Bertrand Russell’s Secret to a Great Life
What “the good life” really means.
The great British philosopher, mathematician, historian, and Nobel winner Bertrand Russell published more than 70 books and about 2,000 articles. He was a prolific philosopher. “Think for yourself,” he argued was “the most important rule of all.” But he had other ideas on ageing well and living a meaningful life.
He observes the secret to your best life is to “let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.”
Diversifying your interests is how you become a more well-rounded person, making meaningful connections and seeing problems or solutions from different perspectives.
He explains 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 merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river — small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being. — Bertrand Russell, Portraits From Memory and Other Essays
Russell’s secret to a meaningful life is expanding your interests, transcending your ego and trying the T-shaped approach to life.
That’s how your life becomes increasingly merged with the universal life Russel talks about. “Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses — especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else,” Leonardo Da Vinci once said.
Interests are like a circle.
The more you go broader, the wider that circle becomes. Eventually, the walls of your ego — self-centred concerns — start to recede. Your focus shifts to the interconnectedness of all things.
Self-absorption may be a natural coping mechanism, but it keeps us isolated. Challenge yourself! Start that creative side project you’ve always wanted to do. Read a biography about someone completely different from you. Watch a documentary about a topic you normally ignore.
Diversification is a protection against boredom.
I used to define myself by my work.
But now, I think of life like a healthy portfolio — an an investment of time in the essential areas for satisfaction: professional (work, money, personal growth), social ( family and friends) and health (nutrition, exercise and rest).
I’m biased towards meaningful experiences outside work.
There’s more to life than what I do for a living. I’m using the t-shaped approach to learn from everyone and anything. I don’t want to see the world with a strong bias — my own experiences, beliefs, values, and curiosities. I don’t want to see only patterns that fit my existing knowledge.
I’m learning to live wide and broad. I’m open to all experiences from which I can draw even a little bit of new experience. It’s how I want to keep life exciting and mentally stimulating.
“The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper,” says Bertrand Russell.
Exploring interests does wonders for your mood. Studies show that when we’re curious, our brains light up in the reward centres! The surge of dopamine, a happy chemical, motivates our desire to learn and explore new things. It keeps our minds active and sharp. “Some dopamine neurons encode motivational value, supporting brain networks for seeking, evaluation, and value learning,” writes National Library of Medicine.
Elsewhere, Russell writes about the indifference of nature and why diversifying our interests guarantees life satisfaction.
“A man of adequate vitality and zest will surmount all misfortunes by the emergence after each blow of an interest in life and the world which cannot be narrowed down so much as to make one loss fatal. To be defeated by one loss or even by several is not something to be admired as a proof of sensibility, but something to be deplored as a failure in vitality. All our affections are at the mercy of death, which may strike down those whom we love at any moment. It is therefore necessary that our lives should not have that narrow intensity which puts the whole meaning and purpose of our life at the mercy of accident.”
The benefits extend far beyond personal fulfilment. A wide range of interests opens doors to new a whole lot of experiences, connections and many of life’s magical moments. When you approach the world with a friendly, open attitude, you attract better connections, build trust, and create a more fulfilling life.
Diversifying my interests is “lifelong.”
It’s improving my perspective and contributing to a meaningful, more fulfilling life. As my interests grow, so too will my sense of purpose and connection to myself and the world.
Life shouldn’t feel like a chore.
“Variety is the spice of life,” says William Cowper.
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