Comparing the life and death of various people, one can not but conclude that the whole life of a person, all his behavior and even aging is determined by his intellect, that is, the central nervous system. The more developed his brain, the more perfect the processes inside the body, the longer they preserve the harmony that is inherent in nature in the very existence of man. And if some reason, whether external or dependent on himself, does not lead him out of balance, he will live long, to the last day retaining his human form in the full and deep meaning of this word.
Many scientists agree that the higher the level of activity of the central nervous system, the longer the individual’s life span. Attempts have been made to calculate the relationship between brain development and life expectancy. Based on a comparison of life expectancy and the ratio of the weight of the brain to the body weight, it comes to the conclusion that “the smarter lives longer”. This can be explained as follows: age changes in the central nervous system – one of the most important mechanisms of aging of the body. In other words, aging of the nervous system leads to aging of the whole organism.
The cells of the nervous system do not divide, that is, they do not reproduce. With the years, the death of cells and the change in brain weight are increasing.
As you know, the rapid increase in the weight of the brain begins with six to ten years and a slower one – from twenty-one to thirty. After that, there is a slow decrease in the weight of the brain. Thus, in men aged 20-25 years, the brain weighs an average of 1383 grams; At the age of 50-58 years – 1341 grams; At the age of 80-89 years – 1281 grams. In women, weight changes in the brain are less pronounced.
A person with a developed mind, possessing a larger brain, even in old age, retains a high potential of his activity, which leads to a better life activity of the whole organism.
Recently, we read a book by Sergei Alexandrovich Morozov about the great German composer Bach, published in the series “The Life of Remarkable People.” We drew attention to the composer’s inner circle – his friends, mainly from the music world. Almost all of them lived long. George Philippe Telemann, the famous composer and musician – 86 years, Johann Matthias Gesner, Bach’s friend, – 70 years, Erdman Neumeister, poet, librettist cantatas – 85 years old, Johann Mattheson, composer, music critic, 83 years old, Georg Friedrich Händel , The great composer – 74, Johann Adam Rijken, Hamburg composer and organist, – 99 years old.
We deliberately did not expand Bach’s circle of friends-he, of course, had more, but they were named only those whose portraits are placed in the book next to the portrait of Bach – apparently the composer’s best friends, since the author honored them with such attention. As you can see, they all lived for a long time – according to our times. But in fact at that distant time – the middle of the seventeenth century – medicine as a science was just emerging; The average life expectancy of people was half that of today. And what? .. Maybe there is a simple accident here? Or were they people with a happy life, ideal living conditions? ..
Randomness is unlikely, but, according to the theory of probability, it can still take place in our example. As for a prosperous fate, you can not say that. They were more martyrs of fate than her daughters. The German Hans, who lived in London, had to wage a real war for his music, Bach himself, who lived sixty-five years, had twenty children, half of whom he buried. Died at a young age, his first beloved wife. Throughout his life, the composer fought back from petty nitpicking of city authorities, clergymen, and envious musicians. The greatest composer who created hundreds of cantatas, fugues, arias, songs, suites, partitas, fantasies, chorals, pastors, variations, etc., was recognized as an unsurpassed organist, but did not see him as the creator of music. The author of the book notes bitterly: “The ingenious creator of music and the brilliant teacher has remained until his last days inaccessible to the understanding of poor colleagues and bosses.” To this we add a tremendous burden of work and cares for the family, which the great musician carried to the end of the days: he was a cantor at school, he played organ in two churches every day, there was no rest or respite. And it is not known how much he would have worked, how many would have created new works, were it not for the circumstances that developed in the most depressing way and, one might say, led him to death. In the last years of Bach’s life, attacks on him and his disciples intensified. In the press, the polemic that humiliated the great composer, rejecting his dear ideals, was aggravated. To the old eye disease, head disease was added. Neither of the other diseases the doctors could not cure, they both progressed and led to paralysis.
So what’s the matter? .. How can one explain that even in such unfavorable conditions, with such great physical and nervous loads, did Bach and his comrades live long? ..
We carefully read the pages of the life of the great composer. And again we come to the thought: a highly developed intellect contributes to the longevity of life. If we talk simplistically and compare a person with a machine, then the mind is a regulator of the vital activity of the organism.
Bach possessed a powerful mindset, a brilliant intuition. All his life he created music for temples, religious chorals, mourning motes; Sorrow and sorrow, sacrifice and death – the eternal motives of biblical subjects. “Passion according to Matthew,” “Christ, have mercy!” – lyrics and pleas intertwine, death as the finale of life everywhere comes to the fore. But in music written on biblical subjects, Bach asserts the triumph of life. He is an optimist, a lover, he believed in the triumph of light and reason, and in this faith he found strength for struggle and creativity. Faith also served as the source of his healthy, full-blooded life.
Bach was a wonderful creator, he intuitively realized the importance and, perhaps, the greatness of his work, and this consciousness added strength to him.
Extensive extracts, which we allowed ourselves to do, illustrate and confirm the fundamental idea: the mind and the psychic structure are the main regulators of the vital activity of the whole organism; Here are the main ways to increase life expectancy.