..I think that humans in general 'gripe' anyway, I mean I think it's in human nature to do so but specifically with taxes..?...it's because they're one of those things that we have no control over, not paying them..I mean how those taxes are spent/those decisions and the 'gripes' are not that they're in any way begrudged but more the NHS issues atm and rising taxes if people saw them V a declining health system/declining school systems etc..?..but focus on spending with something an individual taxpayer wouldn't believe in or agree with...cancer research/cancer treatment funding, I can't see many people ever not agreeing with as a 'personal investment'...

Reminds of that Torchwood series where one day everyone stopped dying :worry:

Totally agree

...yeah because that would also be people who had paid taxes/contributed to a system their whole working lives, then being 'scrapped off', when they needed that system themselves...

2 children with leukaemia? Jesus H.. That's terrible! Also, on the subject of research and funding; CRUK only use 1% of their research funds to research childhood cancer. They have recently (after being pressurised by a nationwide campaign) launched a child and teens campaign but we'll see... It's shocking that they use poor little bald kids in their adverts, but don't actually fund finding them a cure. In the past 20 years, only 2 new children's cancer treatments have been made, compared to 80+ for adult cancers.

Really? That's surprising Lee, you would have thought kids would be a priority but I guess until you're in the situation yourself you wouldn't have much cause to properly investigate these things

I'm not talking about funding for cancer research and treatment, I'm talking about a (theoretical) future world where we've cured all the big "killers of the elderly" and everyone is living until they're 100. Given that, in Britain at least, we seem to be MAJORLY struggling to maintain any sort of quality of life for our elderly already? The only options to support it are either a huge surge to the left - and I'm not talking a few more tax ££, I'm talking a major social / lifestyle overhaul for everyone - which people have quite clearly demonstrated that they do not want and will not accept... OR, people will have to continue to work until they are so old and frail that their bodies simply fail, further compounding the "birth-school-work-die" existential nightmare? Work to live, live to work, die? What is the point?

I genuinely don't mean to be a negative nancy. *I* think we should help people to live long lives and to enjoy their retirement. *I* think more family units and communities should be close enough to all work together and provide good, full lives for everyone. But the reality is, a lot of families aren't that. MOST communities aren't that. Most of capitalist society is selfish and does not want to support those who are not able to support themselves... how can that really be disputed? Where is this fantasy world where actually everyone wants to help and is happy to give more of "what's theirs" to make that happen?

A lot of elderly people are already lonely, and poor, and struggling to exist. I'm saying, look at the social and economic problems that have already been identified in relation to an aging population, and then multiply those by ten.

It's not a problem with curing disease, it's a problem with society, but it's a very real one and pretending it doesn't exist doesn't change it.

..wow...do you think that's because in general, it's believed that child cancer has a better prognosis than adult cancers...?.../obviously I'm generalising ....

Yeah, it really surprised me too Niamh. I suppose the research companies/pharmaceuticals won't make as much money from researching children's cancer as only a small percentage of cancer diagnosis' are children?

Maybe, that's the greedy world we live in I guess and I suppose where TS's points are coming from :(

..I'm not pretending that anything doesn't exist but 'Work to live, live to work, die? What is the point?', "birth-school-work-die" has always been there and always will..a 'what is the meaning of life..'/type thing...it's for us to find our own meanings...

Yes but currently, at least people do seem to get a LITTLE time to slowly wind down in their twilight years and reflect on their lives. You know, to actually have the time to find those meanings, towards the end. That seems to be rapidly evaporating - my own "official" retirement age is already 70 and I have some serious doubts that it'll stay there. The pot is running dry, fast, already, I guess is what I'm saying. For myself personally I'm hoping that I have time to "feather my own nest" a bit and retire early, that's the long term plan at least, but the reality for most people is that the further we head into "aging population" territory, the more likely it is that you'll simply have to work until you drop.

..(sorry, I have to get off now so just a quick reply..)...all I know really is that, you're talking about an unknown/the future and it may feel bleak and it may in reality be bleak and all of your worrying come true..or they may not/that's something you don't know/none of us do...(I know of people who have 'built that nest' to retire early so that they could spend time with their families/fulfil lifelong bucket-list dreams etc..and have sadly died, a short while after their retirement and not being able to do any of those things..)..and their partners/families who have been devastated by that as well...'back in the day' though when there were no breakthroughs, when there was no research, when their was no medication/treatment etc...(and not that long ago when you think..)...there was no time to muse/there was no time to think etc because a lifespan would be around 30-40yrs of age for many as people died of colds/flus/ et and so many 'minor' things so, no matter what..science has to move forward and any breakthroughs etc have to be introduced/they have to be funded....(sorry if that's all scrambled/I have to go..)...

This 100%