I think you have asked an interesting and very deep question. In my view it depends heavily on the organism - what works for single celled creatures like bacteria and amoebae won't necessarily work for things a bit larger and almost certainly won't work for mammals. I think also that you will need to clarify what you mean exactly by 'sustainable longer life'. In a modern hospital it is now impossible to die in the Intensive Care Unit, but the cost of maintaining life under these circumstances is colossal. I am interested to hear what other correspondents think about these issues!

Best wishes.

Since living creatures are bound to keep a dynamic equilibrium, i.e. generating output while in the need of constant input, I think it should imply to respect the 'circle of nature' with as less invasive in terms of making such terrible conditions that life perishes from a certain area. No doubt, ceratin organisms will always endure and prevail, whereas on the other side living in a untouched piece of nature is almost impossible. It should have to do a lot in terms of regarding the needs of all aspects of the surroundings. If we consider humans to be on 'the top of the hierarchy' then we also have the most responsibilty for sustainable and longer life. It is achievable even for the human race to live long and maybe studying the centenarians could provide us with an answer. It also has to do a lot with perserving bodily but mental functions as well to live so long and surely emotions have a say here - since its proven that depression or similar states make the affected person more prone to disease as well as examples like caged animals etc. Energy is transformed and is all around the nature waiting to be harnessed, so its only for us to achieve a step as a civilisation to be able to live 'cleaner', i.e. more sustainable. 

In the case for human population, I think it would mean a lot more education and empathy that would bring down the existing unfair differences to a minimum. Inequalities are massive and by world globalization maybe a grander perspective will be more and more considered. But it always starts on individual level, so I would say education in terms of getting to know what natural and sustainable is for each person on its own. Useful habits that could do good for oneself but for the surroundings as well.

Reducing metabolic rate? It seems, in multicellular organisms at least, that strategies that reduce metabolic rate are life-prolonging, but are also based, from at least one perspective, less resource intensive. Fasting and other forms of caloric restriction increase lifespan in many mammals for example, and reduce resource use per unit time. Of course, as perhaps you are alluding, having fewer progeny is important on a population level.

Without any hesitation, I would say that a sound environment is crucial for an organism to have a longer and sustainable life. Without a sound environment the organism becomes sick, stressed, less free.

Dear Tony Maine,  Karlo Toljan, Tamara L Fletcher and Carlos Eduardo Maldonado

Thanks for appreciating the question. The Q is relevant to the present context. The paradoxical nature of man in preaching and practices are justified with sugar coating. All our problems and solutions lie side by side.

I shall appreciate further interactions on the comment.

(i) Tony, size of the organism does not influence much on the evolutionary operational procedure in the larger context.  Even grossly the situation is same for material and natural sciences. The energy management operates on both systems with evolutionary direction to leave the best through perpetuation whether by quality or quantity. Man is doubtful in its survival but microbes are most successful because of efficiency in overall energy management.

Economic cost of modern hospital could be explained in that context. Man must improve quality in core content not by enlarged container for a sustainable longer life.

(ii) Karlo, you have analysed the question in greater elaboration and similar to my thought.

Man has greater responsibility in the hierarchical order but he is the most offender to misutilize and misunderstand the order.  Your statement  "Energy is transformed and is all around the nature waiting to be harnessed, so its only for us to achieve a step as a civilisation to be able to live 'cleaner', i.e. more sustainable."  To add to this, energy availability is 100% for both quality and quantity but the option lies with man to make a balance that is sustainable for individual or global biodiversity, local or international.

Education should enlighten our sustainable spirit but not peripheral mind which is most polluted and manipulative. Please look at stray cases of human right, cruelty to animals, resource exploitation and management, rituals of science & religion etc. 

Matter should reveal the spirit's face and then only this worldly life will become Life Divine(By Sri Aurobindo) for longer sustainability.

