I heard this story. I don't know if it is true. A Somali man said that people in the West have longer lives, but they live shorter because they waste it all.
It's an interesting thought. We spend so much time on activities that fast-forward our lives. Social media, gaming, watching television... I think we all know the feeling of looking at our phones, Reddit, TikTok, any other social media, and suddenly more than an hour has passed. We also know the feeling of slowing time down. Often this manifests itself in boring situations, waiting for the train, waiting in the doctor's room. So often we reach for our phones to fast-forward that time.
However, I have at least noticed that when I do what's basically a digital detox, I start to notice how long 24 hours really is. Even when I fill it with activities I like. Doing a puzzle, reading, walking,... These are activities that are fun, at least for me, and also seem to slow down time and therefore make life longer. It doesn't change anything about how old I will become, but it will change how fully I have lived by then.
So, what is the difference between these fun activities that seem to have a completely opposite effect on time. The only difference I can find is that digital activities fast-forward time, while 'analog' activities slow it down.
Perhaps the Somali man is right.
Perhaps the secret to a longer life is not about adding years, but about refusing to fast-forward through the ones we have.
Perhaps we should all try to slow down time, at least once in a while.