How to live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They’re Still on this Earth)

This book is all about this one man in his search for wisdom. He is middle aged, on the brink of elderly, and wants to find all the wisdom he can before he gets there. Interviewing everyone from ordinary citizens to politicians to authors, he searched high and low. He found people that didn’t think they were really all that wise nor have anything to contribute, but he also found others who couldn’t say enough.

Old people are in a hurry. Have you ever noticed this? They are always ready, getting up and gearing to go! You’d think that at their age they would have acquired patience and calm… but instead it’s the opposite. They feel like they never have enough time.


How many elderly people do you know that you could just listen to for hours, talking about their life and how they lived it? If you know a lot.. this book is for you. This book was a long list of a man’s personal life story combined with a lot of interviewing of those fascinating elderly people. My favorite was Granny D, the 97 year-old women who walked across the country to pass a bill in the senate. Wow. She was determined.

As I was reading this book, at work no less, my coworkers just couldn’t understand. I got so many questions such as “WHY?” or “Are you trying to change your life or something?” or something else along those lines. Another attribute to the wisdom and humor of the elderly, while one of my coworkers was questioning me about this book, an elderly gentleman walked by. The conversation between the two of them solidified everything in this book.

Marcus, my coworker: “Do you need some help with something, Sir?”


Man: “Hmm. Some people say I do.” (Proceeds to walk out of store)

It was such a simple comment, but it was something that I can only imagine an older gentleman coming up with. Are they just more clever? or do they just have more time to come up with that sort of thing.

On this same thought… old people are so much more thoughtful for the people they care about. For example, there is a farm behind my house that is run by a 4 foot tall, 90+ year old woman. She is just this tiny thing, packed full of energy to work out on that farm. She still has chickens and sheep, and still plants crops and harvests them every fall. This past week I heard a loud tractor REALLY close to my house and I went outside to investigate. This little old lady was climbing off of the tractor and grabbing two big bags full of recently shucked corn for my family. We hardly talk to her, but she still was driving around giving all of her neighbors some food from her harvest. Even in her old age, she is one of the kindest and most giving people I have ever met.



More than anything, this book makes me just want to get out there and meet more old people. Or people in general. I want to find people that want to make a difference and who have a life story to tell. Everyone has something to say; they are just waiting for someone to listen to them. This was a great book for the content and message. Read it!