symptoms of heart disease and cancer

I cannot tell you if you right or wrong as you're asking an opinion of your thoughts. You seem to be confusing your interpretations of some statistics...and have projected a conclusion on what your thoughts are. I can agree only that those are your thoughts not on the correctness of your opinion.

Do I believe in humanity's will to live as part of our instincts for basic survival ? Yes. Furthermore, do I believe that this will to live contributes to human's survival from some cancer 'death sentences'...perhaps. I have no proof one way or the other.

The "will to live" is désir de vivre. Joie de vivre is something else. The phrase is often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life.

Joy of life is not the same concept as the will to live.

I know. That is exactly what I was saying. Read my post again.

Obviously, I'm not in disagreement. I never saw your comments. Had you noticed the similar timestamps you might have figured I never read them.

Joy of life is not the same concept as the will to live. >>

You're right. It does take both will to live and joy of living. My wife somehow lost her will to live years before dying of cancer at 60, no more singing while working, humor gone, not interested in sex, often fell asleep in her chair, serious about everything.

Not necessarily both, IMHO.

I've seen the same thing happen in friends and family that are terminal. People who give up...due to illness or horrible discomfort..stop doing things for themselves often refuse to eat, medicate and move around ... which can bring about the end quicker. What causes this...and what we think causes this is anybody's guess...however, it most certainly can hasten the end.

However, ...conversely...I've seen people who are what I would term as depressive personalities, that are hanging on well past 90 yrs of age. All this is proof of nothing. Except, IMHO....I see the will to live a possibly being related to surviving past all odds or averages. Joy may not be connected to this long survival past illness or extremes of old age.

Your post was headed @Contrex, which, I thought, means you clicked 'Reply" while reading my post.

I've had two kinds of cancer and survived both. I do NOT have joie de vivre.

Do I have a strong will to survive? Not sure. I'd rather be alive than dead.

Some people give up emotionally and survive anyway. Some people struggle and fight mightily and don't survive.

In short, I don't think there's a single answer to the question.

My Dad survived pncreqtic cancer for several years before it metasticized and took him. He had a strong need to live. He was an avid hunter who marked his years by the hunting trips of Octobers through to the JAnuary Rabbit seasons that ended his hunting calendar.
He also lived for his gardens and his fruit trees and bee hives.
He was an executive for a major Railrod and could have given a lukewarm turd over hi career , if it interfered with his hunting.

He was one that I would have always said was destined NOT to be talked down by Cancer. He had a high pain tolerance cause he didn't want to trouble my mom. He had a joy for life because he had so much he wanted to do and accomplish.

Maybe his attitudes extended his life but didn't save it. You know that he who is not busy being born is busy dying.