Elan Vital is a term coined by French philosopher Henri Bergson in his 1907 book Creative Evolution. The English translation is “vital force”. I call it “spark of life”. The nature of living things is to regenerate, live; not to degenerate; die. Organic life is inherently designed to repair itself. Humanity is organic and as such self-renewal is a natural process. When injured, healing cells immediately begin their restorative work. The popular supposition that degeneration is genetically timed, with a limited potential for longevity of less than one hundred years, is questionable.  It is popularly accepted that contemporary human lifespan is inherited and mostly unalterable. Yet, the key factors involved with the quality and length of life are actually in our control.  Only when destructive elements are introduced or natural necessities are absent from the organism does the spark of life become dimmer and dimmer until at death it goes out. Early aging and premature death are largely the result of degenerative diseases which are caused by adverse behaviors. Lifestyle habits are in our power to choose, either habits for life or habits for death. We cannot become immortal. But, what is our potential for vital longevity and how do we maximize that potential? The purpose of life is growth, living things grow or die. We get better or we get worse. Without constant improvement, degeneration begins to breed and the natural process of regenerative development is arrested and finally stopped, we die. Our human design is a lifelong work in progress. The continual acquisition and application of knowledge for development is the key to remaining vibrantly alive as long as possible. This quest for perfection distinguishes creators from creatures. Reaching higher consciousness is humanities reason for being and fulfilling that purpose by the pursuit of our personal best is the key to a long and creative existence, as well as the formula for realizing true joy and contentment.