Longevity often becomes a concern of those who rise high in world affairs, or aim to do so. High-level politics can be a slow process, and dying young can prevent a person from getting the position they want. For instance, the average age of a U.S. President upon assuming office. At an age when many others are getting ready to retire, high-level politicians have to expend more mental and physical energy than ever.

The story gets even more interesting once we start talking about dictators and monarchs. (Note that we refer here to monarchs of the old school, instead of the figureheads prevalent in today's most noble houses.) Longevity, after all, becomes far more attractive when you are in a position of power without a limit on the term. Asian history suggests that many Chinese emperors died from taking longevity medicines that turned out to be poisonous. For something a little more recent, we have persistent rumors that Mao Tse-Tung slept with large numbers of young women in an effort to maintain his vitality.

Many world leaders die in office, but living past one's moment at the top can also be another great opportunity to participate in world affairs. For example, we might argue that former US President Jimmy Carter has done more for the world in recent years than he ever did in the White House. Another former American President, Bill Clinton, has also done impressive diplomatic and humanitarian work. Still, perhaps the best example is the group known as The Elders, made up of world leaders (often former heads of countries). It was organized by Nelson Mandela, and includes such illustrious people as Desmond Tutu and Aung San Suu Kyi. The group works together to promote human rights all over the world.

Of course, it is still possible to influence world affairs without living all that long. President Kennedy might be cited as an example. However, despite what Camelot devotees might say, his death seems more tragic because of what he might have done, than because of what he managed to accomplish while alive. Still, Kennedy alone might comprise an overly small (and misleading) sample size. In order to gain more data about recent world leaders whose lives have been cut short, we would do well to examine the development of the Indian sub-continent after it gained independence from Britain. Mahatma Gandhi, Indhira Gandhi, and Benazir Bhutto all died by assassination, and there is a sense (especially in the case of Gandhi) that they could have done much more for their countries had they not been tragically killed.

To repeat, the modern political process is quite a slow one. It is not common these days, as it was in previous centuries, for young people to become sovereign rulers on the death of the previous monarch and thus start early. Once a person gains power, he or she must now deal with conventional democratic means, which, while promoting liberty, can be very slow. IF a person wants to make a political difference on the world stage in a peaceful, legitimate manner, he/she had better keep in good physical health and try to live a long life even if they have to use anti aging products like HGH injections, HGH releasers and Resveratrol.