(iii) Tamara, you are correct in the concept as per energy modelling. Overall resource  management at the global level is colossal and need deep thinking. Reducing metabolic rate will help man in a greater way to think more before any productive action. World is full of action in sociology, administration, science &   spirituality but the objective and result are opposite. Microbes are concentrating in future survival where as man is intensifying present empowerment and dominance.  

(iv) Carlos Eduardo Maldonado, I agree with you but partially. Environment is the container but life is the content. The system can not promote one without the other one. The system set point is now vital for a sustainable and longer life. Man is trying to bluff and is supposed to be bold out.

When nature has provided all the capital free of cost then why the human business is a failure in all aspects? The simple answer is  that we do not understand the standard of business, profit level and duration of business in sustainable manner. 

Thank you all and all the best,

B. K. Senapati

Generally speaking, there are many basic components of the life process which are critical for sustaining and prolonging it. Most of them are well known, and have been enumerated, debated and largely agreed upon by scientists, philosophers, and other thinking people for quite some time now. Some of them have also been identified in the answers of my fellow colleagues.

For myself, if I were to prioritize, especially in the case of contemporary human life, then I would zero in on our existing mental operating system, as the core process we need to focus on in order to live a sustainable and longer life. There are two main reasons why I view this as a critical area, which requires our priority focus. One, the elaborate and complex life that we live within ourselves and outside of us is essentially a product of our minds. Hence the problems, conflicts, contradictions, complexities, unhappiness, misery, etc. that we find both within and outside of us (in our interactions and social existence) are also a product of our minds. Two, the integral connection between our minds and our biological/physical existence. Our mental states and processes at present are actively impacting upon and influencing the various biological and physical processes of our bodies, which is leading to the emergence of new kinds of physical disorders that are clearly working against a sustainable and longer life of individual specimens. And that is supplemented and reinforced by flaws and problems in the social structures and organizations which due to innumerable human (negligence, carelessness, inertia of habits, political and bureaucratic agendas, etc.) and material (resources, equipment, costs, etc) causes are unable to reverse or slow down the process of physical disintegration and destruction.

We need a new design and criteria for the working of our minds. We need to comprehensively understand the origins, core design, structural constituents, functional interconnections between the various mental functions and processes, and the hitherto evolution of our minds so that we can intelligently modify and restructure our existing mental operating system. This will enable us to minimize both internal and external conflicts, contradictions, disharmonious interactions, etc., and move towards more harmony and happiness producing mental states and interactions. The new design criteria for our minds has to come from Nature’s own evolutionary journey and its macro logic process of which we are an integral part and product. This new thinking and doing framework focusing on our further mental evolution is in my view a prerequisite for the sustainable and longer life of not only individual specimens but human species as a whole. Once we make this new framework then we will be able to incorporate (and prioritize) in it the other basic components (as identified on this forum and otherwise) that are crucial for sustaining and prolonging our individual and collective lives.

Dear Sadia Tariq,                                       Dated 13th Feb.2016

Thanks for your comment and it is excellent. 

"The new design criteria for our minds has to come from Nature’s own evolutionary journey and its macro logic process of which we are an integral part and product. This new thinking and doing framework focusing on our further mental evolution is in my view a prerequisite for the sustainable and longer life of not only individual specimens but human species as a whole. Once we make this new framework then we will be able to incorporate (and prioritize) in it the other basic components (as identified on this forum and otherwise) that are crucial for sustaining and prolonging our individual and collective lives."

Just to substantiate it recollect the word "Research" not on search as the Nature has continued her search for billions of years and the option before man is to re-search and take credit, even that is full of plagiarism, manipulation, robbing etc.. Man must be serious about this for a better Planet Earth. Sri Aurobindo, a spiritual teacher and philosopher has given the hypothesis for "evolution of consciousness" which is necessity of the present time. Man is contributing to the knowledge forest but not so conscious about the central theme of the Nature.

Thank you and all the best,

B. K. Senapati

Dear Bikram Ji,

I am glad you found my answer of some use to you. Thank you and best wishes to you too.

Sadia