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Henry Kissinger, the legendary statesman who helped shape modern geopolitics, has died at age 100. He seems to have been as surprised as anybody that he made it that far.
In his last TV interview, with Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, the two touched briefly on the point.
“How did I live to be 100? I don’t know. I didn’t aim for it,” Kissinger told Döpfner.
How did he live to be 100 years old despite being sick and stressed?
Henry Kissinger was born on May 27, 1923. He graduated from Harvard University and won the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize.
His longevity was not a product of good health. He was hunched over, obese, and had a myriad of other health issues. He had five heart surgeries, was blind in his right eye, and wore hearing aids. His diet generally consisted of German sausages and Vienna schnitzel; his living habits included staying up late, drinking, and eating other fried food. He worked 15 hours a day, and his only hobby was playing chess, a stationary activity. He had a history of heart disease that went back more than 40 years. In February 1982, at the age of 58, he underwent three coronary artery bypass surgeries and then underwent angioplasty surgery in 2005.
On July 15, 2014, the 91-year-old underwent aortic valve replacement surgery at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. This surgery, for those who do not know, is a thoracic and cardiovascular surgery that uses an artificial valve to replace the original damaged or abnormal heart valve. He still lived to be 100 years old.
Can you believe that, when he was 100 years old, he could still take a flight of more than ten hours to Beijing for a business trip? When he arrived, he immediately threw himself into his work. He had a full schedule of activities and did not seem to be affected by the time difference or his age.
In addition to his other accomplishments, he served as the U.S. Secretary of State to Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1971, Kissinger visited China as Nixon’s special envoy, making a historic contribution to building a good relationship between China and the United States. He has supported the development of Sino-US relations for many years. Even the new pandemic did not slow him down.
By 2020, he had finished writing two books and started writing the third. As if that were not stressful enough, this year alone he had flown to 15 places worldwide to hold events or meet with politicians. His most recent visit to Beijing marked his 100th visit to China.
Kissinger participated in many significant diplomatic activities, all under immense pressure. It can be said that he has lived under heavy pressure for a long time and is sick and stressed. It is a mystery as to how he could live such a long life.
Perhaps we can understand the secret to his longevity by recalling Kissinger’s own words on the subject. He said, “I think the secret of my longevity is that I’ve been lucky enough to do something that fascinates me, that I can be a part of. I’m not retired yet, and I don’t plan to retire. I will work on issues that I think are important, and that’s why I’m still working.” To sum up, the secret of his longevity is always to work. Further proof of this can be obtained by examining the lives of Buffett, Munger, and Li Ka-shing, who are also close to 100 years old.
People will have a strong sense of being alive as long as they work. This sense of what I will call existence is what most people hang on to throughout their lives. No matter how old you are, having a sense of existence is beneficial to longevity. As Kissinger once said: “Longevity is not something I deliberately seek, but I accept it happily.”
充實的人生，長壽的人生
一身是病又压力重重，他是如何活到100岁？
幫助塑造現代地緣政治的傳奇政治家亨利·基辛格去世，享年 100 歲。他似乎和任何人一樣對自己能走到這一步感到驚訝。
在他與 Axel Springer 執行長 Mathias Döpfner 的最後一次電視採訪中，兩人簡短地談到了這一點。
「我是怎麼活到 100 歲的？我不知道。我的目標不是這個，」基辛格告訴多普夫納。
他是如何在疾病纏身、壓力重重的情況下活到100歲的呢？
亨利·基辛格他生于1923年5月27日，今年100岁，他毕业于哈佛大学，1973年诺贝尔和平奖获得者。
他驼背肥胖，浑身都是毛病，做过5次心脏手术，右眼失明，带着两只助听器，他经常吃的食物是德国香肠和维也纳炸肉排，他的生活习惯是熬夜喝酒和油炸食品。他每天工作15小时，他唯一爱好是下国际象棋，如果这算运动的话。他其实很久以前就算是一个病人了，有40多年的心脏病史，1982年2月，他58岁的时候接受了三次冠状动脉搭桥手术，其后在2005年又接受了血管成型手术。
2014年7月15日，91岁的他在纽约长老会医院接受了主动脉瓣置换手术，这种手术是一种以人工瓣膜替换原有的损伤或者异常心脏瓣膜的胸心血管外科手术，但他就是实实在在的活了100岁。
不仅如此，他在100岁高龄的时候，还可以乘十几小时的飞机来北京出差，而且在短短的数天时间里，他的活动排得非常满，完全不受时差和年龄的影响。他就是美国的前国务卿亨利·基辛格，1971年基辛格作为尼克松特使访问中国,为中美大门的开启作出了历史性的贡献。多年来他一直关心和支持中美关系的发展，虽然今年已经100岁了，但依然精力充沛，连新冠疫情也没有令他放慢脚步。
自从2020年起，他写完了2本书并开始写第3本。今年以来，他已经乘飞机在全球15个地方举办了活动或者会见政治人物。这次到访北京是他第100多次访问中国，基辛格参与的所有重大外交活动，都是他在压力下做出决策，可以这么说，他其实长期生活在重压之下，一身是病，压力重重，那他怎么可以如此长寿呢？这真是一个谜。
他说我想我长寿的秘诀是我有幸做了一些令我着迷的事情，我可以参与其中，我还没有退休，也不打算退休，我要研究我认为重要的问题，这就是我还在工作的原因。总结他的长寿秘诀是一直在工作，看看巴菲特、芒格、李嘉诚几位接近100岁的老人都是这样。
人只要在工作就会有强烈的存在感，存在感才是绝大部分人一辈子都不愿意放弃的，不管你多老，说白了有存在感，对长寿绝对有益，你同意吗？相对于长生秘诀，我们更喜欢基辛格对他自己长寿的另一句话：“长寿非我刻意求之，不过我欣然接受。”
References:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-henry-kissinger-dead-1.7044509
