Bertrand Russell: How to Age Well and Live a Meaningful Life

Alright, let’s talk about getting old.

Bertrand Russell, the British philosopher and historian, was most famous for his contributions to the world of logic and mathematics. However, being the unofficial polymath he was, these subjects weren’t the only ones he gave valuable insight to. Politics, ethics and morality being among the more privileged ones.

And occasionally, it came in the informal manner of offering life advice — where, encroaching the end of his years (at 81-years-old), he wrote a short essay titled, How to Grow Old.

In his oft spirit of dry wit and determinism, he opened up the essay with a recommendation: “Choose your ancestors well.”

An easy chuckle from his readers. But then there’s the more serious stuff he gets to. Death and dying and how to approach it. From it, and elsewhere in Dr. Russell’s writings, I’ve outlined 3 points that highlight some his best life tips.

#1 — Diversify your interests

In adopting poetry for the purpose of delivering elegant prose, he specifies his advice with the analogy of moving water:

Make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly…