Boy I wish I was smart.

Courtesy of Fast Company:

People are living longer than ever, says a report from the World Health Organization (WHO), but smart people live longer yet. People who are, shall we say, less smart die younger than more intelligent folks, and various studies around the world are attempting to find out why. 

IQ affects how long you manage to stick around in this life, with a 15% increase in IQ giving a 21% better chance of not dying. These numbers come from a cohort study by researchers Lawrence Whalley and Ian Deary, using the Scottish Mental Surveys, a historic survey in which almost all 11-year-olds in Scotland got the same IQ test on the same day in 1932. The new study found out which of these subjects were still alive, and at which age others had died. 

Scientific American cites one example, where "a person with an IQ of 115 was 21% more likely to be alive at age 76 than a person with an IQ of 100 (the average for the general population)."

Socrates said that "The unexamined life is not worth living."

And I have ALWAYS believed that to be true.

Perhaps one of the reasons that intelligent people live longer is because we don't want to leave until we have figured out the mysteries of life, witnessed every new creation, and basked in the glow of an enlightened planet.

Or perhaps that is just me.

Well Sarah Palin is feeling ignored so it is time to trot out her favorite prop for a little attention.

First Palin links to this article on Brancy's blog about a man with Down syndrome who "beat the odds" and has now lived to reach 40 years old, which they claim is twice as long as these children are supposed to live.

That of course is incorrect as the life expectancy of a well cared for child with Down's is between 55 and 60 years old.

As for Trig's life expectancy? Well that is another matter entirely.

Palin then goes on to report this on her Facebook page:

I read it again yesterday while waiting for Trig to awaken after eye surgery. So groggy from deep sleep at the hands of a skilled anesthesiologist, our son's surgeon also waited and reassured. And he told me the most fascinating thing about the eyes of a child with Down syndrome. "Compare his eyes to a 'normal' child's. Get a magnifying glass. Look deep. Their eyes are captivating inside! They're different, they're colorful, they sparkle. Surely God made these eyes to reflect what heaven must be." 

If only we all could see into and through the eyes of the innocent! They're God's sons and daughters who may not meet man's standards of perfection but will certainly meet His. Their enduring childlike faith and their patience with the rest of us can teach us what is important. Maybe if we look with those eyes, what a wonderful world we will see.

 - Sarah Palin

You know the thing about Down syndrome children, or ALL children for that matter, is that their care cannot be left up to God. They actually need very involved parents to help them overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams, whatever those might be.

Palin keeps referring to Trig as "childlike" and "innocent" and that may be true right now, but someday he is not going to seem so much like a child, as he will a grumpy middle aged man who gets frustrated that simple things remain so hard for him, and that his life is so much different than that of his peers.

I do not know why Trig required eye surgery, though if I were to guess I would say it was probably to correct his strabismus (crossed eyes).

However it has seemed to me for quite some time that Trig has not been receiving the type of care that he requires as early as he requires it. So if Palin really wants Trig to live a long and full life, she needs to stop being so focused on her own needs as a public figure, and much more focused on the needs of the child that she decided, for whatever reason, to bring into her home.