepted by society: studenthood, work, marriage, kids, death. People did not have time for their personal interests, it was unacceptable to follow their dreams and goals. Therefore, the improvement of technology has created a society where people are no longer only seen as a work force.
In conclusion, in my opinion, an elongated life span creates a lot of opportunities for individuals. Despite the following disadvantage of elders becoming a burden to the country’s economy, under no circumstance should we limit individuals from achieving their personal success. With the correct governance and management humanity is able to minimise disadvantages and preserve the general quality of life.