Ryan McAnnally-Linz was recently interviewed by the Washington Post for an article that outlines the many gurus, advocates, and trailblazers vying to live longer.

The following is a brief excerpt from the article by Karen Heller:

Compared with our ancestors and other species, many of us will enjoy a wealth of years. Is it greedy to strive for more?

“A 150-year life is still a mortal life,” said Ryan McAnnally-Linz, 39, who co-wrote the best-selling “Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most,” named for the popular Yale course that he teaches with fellow divinity professors Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun. “The pursuit of longevity can go awry if it is, in effect, a denial, an unwillingness to face the fact of mortality, to wrestle with its implications of how we can and ought to live.”

McAnnally-Linz, associate director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, views the aspiration for a longer, healthier life as a hope of reframing worth in later years. “We’re a very productivity-oriented culture with a sense that a life’s value is in what it makes, what it does in the world,” he said. “Older people tend to be viewed as ‘less productive.’ It can be very hard to see what the purpose of a life in its twilight years is.”

Poor health is frequently linked to income inequality in the United States. People with two jobs, patchwork child care and dependent older relatives may not have the means, the time or the desire for a longevity coach or a vigorous exercise regimen. The wellness industry tends to cater to clients who can pay strangers to help them feel better about themselves.

“Anytime you see lots of resources invested in individualized products, it does raise alarm bells for me about the social implications and the social inequities,” McAnnally-Linz said. “All things being equal, it is good for people to live longer, to be healthier for longer. If that becomes our highest goal, then I think we might be selling ourselves short. We would extend our lives without deepening it.”

Click here to read the full article via The Washington Post.