I feel the older I get, the more I'm learning to handle life.

“I feel the older I get, the more I'm learning to handle life. Being on this quest for a long time, it's all about finding yourself,” said Ringo Starr, the drummer whose rhythms carried the heartbeats of a generation. His words, gentle and unpretentious, echo the timeless wisdom of those who have walked far upon the path of life. Beneath their simplicity lies an ancient truth: that life itself is a journey of self-discovery, and that learning to handle life is not about mastering the world, but mastering oneself.

Ringo’s reflection arises from a lifetime of movement — from the clamor of fame to the quiet of introspection. Having stood upon the great stage of the world, he learned that the applause fades, the lights dim, and what remains is the self — the inner traveler, still seeking peace and understanding. His words recall the ancient teachings of the philosophers and poets, who long before the electric age, spoke of the same journey. To find oneself is not a moment of triumph, but a lifelong pilgrimage. Each year, each sorrow, each joy brings a deeper knowing, not of the world outside, but of the world within.

To learn to handle life, as Ringo says, is the labor of the soul. Youth believes that control means victory — that to handle life is to bend it to one’s will. But age, and experience, teach a softer wisdom: that life cannot be controlled, only embraced. The storms come whether we wish them or not; the sun rises without our command. The wise, therefore, do not struggle against the tides of existence — they learn to sail them. Like a musician who finds harmony not by forcing sound, but by listening to rhythm, the mature soul learns to live by listening to life’s music, adapting to its ever-changing key.

The ancients spoke of this same journey. Lao Tzu, the sage of the Tao, taught that the greatest strength lies in yielding, as water shapes the stone not by force, but by persistence. The one who learns to live, learns to flow — to bend without breaking, to accept without surrendering, to move forward while remaining still within. Ringo’s words mirror this ancient truth: that wisdom is not gained by conquest, but by patience; not by control, but by understanding. The older we grow, the more we realize that peace is not found in victory, but in balance.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven years in prison. To the world, it seemed that life had stripped him of freedom. But within those walls, he began the greatest work of all — the work of finding himself. He emerged not bitter, but transformed. He learned to handle life not by mastering others, but by mastering his own heart. His patience, forgiveness, and calm were not gifts given to him by time — they were lessons earned through endurance. So it is with every soul that learns to live: true strength comes not from what we possess, but from what we become through trial.

Ringo’s reflection also reminds us of humility. To admit that one is still learning to handle life is an act of courage, for it acknowledges that the journey never ends. The proud claim to know everything; the wise admit they are forever students. Each season of life offers its own curriculum: youth teaches desire, middle age teaches discipline, and age teaches acceptance. The quest to find oneself does not end in certainty, but in wonder — the realization that we are constantly unfolding, like a melody that never finishes but deepens with time.

Therefore, take this teaching as your own: life is not a race to the finish, but a pilgrimage toward understanding. Be patient with yourself, for even the most ancient tree once struggled as a sapling. Learn to listen to your life as Ringo listened to the rhythm of his drums — to hear the tempo beneath the noise, the harmony beneath the chaos. Each mistake, each joy, each silence teaches you something about who you are and who you are becoming.

So, remember Ringo Starr’s wisdom: that age is not decline, but refinement; that to handle life is not to control it, but to dance with it. You are, and will always be, a traveler on the road to yourself. Walk it slowly, with gratitude. Let time be your teacher, and experience your guide. For in the end, the greatest discovery you will ever make is not what the world is — but who you are within it.