Cellist Pablo Casals, at 93, told us how to stay ‘young’

If you feel that you are piling up the birthdays and that you are “growing old” — a phrase that has become part of our natural conversation these days — consider the words of Pablo Casals, the famous cellist:

On my last birthday I was ninety-three years old. That is not young, of course. In fact, it is older than ninety. But age is a relative matter. If you continue to work and to absorb the beauty in the world about you, you find that age does not necessarily mean getting old. At least, not in the ordinary sense. I feel many things more intensely than ever before, and for me life grows more fascinating. Source: Legendary Cellist Pablo Casals, at Age 93, on Creative Vitality and How Working with Love Prolongs Your Life – Brain Pickings

Casals knew that having a lot of birthdays was not particularly meaningful unless you made it so. What is far more meaningful is maintaining a creative spirit, a zest for discovery, and a child-like sense of amazement about where we find ourselves in the universe.

Maria Popov, on her excellent blog Brain Pickings, has outlined some of Casals insights on the value of meaningful routine and ritual, the necessity of self-renewal, and what talent really means. This is an excellent and inspirational article that will take five-to-ten minutes to read but one you will think about for quite a while.

Tags: Maria Popova, Pablo Casals