The Fountain of Youth

Discovering the elixir of everlasting life is a means of essentially living forever courtesy of an eternal spring providing those who consume from it an ability to stay young and never perish. Both historical and modern references to the Fountain of Youth live out a fantasy sought by many for intrinsic purpose. Some are after the waters to stay young and beautiful forever and others seek gain the power of being immortal. The material existence of youthful waters may even legitimately explain how significant identities in the Bible were able to live for many hundreds of years at a time.

There are a great number of stories in history about the legendary Fountain of Youth, a spring which would grant the eternal life essentially to those who drank from it to allow people to live forever. One of the earliest known mentions dates back to around 450 BC when Herodotus, a Greek historian wrote about finding the water of life in Ethiopia. Interestingly enough, Ethiopia would later become recognized by science as the cradle of civilization and birthplace of all mankind.

When Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon heard of the Fountain of Youth from the people of Puerto Rico for the first time, he believed it without a doubt and nearly right away set search to find it. Leon was not associated with the legend until after his death in 1521. Though he did not manage to find the magical elixir, Leon did manage to leave a lasting legacy still part of modern day America. The fountain was rumored to be located in the revitalizing subtropical and tropical southern state he named Florida. Incidentally, over fifty thousand people move to Florida each year for retirement, perhaps even to find their own Fountain of Youth.

In modern times the concept behind waters of everlasting life has taken on a different aspect by its evident reference in anti-aging beauty gimmicks. Though many gimmicks are just that, some do exhibit properties which are considered as a type of age reversal, but the majority is unable to prove a person's biological clock is running backwards. It's also no secret that science is steadily researching ways to extend life through DNA manipulation, the creation of replaceable organs, and by upgrading human anatomy with technology designed to prolong a person's lifetime. If you had the chance to live forever, would you?

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