The numbers are amazing...According to Discovery Health's calculator, between today (August 23, 2006) and my birth date, my heart has beat 1,911,301,056 times. That's assuming that in a typical minute one's heart beats about 72 times. You can do the math to figure out when I was born, but I'll save you the trouble: March 4, 1956, (or as I like to tell the person behind the counter selling me wine: 3-4-56. Cool, eh?)
The number jives with what the sages of India have maintained for centuries: There is a fixed number of times the heart is meant to beat each year. The number is something like 40 million. While you can argue about the precise number (by all means, use the calculator), I think you'll agree that the heart, like any sturdy pump, has a limited working lifespan. So, what's the point? more »
