On Turning 90
How does one feel on one's 90th birthday? Not very differently from the last 'round one' ten years ago. But the world has different rules: at 30 you are still adolescent, at 40 a grown man; nowadays men of 50, 60 or even 70 are classified just as old masters in art history, in early, high and late middle age. At 80 you start really aging, but 90? There is no real label: you are an antique. People look at you closely and ask you, as a rule, whether you are still working or have retired. In my case I can only say that I work longer hours, travel more and have branched out in several new directions.
My work as a columnist has brought me a new appellation: witness to the century. A venerable title, which led to my being asked by a young reporter the other day how I felt in June 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War and if by any chance I was in Sarajevo. "Yes," I replied. "I happened to have been on a walking tour of the Balkans with Henry Kissinger, Fritz Stern and Jacques Delors. We waited at the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo for Austria's heir presumptive, Francis Ferdinand. As I bent down to fetch a guide book out of my rucksack, a bullet whistled over my head and lodged in the Archduke's heart.
My birthday party celebration was a fantastic experience. The great architect Norman Foster and his fiery Spanish wife Elena, art book publisher and psychology professor, gave a party for 240 guests from all over the world. Their Chateau Vincy was once a temple of the muses where Voltaire and Madame de Staël were often guests. Today it is the residence of one of the greatest architects of our time, whose genius revealed itself in a specially constructed grand marquee of canvas and glass cantilevered above the orchard, with spaces for the branches of the taller apple trees and the continuous dining table which wound itself snake-like through the trees. I have invented a new name for my brilliant hosts, Leonard and Leonarda da Vincy.
The Chinese impresario David Tang procured a jazz band, and a Tyrolean band played us into the early hours. Food and drink came from internationally famed kitchens and cellars of the area. Publishers Friede Springer, Mathias Döpfner and Hubert Burda chatted with American's most famous moderator Barbara Walters and Lally Weymouth, co-proprietor of the Washington Post and Newsweek interviewer at large. David Frost, television moderator and eponymous hero of the outstandingly successful Frost Nixon play and film, talked with a Hapsburg heir who is successful in the television business. Otto Schily, German former minister of the interior and secret service chief August Hanning, Israel's deputy prime minister Dan Meridor, ten ambassadors from the EU and USA were there. The historians Niall Ferguson and Andrew Roberts chatted with the beautiful Begum Aga Khan in immaculate German. "Even thirty seconds to describe each guest" said I, in my speech of thanks, would take three hours". For me, one of the highlights, aside from a fantastic firework display, was the appearance of eight students of the Oxford Leadership & Scholarship Programme, which I founded for the benefit of future leaders from those regions which have so far only been insufficiently afforded truly elitist education: highly talented young people from central Asia, eastern Europe including Russia and the Near East -- Kyrgyzs, Kazaks, Jordanians and Israelis come closer through studying side by side.
My gratitude for so much warmth and affection from all these people should also be extended to those friendly letters of the readers of my Welt column All this gives me the courage and incentive to look forward with God's help to another round birthday, still writing.
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Congratulations, Lord Weidenfeld!
My Dad turned 90 this year and I loved seeing how he now expresses new strengths that I had not seen in him as a younger person. It is a great gift to be enjoying his presence with us at this time of his life.
You and my Dad are inspirations to me. May your next decade brings you much joy and happiness and many delightful surprises. And another fabulous party for your 100th!
It's Ok for a man to grow old. His gray hair is a sign of distinguished maturity and he doesn't feel society's pressure to get rid of wrinkles. But for women, growing old is something to be avoided, at least the appearance of growing old. Consider all the middle age women rushing to get facelifts or Botox. Apparently we are supposed to look 35 forever in a youth-oriented world. I guess that's to try and keep older men from dumping us for younger women or to stay competitive in the job market. It must be nice to be a man and actually feel fine about aging.
Isn't it something that at the "ripe old age" of 40, we are unhappy that we are aging. At 40, people make jokes about you and send you cards that bemoan your advancing age. But when you turn 90, it's a celebration. It takes a certain amount of brains and luck to grow old.
My grandfather, who lived into his ninetieth year
always spoke of the negative parts of aging(ageing).
Thank you Lord Weidenfeld for the positive view
and Happy Birthday. We do love those round numbers.
90 yrs. old! Wow, that's great. I used to work for Lord Weidenfeld back in the '80s here in Manhattan. He was a very kind, very sweet man. Not so good with the speakerphone but one heck of a guy.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ex boss!!
anne
My great grandmother once said, "oh, to be seventy again!" And she meant every word of it.
Happy Birthday!! In another ten years' time, the first round is on me.
Happy Birthday Lord Weidenfeld! What a wonderful sounding party!
You are an inspiration to us all. And I look forward to your account of your 100th birthday in ten years time.
Until then, may this year be your happiest ever!
Happy birthday, Lord Weidenfeld !
Your words ring so true to me. My mother's vigorous seventies, really reflected your opening paragraph. High middle age is a better approximation than another term bandied about, new old age.
Thanks for the tongue-in-cheek allusion to the at times appalling lack of historical awareness exhibited by adults. It's a shame, because an accurate realization of the social and technological changes you have witnessed teaches us a lot more about human nature and potential than the one-dimensional evocation of historical figures.
My heartfelt best wishes for a fruitful, productive journey towards your next round birthday. I look forward to your thoughtful reflexion at 100.
I wish you many, as many as you can handle, happy returns of the day.
Happy birthday, Lord Weidenfeld!
As a 50-year old physical therapist, here's what I've learned about aging:
1. The most effective methods of resisting the unpleasant aspects of aging are exercise; avoiding or getting rid of excessively unhealthy habits; continuous learning; a good self-image; challenging & satisfying work; a sense of humor; fascination with the present & the future; one or more meaningful, nurturing relationships; being creative; and a generally optimistic view of the human condition. Being an eccentric may also help.
2. By the time people have passed 30, chronological age is an unreliable indicator of whether someone is "young" or "old." Genetics, personal history, lifestyle & attitude become the big determinants.
3. On the downside, it is possible to grow old & never acquire wisdom; on the upside, it is possible to grow old & never lose the thrill of being alive.
Happy Birthday!
I volunteer at a community hospital, and every day a gentleman comes in to visit his wife. He's 100 years old, and he drives himself to the hospital alone. The only sign that he's as old as he is, is his labored breathing. Otherwise, I've seen men who're half his age who appear to be in worse physical condition than he is. When he walks into his lovely wife's room, he says, "I'm here honey, and I love you." They have one daughter, who's almost 80 years old herself.
I think after 65, age is just a number, but it no longer defines you. I think that by then, we have defined ourselves beyond the number of years we've lived ... as you have so gracefully and eloquently defined yourself.
Again, Happy Birthday!
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