Name: Nguyễn Trần Liên Nhi

Class: 12E

IN MANY COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, LIFE EXPECTANCY IS INCREASING.

DISCUSS THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THIS SITUATION AND GIVE
YOUR OWN OPINION.

As populations of numerous nations have been progressively aging in the wake of the
advancement of society and pathology, this begs the question as to whether it is a conducive
phenomenon. Although the following essay is to delve into both perspectives, I firmly reckon
the tremendous drawbacks of this trend transcend its positives.

To embark on, high-value benefits of prolonged longevity with regard to individuals' well-being
and the community could be certainly reaped. Irrefutably, the extension in the lifespan of
humans permits them to have more opportunities to persevere and pursue their lifelong goals
or any dreams that they cannot accomplish in their early years. Also, since old people have
amassed immense understanding both in everyday life and in works throughout their lifetime,
they can transmit their accumulated experience to the younger generation with a view to
retaining traditional values and enhancing the quality of workplaces. This conveys, with old
populations, domestic and global development is guaranteed with the contributions of not only
the youth but also the elderly. To quintessentially exemplify this, Japan is renowned for being
the oldest population in the world, yet its economy still prospers sustainably, according to
recent research.

In the face of its perks afore-demonstrated, longevity extension engenders severe

predicaments related to both welfare and healthcare. Prolonging life expectancy undeniably
leads to the rise in the number of individuals eligible for pension schemes to fulfil their basic
necessities on a daily basis as the chances are that they are no longer capable of laboring to
make a living and tend to be dependent on the support from others. This situation puts a
certain burden on public finances and calls for the need of the government wielding its power
to enact welfare state policies to allot national funds plausibly so as to pledge the well-being of
residents in their later life. Additionally, as humans grow, they presumably suffer from a variety
of hazardous health issues notwithstanding how medicine makes headway, hampering them
from enjoying their life. As a consequence, high life expectancy decidedly poses a threat of
overload on the healthcare systems either nationally or worldwide. As an illustration, more and
more elderly people endure diseases such as diabetes and cognitive ability, which are so serious
that the demand for making room for those patients certainly pressurizes the healthcare
services of many nations, especially impoverished or undeveloped ones. Therefore, the
downsides of life expectancy extension are likely to threaten the society and the executive body
of any nations.

In conclusion, the phenomenon has given rise to opinions from both sides of the controversy.
From my perspective, regardless of how lifespan prolongation can hold any potential for human
beings, its shortcomings are inevitably acute and likely to outweigh the benefits.