Outliving your friends as an English question for discussion and conversation for IELTS & TOEFL candidates with a comment form to practice writing and speaking
How hard would it be to outlive and lose each person you grew close to?
If you lived a greatly lengthened life, would you experience so much that you’d soon feel surrounded by children?
Would you be able to adjust to the dramatic social changes?
Would you soon grow jaded, feeling there was nothing interesting left?
Does feeling that life is too short increase the intensity and passion of it in a desirable way?
Reading practice
Nursing homes have changed dramatically over the past several decades. These changes have been driven by government regulations and consumer pressures. When compared to nursing homes of past decades, today’s nursing homes are highly regulated and high-quality, sophisticated institutions for the care and treatment of older adults who have severe physical health concerns and/or mental disabilities. Assisted-living facilities do not have the same regulations that guide care in nursing homes.
Almost half of all people who live in nursing homes are 85 years or older. Relatively few residents are younger than 65 years of age. Most are women (72%), many of whom do not have a spouse (almost 70% are widowed, divorced, or were never married). Many also have only a small group of family members and friends for support.
Source: https://www.healthinaging.org/
Armaghan nicely described all those and I agree with those Armaghan and Dr Hariri mentioned. I do not like to live beyond my darlings and I think sooner or later there will be a day that I become bored of this world and want to experience something or somewhere new or even rest in peace. So serene it will be if I could rest in peace with no any dark point in my conscience and no anything will weighupon my shoulders and cause any regret. As Dr Hariri mentioned I also do not like to be dependent on anybody else even my children. I prefer to live till I am healthy and could manage my duties and life. 7
Excellent working! Well-siad, Dr. Hooshmand!
As I stated previously, to me, the width of life is more important than its length.
1. I bet it would be really hard and depressing. Day after day you would be lonelier. There is a saying that immortality is more a curse than a gift.
2. Yeah, probably. But I don’t like it. I think it would be almost impossible to blend yourself into the new generations.
3. I don’t know, because as a person becomes older, his/her mental stability and flexibility decreases as well.
4. Yeah maybe I would. I’ve heard the stories that some people lived so long and they were really tired that they wished to die. Like they greeted death as an old friend.
5. Yes and no. It’s not true for everyone I suppose, because all the humans live in different circumstances and some of them are dealing with extremely serious challenges, e.g. poverty, famine and war. Not everybody have the time to think about carpe diem, they have to just survive and make it through the day.
Such a pretty comprehensive response! Thank you very much.
As you said, death is a blessing if it occurs with a good and precise timing. I’d rather stay moderately healthy than be doddering, senile and totally dependent on my only child or perhaps grandchildren as an octogenarian or nonagenarian.
4- No, There is so many new things to do.
Why we must be tired of living, life is a blessing of god and we must appreciate this blessing by trying more and more to serve man kinds.
* There are not many new things to do.
* Why must be tired of living? The standard question form
* God has a capital G.
* serve mankind
3- Yes, Undoubtedly I love to live in different situations and dramatic changes are desirable for me. I was student in different places which were different with my birth place and living in other cultures was exciting for me.
In my mind the social situation or changes are not so important, the important point is to live with honesty and considering the ethical concepts.
The other important point is that we most do our best in all situations.
* I was a student
* different from
* … are to ‘live’ with honesty and ‘consider’ … – They should be parallel. If not clear yet, ask for clarification here in this comment form.
* we must do our best
Thank you very much.
It is clear. The role of the words before and after “and” must be same.
Precisely!
2- Yes, I love babies and If I was lived for long time I would like to be surrounded by children. (Also, the meaning of the question is a little ambiguous for me).
* … if I lived for a long time …
* This question means that you lose your peers and friends due to old age; and as a result, you’re surrounded by your and their children and grandchildren.
1- undoubtedly it is one of the grave painful disasters which can make us upset.
I have some experience in this situation, it is not easy to speak about man kinds feeling in this situation.
Sometimes, in this situation person who lost her near friend or family thinks that the world is valueless.
* Did you mean “mankind”? It’s an uncountable word, and it’s not suitable for this context. You could write “the people dealing with this situation”.
* person who lost her near friend or family thinks –> people who lose their new friends or family think …
1-I well be so sad and depress.
2- yes so much
3- not very much
4-yes
5- yes why not
As you said, Soroosh, the situation would be so dark and saddening! What I can say is that fortunately these extreme conditions rarely occur in real life.