One of the theories in aging is the Wear-and-Tear Theory.

It was introduced by a German

biologist named Dr. August Weismann in 1882. It states that the aging of humans and other
animals is the result of universal deteriorative process of any organized system. It means it
happens to mostly all things that they will deteriorate over time. In analogy, an automobile that
it will also wear out as time goes by just like humans and other animals wear out as they age
over time. Also, just like humans and other animals, automobile has a time called a “service
life”. This service life is the time were everything seems to be okay where there is no problem
that occurs, but after this, it is now the time where it slowly deteriorates and is expected to
have many frequent problems. The entropy in this “wear-and-tear concept” refers that all
matter will decay into more random, less ordered state.

But there are problems in this theory that makes loopholes. It was observed that there is
no consistency of life span between the same species and exact alike animals compared
biochemically. For example, how can a parrot have more life span than a crow if they are similar
in size, design, activity, and metabolism? Why would they deteriorate at such different rate?
Another problem, there are some organisms that do not age just like the immortal jellyfish. How
can they avoid the universal deterioration? Also, there are some organisms, instead of aging,
they die after reproduction. This theory cannot explain this event. That is why only few believe
about this “wear-and-tear concept”.

In my own perspective of aging, there are constant changes in outward appearance from
a younger look to an adult or old look. First, there are visible wrinkles that start forming little by
little in the superficial skin and the skin will become dry as the days go by. In the stage of being
an infant, skin is commonly smooth and with the absence of visible wrinkles. Secondly, the hair
color and the number of hair start to deteriorate. The hair will slowly turns to white or gray and
its number will slowly reduce causing some people in their old or late stage to become bald.
Thirdly, the teeth will slowly decrease in number until it is gone. That is why people in their late
stage in life will mostly have false teeth because of aging. Next, good posture will start to
become a bad one because they will have an arch back bending towards the front. Most old
people have this appearance. Another, most people become fat because they will gain an extra
amount of weight due to less activity or exercise as they age. Also, many people in the late stage
have their reading glasses or eye glasses with them because of their eye problems that causing
them to see clearly in some conditions. These are some of the physical signs that I observe most
often to people who becomes old or in the process of aging.

I would like to age in a way just like an immortal jellyfish would be. There is regeneration
every time it’s needed. There will be no wearing and tearing out for there is constant
regeneration happening always in the body. Diseases and minor injuries cannot cause death
because of the fast renewing characteristics of the cells. There will be no hair loss, no wrinkles,
no problems in eyes and ears, and definitely, in everything. The more days that will pass by; the
more fresh and renewed I can be.