☕️ the main thing
I really ought to clean up and share my book notes1 on From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks. I love this book and often recommend it to midlifers who are thinking about what’s next.
But for today’s piece, I want to just focus on J.S. Bach and Charles Darwin. We know these names of course, but I learned some other bits about them in Brooks’ book that made me go, “Hmmm, I want to be like Bach, and please, not Darwin.”
What in the world am I talking about?!?
So, Darwin — we know this guy... evolutionary theory, natural selection, epic author of On The Origin of Species, described as one of the most influential figures in human history, buried in Westminster Abbey (together with all the other Big Deal Someones, not far from Sir Isaac Newton).
It would appear, according to Brooks, that Darwin — despite all his achievements — “died considering his career to be a disappointment.”
“I have not the heart or strength at my age to begin any investigations lasting years, which is the only thing which I enjoy,” he confessed to a friend. “I have everything to make me happy and contented, but life has become very wearisome to me.”
On the other hand, there’s Johann Sebastian Bach, a German composer generally regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. Have you ever heard his Cello Suite No.1 in G Major, played by Yo-Yo Ma? Or his Mass in B Minor? Just exquisite.
Like Darwin, J.S. Bach gained acclaim and success early in his career. At that point, he was considered by many to be the finest composer in the high baroque. Funnily enough, it was his son, C.P.E., who “kicked him out of the limelight.” For the last decade of J.S.’s life, his son was regarded as the greatest of the Bachs. When Mozart later said, “Bach is the father, we are the children,” Mozart was referring to C.P.E., not J.S.
But unlike Darwin, Bach did not despair.
Instead, he took pride in his son’s achievements and threw himself into reinventing his career and his life. He turned his talents from “musical innovator to master teacher.” He spent the last 10 years of his life working on various musical projects. He focused on projects he enjoyed doing and died while working—literally—on The Art of Fugue.
When Darwin hit his wall, he became despondent and depressed; his life ended in sadness. Like most people, he never looked for or found his second curve, so all he saw late in life was his decline. Meanwhile, when Bach saw the back half of his fluid intelligence curve, he jumped with both feet onto his crystallized intelligence curve2 and never looked back. When he fell behind as an innovator, he reinvented himself as an instructor. He died beloved, fulfilled, respected—if not as famous as he once had been—and, by all accounts, happy.
• • •
These are larger-than-life men, but their stories sound familiar, don’t they? We know friends and colleagues who are anxious about what’s going to happen to them after retirement. We know people who feel they've lost their identity once they no longer have the job title to signal who they are. (I personally know how that feels!)
Once you get into the space I call the wilderness, it can be sooo hard to find a clear trail out of there. Just ask Darwin.3
Bach’s story inspires me to notice the opportunities in the back nine of our lives. He reminds me not to waste time looking in the rearview mirror but to focus on what’s ahead—what’s in front, not what’s behind.
This isn’t about making the most of “what’s left.” It's about taking advantage of the opportunities and strengths that only come in the second half of life.
💭 muse
“Devote the back half of your life to serving others with your wisdom. Get old sharing the things you believe are most important. Excellence is always its own reward, and this is how you can be most excellent as you age.” — Arthur C. Brooks
🪁 stories from the trenches
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The first installment of the new series on midlife career launch is out! This one discusses why midlifers may want to start a new career, my rationale for starting one, and what even is a career at this point.
🎙 what’s playing
My friend, I’ve reached a milestone. I finally met someone who’s actually won an Emmy. 😂
But that’s not why you should listen to this episode with award-winning producer/writer/director Paul Long.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Paul and I chatted about midlife career transitions, his ‘new way forward,’ why he uses the word “olderhood” (not to be confused with elderhood), what happens to all our drive/creativity/ambition as we get older, and his answer to the question: “To retire, or not to retire?”
🍹 reader shout-out
Shout-out to WAGO reader
who, along with his father, writes the publication Letters With My Father. It’s an incredible project — a back-and-forth between father and son about family, relationships, and really, about life. And we get to read it from the perspective of the father and from the response of the son. Do check it out.💬 last word
D’you know that hearing from you is the highlight of my day? 😊
So, hit the comments section or hit reply and let me know what you’re thinking.
Here’s to an easeful week ahead.
Cool Beans,
Lou Blaser
P.S. When you’re ready, I can help you plan your next chapter with a 1:1 Clarity call. Check out the details here, and let’s get to it.
This is in the plans. I will be sharing my book notes because why hoard, right?
Brooks was referring here to Raymond Cattell’s theory of intelligence.
As someone who’s been diagnosed with clinical depression, I know that depression is a complex mental health issue. I don’t mean to dismiss Darwin’s difficulties as “simply a mindset thing.” What might look like an oversimplification here was made for the sake of brevity.
Lou- Thanks for this interesting exploration on Bach and Darwin. I personally liked Bach's work so much later in life. When I was younger, I didn't know how to appreciate his music. I thought it was a bit too unconventional and different. Boy oh boy was I wrong. He was one of the most brilliant ones. But I suppose that's what happens when you don't despair? :)
Love this piece. We spend a lot of time in the UK and stay at an Air B&B in Darwin's village, Downe. Next time I wander through his home I will look at it in a different light. Recommending you right now Lou.