The length of human life has varied greatly over time. In the Life Construct, there was no set period established for the length of a human life – it was to be somewhat open, but dependent on a number of factors, both under and outside the control of humans. Items that have an impact on the length of life include:

1. Adequate nutrition from a wide variety of sources – to ensure micronutrients are present in the diet (including adequate water and oxygen);
2. A moderate environment that does not increase the burdens of life on the body (not too hot, not too cold);
3. The presence of predators;
4. Conflict and other sources of stress;
5. Presence of disease – primarily dangerous bacteria and viruses;
6. Presence of toxins;
7. Inappropriate Life choices;
8. Elements included in the Life Construct of the person or Soul.

Note that other forms of Life may have other factors that can determine their length of Life.

Many of these factors will also have an impact on the quality of Life, and the rate at which aging of a body will occur. Too many toxins from the environment can cause aging as well, in some cases severe aging (smoking is a good example of this), and exposure to too much Sunlight can cause aging of the skin (in addition to increasing the risk of skin cancers). 

The Soul Contract of an individual can have a major impact on the length of a persons life; while it is true that Souls do determine a number of ways (depending on the Souls path in Life) in which their Life will end, there are generally “contingencies” that exist in a Soul Contract that may allow for a Life span that is longer than the average. Even so, it is very rare to now have a Life that is longer than 120 years. 

In past times, millennia ago, longer Life spans did occur. There were a number of factors that accounted for the longer life spans: nutrition, specifically the variety of food sources, was greater; the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere was greater (which does help to eliminate toxins from the body); water sources were more plentiful and far less contaminated (industrial wastes were not present); and radiation sources (specifically electromagnetic and Radio frequency) were not present (even though both were present in Space). All of these factors, together, helped to ensure that the body was operating at peak efficiency, and the systems in the body were not overly taxed, which would lead to a longer lifespan.  There have been some studies that have also indicated that an increased presence of oxygen in the atmosphere contributed to an ability of some insects and animals to grow much larger than what we would now normally expect to see – largely because the increase in oxygen would help to eliminate toxins, both absorbed into the body from the environment, and toxins produced by the body as a part of normal life processes.

From a more spiritual perspective, having a longer life span is not necessarily beneficial. We have written before about the Life path that people have, and that when (or if) one were to deviate too far off their life path (as written in their Soul Contract), there are provisions for their life to end.  This was done specifically to keep one from accumulating too much adverse karma. But if somebody were to have a life where they did not accumulate adverse karma, could their life be extended? Yes, that is possible, given the proper environmental conditions. In this case, it is likely that a life could be extended to several hundred years, given adequate nutrition (including a very balanced diet), a lack of toxins, increased oxygen, an a minimal amount of Life stress. Unfortunately, many of these factors are not currently present on Terra. 

Could these factors needed for Life extension be created in Space? Technically, they could. But Life in Space, even within the confines of a Spacecraft, would present a different set of constraints to the tension of Life.  Space has a large amount of radiation present – ionizing radiation, electromagnetic radiation, and radio frequency from natural sources – that tend to make Space a hazard for human Life.  Food sources could be grown, given a large enough facility, and the environment could have a higher concentration of oxygen, even though that could significantly increase the risk of fire. Gravity would have to be simulated in order to maintain both the mass of muscle and bones. All of these individual elements present significant technical challenges, that together may likely be difficult to overcome for centuries.

In truth, the length of a Life on Terra is more a function of the lessons to be learned, and the ability of one to remain karmically balanced.  Given the Life, technical, and social structures present in the societies on Terra, increasing the Life span of humans would appear to offer little benefit, when considered in a much larger picture.